Dhootha follows the story of a journalist who begins encountering mysterious newspaper puzzles and articles predicting the death of people around him. What is the mystery behind it and would he be able to stop it? The story here has a great concept combining the thriller elements with supernatural elements with an underlying theme that holds its relevance even today with respect to the media. The media in this country is nothing short of a joke and actual journalism that used to take place is now only reduced to garnering numbers and TRPs, which is a sad reality. And the story taps into this aspect as well. The screenplay standing at 8 episodes of roughly 40 odd minutes does make for a compelling thriller, however the story ought to have been wrapped up inside 6 episodes. I did get a feeling that the writing runs a little thin at certain places that slackens the pacing of the show. 

The drama gets off to a flyer with the writers using a prelude featuring the protagonist that unfolds at a later timeline on the show but setting the ball rolling really well for the events to follow. In that sequence, the makers play with the atmospherics really well while preparing the audience for the elements of a thriller and horror, both prevalent in equal measures. Soon the events cut to the beginning of the show(as per the timeline of the show) wherein you are introduced to the protagonist who is shown to be a journalist. On his way back from an event, he gets hold of a piece of puzzle on a newspaper clipping that indicates the death of his pet dog in a car crash. Eventually the events do transpire and that kick starts this thriller on such a high! But following the events of the first episode which was twisted, there is a slight dip in the proceedings. 

The writers had the momentun to continue with the events on the similar lines as the newspaper clipping. But a minor diversion involving the investigation of a man just took away the tension from the drama to a certain extent. Had the focus been solely on the protagonist with the investigation only being played at the background, the impact of the drama would have heightened. Having said that, you are invested in the journey of the protagonist and his equation with other characters on the show, some of which are shocking and twisted. As the can of worms is slowly peeled off, the drama gets back on track with the stakes being raised with the increase in body counts. Even the atnospherics are very well tapped into, that exude a layer of mystery surrounding the drama. 

The entire flashback sequence did paint a horrific picture but ideally I would have liked to delay the flashback up until the very end. Alternately, a timeline from the past could have treaded in parallel to the main plot, something that would have also kept the mystery alive. But once the flashback had ended, I wished for a little more urgency in the drama in terms of wrapping up the tale, given that the cat was now out of the bag. Yes, there were certain ways in which the writers linked the past to the present but the core mystery had already been revealed by then and so the show could have been wrapped up faster, perhaps. I even found the finale act a little too dramatic for my liking even though the messaging was absolutely relevant and spot on. Overall, the screenplay is decently well penned and it does keep the viewers on tenterhooks for most parts of the drama despite a few flaws.