Naxalbari (Season 1) - Review : A Decent Thriller!!!

Naxalbari is an Indian Hindi Web Television Series directed by Partho Mitra. It stars Rajeev Khandelwal, Tinna Datta, Sreejita De, Satyadeep Mishra, Aamir Ali, Shakti Anand, and Narayani Shastri in main roles. This series was premiered on 28th November 2020 on Zee5.

The story of Naxalbari begins in Gadchiroli, a Naxal-affected area of ​​Maharashtra, where the ruling party's MLA and a few others are bombed. Naxal leader Binu Atram (Shakti Anand) has a hand in this heinous murder. Binu's gang has many young and eccentric people who support him in his work. Pahan (Satyadeep Mishra) and Prakruti (Shreejita Dey) are his two gems, ready to do anything for him. The responsibility of stopping the growing Naxalism in Gadchiroli is on the shoulders of Raghav Joshi (Rajeev Khandelwal) and his team. This mission of theirs is very dangerous. They even lose their loved ones to accomplish this. However, despite all the difficulties, his girlfriend Ketki (Tinna Datta) does not leave him.

When Raghav Joshi's team investigates, it is found that the wire of the Gadchiroli attack is spread from the forest to the city. The whole struggle revolves around the plan of an industrialist Sisodia (Bikramjit Kanwarpal) who runs an MNC, FICA, along with Keswani (Aamir Ali), and are trying to set up a mining plant in the forests of Gadchiroli. There is also a suspense character in the whole story, whose name is Baba. It is Baba who is giving instructions to Binu and controlling the Naxalites. 

Pulkit Rishi, Prakhar Vihan, Amit Babbar, Pradeep Atluri, Ambar Hadap have written the story and the screenplay is by Pulkit Rishi and Prakhar Vihaan. Naxalbari captivates your mind from the very first episode. The next nine episodes take you on an intriguing adventure. This shows the more personal and shockingly sensitive aspect of the ongoing war between the Naxalites and the government. The series does not impose any opinions or views on the viewer nor does it portray any social exploitation. It depicts that everyone is fighting for what he thinks is right. The series also shows how, in the midst of it all, humanity suffers and lives end. The socio-political movement is portrayed in a whole new way, which makes the show even better.

Raghav's character is the most effective one from the series, and the frequent revelation of his past makes his character more real and human, even though he's portrayed like a true hero, and some of his facts come as a surprise. We see him losing love, relationships, friendships, and much more, which makes us realize the real effects of such conflicts on a personal level. Even Keswani is also an absorbing character, and the puzzling and the villainous persona works in the favor of this show.

Ketki came as a surprise to me in terms of characterization, truly unpredictable. I wish the Naxalites could have been given more realistic treatment rather than showing them in full-on action mode.  Despite that, the show is engaging even though that much thrill is not there. But it delivers many twists and turns towards the last 3 episodes, which saved this show to collapse. 

 When it comes to the humanitarian aspect of the show, Rajiv Khandelwal as Raghav wins people's hearts. His character and the show's tagline #ThokKeBadla match well. Another reason to watch this show is Aamir Ali who plays Keswani. You will know by watching the trailer how different he is from his earlier chocolate playboy image in this new role. He has played the role of villain in every frame with full intensity. Tinna Datta as Ketki and Shreejita as female Naxal Prakruti are quite average, Satyadeep Mishra as Pahaan seems like wasted character to me, always shouting and angry. Shakti Anand as Binu gives a good performance and Narayani Shastri as Sudha is a treat to watch. 

The cinematography by Hari Nair and Modhura Palit is very ordinary and the background music by Paresh Shah is nice and loud. Pulkit Rishi and Prakhar Vihaan's dialogues miss that punch and are not solid but whatever it is, it works. 

Overall Naxalbari can be said to be a good web series for those viewers who are looking for action and unresolved suspense in the digital world. The issue presented in the show is real and reflects the current scenarios happening around us. The characters with the story are interesting enough to finish the whole web series in one day. Go for it. 

Rating:- 3/5

Now streaming only on Zee5.

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