Sajini Shinde Ka Viral Video follows the story of a girl gone missing following a video of her that did go viral. And there are plenty of suspects in the fray who need to be investigated. What is the ultimate truth? The story here is a relevant social drama masked as a thrilling whodunnit that makes for a compelling watch. In the age of social media, the tendency of people to know more about the lives of others, even if it were to be personal and private, is on its absolute pinnacle. There have been so many s*x tapes of moderately famous/infamous people that are floating on the internet which is such a shame given that people just cannot mind their own business. So automatically, this theme is relevant to the core. The screenplay standing at a shade under 2 hours is taut and crisp while strongly exuding of the films ‘Ugly’ and ‘Gone Girl’. But the writing is a little wobbly here and there although quite solid for most of its runtime. 

The drama opens with the quick introduction of the principal characters including the protagonist Sajini Shinde, a teacher by profession whose video of her dancing at a strip club is accidently shared, leading to her video being viral. In a strange turn of events, the girl goes missing only to set about an investigation around it featuring top cop Bela who has a host of suspects to interrogate and investigate. What works instantly here is the solid premise that sets the context quickly while also lacing it with a relevant theme, along with the city of Pune who plays an important character. What did not quite work for me was the staging of the drama wherein most of the action transpires offscreen. 

I totally understand the limitations that the writers may have had to bear with considering the drama was unfolding through the investigation that was transpiring coupled with the character dynamics that the characters shared with the protagonist. What this meant was that the themes of depression or loneliness was just about be touched upon without going into the detail because the characters did not know the mental state of the protagonist. So the challenge for the writers to highlight these concepts through the course of the investigation was always prevalent. Yet, I must admire the effort of the writers for weaving a tense investigative drama while focusing on the lives of various characters. 

I did like how certain concepts of casual sexism and misogyny were smartly integrated in the narrative, something that added texture and layer to the drama. The events unfold similar to that of Ugly and I was expecting a Gone Girl type of conclusion. And it did have the right mix of characters in the fray as well, although not every character got their deserved arc given its taut runtime. But I was engrossed in the investigation leading to an expected yet unexpectedly shocking turn of events at the end that left me a little shocked. I must say that the revelation could have been executed a lot better, but the writing was so solid that even a half-baked conclusion left the desired impact. Overall, the screenplay is quite good and makes a good case for itself in today’s times.