CAST: Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma, Gulshan Devaiah, Sohum Shah, Sanghmitra Hitaishi, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Zoa Morani
CREATED BY: Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti
The opening sequence of Dahaad is of significant political importance. A distressed man visits the Mandawa police station to report his missing sister. However, the male and upper-caste officers disregard his plea, insisting that the girl had eloped voluntarily and they can’t do anything about it. As he leaves, he joins a crowd protesting against religious conversions and entrapment. He falsely claims that a Muslim man abducted his sister, leading to the escalation of the case and the commencement of an investigation, revealing the harsh reality of India.
Dahaad, available on Prime Video, is a story of Rajasthan and India, where real and intricate crimes against women compete for attention with false alarms and politically motivated scare tactics. Created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, the series delicately balances depicting the victims’ plight and condemning the restriction of consenting adults’ actions. While there is an obvious antagonist, a serial killer who traps women online, the creators continuously highlight a society that facilitates the exploitation of young girls under the guise of ‘protecting’ them.
The first few episodes of Dahaad on Prime Video feature a distraught man seeking help from the police to locate his missing sister. However, his pleas are ignored until he lies and claim that a Muslim man abducted her, which sparks an investigation into the case. While the series is set in Rajasthan, it reflects the more significant issue of crimes against women in India, which are often ignored or politically motivated.
The show highlights societal factors enabling young girls to be exploited, including the dowry system and gender disparities. In the fourth episode, Anjali, the sub-inspector, discovers that the serial killer responsible for the deaths of 27 women is Anand Swarnakar, a respected literature professor who preys on vulnerable women from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds. While the show’s primary focus is on the pursuit of Anand, it also delves into social commentary on gender disparities and oppression, including societal expectations of women and their vulnerabilities.
Kagti and Akhtar reunite for a thriller with Dahaad, their first collaboration since Talaash in 2012.
The show explores the psychology of its characters and their private traumas, including that of the main antagonist Anand Swarnakar, a literature professor who is also a serial killer. Despite the stark cinematography, the world-building isn’t entirely pitiless, with glimpses of sanity and progressiveness in the small-town milieu.
The middle episodes are particularly engaging, with Vijay Varma’s calm and methodical performance providing an entertaining foil to Sonakshi Sinha’s character. While the series competes with acclaimed Indian shows like Paatal Lok and Delhi Crime, the climax feels rushed and underwhelming. Nonetheless, Dahaad remains a thought-provoking police procedural with excellent performances from Gulshan Devaiah and Sohum Shah.
Streams on Prime Video
