Loosely based on The Burari Deaths, Gaanth – Chapter 1 follows the story behind the investigation that transpires following the death of a family in Delhi who is found hanging from their ceiling. With the crime scene compromised and the case gathering undue eyeballs, would the cops be able to get to the bottom of it?? The story here didn’t have a novel idea to begin with but I was pleasantly surprised at the number of twists and turns along with different perspectives provided in the story that accounted for a rather thrilling watch! This was true even at a psychological level given that the writing didn’t restrict itself to the actual turn of incidents, often using it only as a referential base and later fictionalizing the entire account. The important of this factor is that I as a viewer did not quite know in which direction the show is headed, even as the screening standing at 8 episodes of roughly 30 odd minutes accounted for a rather compelling watch. My only issue lay in the fact that the case wasn’t concluded in this season(ofcourse this ain’t a spoiler, the title says Chapter 1) that was a bit of a dampener for me. 

The drama doesn’t quite get to the best of starts with the standard trope of the introduction of a normal family shown to be anxious for reasons best known to them. And you quite knew what was coming given that the very next scene features them hanging from their ceiling. Parallely, you are also introduced to the protagonist, an alcoholic cop who is assigned a duty to get to the bottom of the mystery. To his dismay, the crime scene is compromised even as you are tactfully introduced to a few of the other principal characters. And while this seemed to be a safe start, it didn’t exactly hook me partly also because I was privy with the case at hand. But things slowly begin to get interesting as the investigation proceeds, and offers a twist every now and then to capture your attention. Here I must also add that the bylanes of Delhi have been laced with a haunting setting that adds wonderfully to the ambience of the drama. 

The proceedings are engaging and enthralling after the first episode particularly when the drama presents itself to possibly branch out in multiple directions. So the possibility lay in this being a mass murder, a suicide or something related to superstition even as the show accounts for a shadowy presence in the neighbourhood. To top it, the introduction of many other characters definitely adds to the chaos even as I found myself uncannily engaged in this compelling drama. The writers do enough to scratch the possibility of every motive, be it that of superstition or in the wake of religion or something drastically different, while also tactfully adding a roadblock at the end of every motive. So the arena was set with the drama heading to any direction which would potentially surprise you. The plight of the cops working round the clock also offers a searing commentary as an underlayer. This, while there are unforeseen twists at regular junctures in the screenplay along with sensationalism involving the media. 

About two-thirds into the first season, the writers begin to slightly change the direction of the case with a possibility that it slightly swayed away from the core setup done to that point. As a result, there is a slight lag in the screenplay which might be intentional but probably necessary for the course intended towards the setup for the next season. There are a tad too many details infused in the narrative but thankfully, the core thread remains intact and it continues to remain the strongest aspect of the drama. This results in a thrilling final act(of the season) with a cliffhanger that made me even more curious about its next chapter. The hints provided absolutely turn the drama on its head! Overall, the screenplay is well written by springing in a nice little surprise along the way.