Aakhri Sach
Introduction
Thank God It Is Friday and the new releases have started pouring in! First up, I finished watching the new Hindi series Aakhri Sach which is now streaming on Hotstar. This is one of those sabotaged series from the OTT platform which had chosen to release the show in the form of weekly episodes. I really wished to give a fighting chance to the show and so I had to delay watching it until all episodes were out. And finally, today marked the day when its final episode was out!
The trailer of Aakhri Sach felt like a recreation of The Burari Deaths which had shocked the nation a few years ago. For those who are unaware, an entire family were found hanging by the police which was baffling and traumatizing in equal measures. The case was highlighting in one of my favourite Netflix documentaries titled ‘House Of Secrets : The Burari Deaths’ that was successful in transported the psychological element to horror for the viewers. I remember one of my friends messaging me post midnight, telling me how scary the documentary was, so much so that she couldn’t sleep. So the true events were haunting to say the least. Where my skepticism crept in regarding Aakhri Sach was on whether the makers would be able to create a haunting ambience, this especially after the world had already watched the brilliant Netflix documentary. So then does Aakhri Sach manage to impress, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Based on horrific true events, Aakhri Sach folloes the story of the investigation that transpires following a disturbing incident of 11 bodies found hanging in broad daylight. The story, as we already know, is quite terrifying but the one issue revolving around it still stands – it was already covered in detail in the Netflix documentary. So keeping that in mind, it didn’t feel too novel. The screenplay standing at 6 episodes of roughly 30 odd to 50 odd minutes each did seem to be a brisk watch. However, I did feel that the writers kind of went on a tangent in the middle to flesh out the series, whereas in reality, this could easily have been concluded in under 5 episodes. As a result, the drama felt less gripping and more subdued.
The drama does open with the introduction of the protagonist, shown to be undercover at a lounge trying to nab a potential culprit(or rather make him confess to his crime). This was kind of an odd start and it felt it was more to just grab eyeballs with respect to the protagonist. Soon, she is assigned the mysterious case of people found hanging in a regular household which leads to the goosechase. The main issue that bothered me right throughout the show was its predictability. This would have been a compelling narrative, particularly at the backend if the Netflix documentary was not released. That documentary had real people speaking to the camera as well, and this fictional account of it just felt rather underwhelming, simply because I was aware of where the drama is headed.
The proceedings are mediocre, not too good nor too bad, at times decently engaging as well. But the drama does run into a tangent when the investigation is on. The plot points in the middle at times amount to nothing substantial, and I did feel that that part of the drama did slow down things especially because of the predictability with respect to its end. I did find one potential plot point regarding the personal trauma of the protagonist, and that should have been the basis of the drama which was unfolding. The investigation should have been used just as a tool given that people were aware of its outcome, and instead focus on the psyche of the protagonist while frequently drawing parallels to the case which she was investigating. That would have ascended the drama to a different level.
I also feel that some of the ‘shocking’ aspects of the drama should have been handled with a little more mystery, almost leaving room to grow in the minds of the viewer, something which the Netflix documentary had done so well. It could have been in the form of a mystery or a horror but it could have been so much more impactful, rather than spoon-feeding the viewers with the turn of events. The drama is still watchable but the impact is diluted, while simplifying the twisted nature of the investigation. I liked the messaging at the end with respect to mental health, and I wanted more of it to drive home the point. Overall, the screenplay here is subdued and largely pointless if you take into account the Netflix documentary based on the event.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational and pretty decent. The music and the BGM are adequate, but none of them are successful in creating an ambience of mystery. A haunting soundtrack and a theme based BGM would have worked wonders in creating a solid impact. The cinematography is good, the editing is sharp for most parts barring a few scenes in the middle where there was a prevalent lag. Director Robbie Grewal does a decent job but the area wherein he was found wanting was in the impact that he wished to create with this drama. The drama never really understood its potential and it moved along leisurely at the same wavelength, without much urgency. The direction was pretty mid here.
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the ensemble cast. Sanjiv Chopra as Jawahar has his moments to shine. Gehna Seth as Karuna is natural to the core. I was quite impressed with Umar Sharif who shines as Jairaj. Rahul Bagga as Raghav is nicely understated. Danish Iqbal as Aadesh, Firdaus Hassan as Subodh and Nishu Dikshit as Poonam have their moments to shine. Mannat Duggal as young Anya is pretty confident and does a fine job. Kriti Vij as Anshika has a terrific screen presence in a wonderful job done. Shivin Narang is first rate as Aman. Abhishek Banerjee as Bhuvan delivers a layered performance and I really wished the writing around his character was better. Tamannaah Bhatia as Anya is a treat to watch with her sedate style of performance. Again, a little more layers could have been given to her character to enhance the overall impact.
Conclusion
Aakhri Sach is a subdued representation of The Burari Deaths that suffers from substandard writing and execution. It is less impactful and I would recommend you to revisit House Of Secrets – The Burari Deaths on Netflix instead! Available on Hotstar.
