- Date of Release: 10 October 2025
- Genre: Crime, Thriller, Mystery
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Jio Hotstar
Search: The Naina Murder Case (Season 1)
Introduction
The first season of the new Hindi show Search: The Naina Murder Case can be compared to the T20 format in cricket – the one that wishes to get things rolling instantly. The idea is unlike test cricket that slowly builds up with its subplots, gently inducing a sense of thrill that would last longer, long after the test match is over. But the ambition here is simple – to offer thrills in the moment, without worrying too much about the impact. For Search specifically, it isn’t a bad thing necessarily – there are plenty of moments that would keep you engaged in the moment, but just to balance it out, the show could have been a knockout in the longer ‘franchise’ format, had the story concluded here. Thus, the audience watching Search remains a character equivalent of Bina Tripathi from Mirzapur given how most of us would have our ‘Humein Garam Karke Thanda Chhod Diya’ moment at the fag end of the show. This was such a shame because the setup of Search was that of a classic whodunnit – a young teenage girl is murdered, the killer is on the loose in a city that is soon going to be engulfed in the election season. And with everyone being a suspect, I wasn’t compelled to play the guessing game, until the disappointing finale that suffered from the season two fetish syndrome!
Story & Screenplay
An official adaptation of the Danish show Forbrydelsen (The Killing) and written by Radhika Anand and Shreya Karunakaram, the setting of Navi Mumbai in Search adds a fresh dimension to the otherwise stereotypical bylanes of Mumbai. Ironically, the show premieres eerily close to the new airport inauguration that is (probably) referenced in the show towards the end (unintentionally ofcourse). At the helm of things is Sanyukta Das (Konkona Sen Sharma) who is taking a transfer to the cyber crime unit in Ahmedabad in order to save her marriage, and is on the last day of her work until she is delegated to lead an investigation. Her counterpart is the cocky ACP Jai Kanwal (Surya Sharma) who taunts her for her decision to leave, until he is ordered to assist her. The bittersweet banter between the duo is a connective thread for most parts of the runtime – even as they would later share a cup of coffee with the caption ‘Good Cop Bad Cop’.
The case has a simple premise, something that you have guessed from its title – Naina (Chandsi Kataria) is found to be murdered in a secluded quarry, her parents vent their angst – thereby contributing to the emotional core of the drama, a politician Tushar (Shiv Panditt) is seen to be crying looking at his wedding tape just so you know that his wife is dead – the next moment in office you see him interacting with his campaign manager Sahil (Dhruv Sehgal) and his girlfriend Raksha (Shraddha Das), both of whom share a vicious bond with each other similar to Sanyukta and Jai. The list of suspects extend to a driver of a vehicle (having a political sticker of Tushar’s party on it), a couple of college students who are involved in a s*x tape incident, a school teacher who looks suspicious from the start, a roadside mechanic who supposedly had feelings for Naina….to name a few.
And in all of it, the placement of the clues feel organic, something that does compel you to participate in the investigation, even while indulging in a guessing game with regards to the murderer. There are a couple of minor distractions along the way – for instance, Sanyukta comparing her personal life and her equation with her daughter with the ongoing investigation that transpires. The reason being that it doesn’t necessarily have an immediate payoff in this season, while doing little to add depth to the personality of Sanyukta as the lead investigator. Comparatively, her dynamics with her husband Bheesham (Mukul Chadda) has a bigger implication on how the case unfolds, given how there is an invisible timer that automatically places itself in the midst, while contributing to the flairing levels of tension for Sanyukta who MUST resolve the case within the ‘extended period’ of two days. On the side, the politics in the drama is also reduced to the background – with the image conscious but seemingly righteous Tushar being assertive and aiding the investigation along with the shifting equations with his team members and new alliances.
As I had mentioned previously, this drama resembles a T20 match – one doesn’t get a chance to stay in the moment with its emotions, while quickly switching to a connecting plot. As a result, the investigation is swift, tense and taut – keeping you on your toes throughout. But the emotional core of the drama pertaining to a loss for the family of Naina is rapid too, a case where things could perhaps have been paused for just that much more time. Yet, the overall impact of the drama remains unfazed, given the self-aware nature of what the makers intended to do with it.
But my biggest gripe about the show was reserved for the final act. With ten minutes to go, my heartbeats were literally pounding given my anticipation on how the makers would choose to end the show. But a series of twists and turns later, I was admittedly disappointed given how the fetish for the second season didn’t sit right with me. This remains a fundamental flaw keeping the Indian palate in mind – one expects the existing plot to be resolved before venturing into the subsequent plot, a case that isn’t always true for the West. Here, I so wished that the plot was tied up together with a grand reveal even at the cost of extending the show by two to three episodes because atleast that would have ensured a closure. The Indian mindset isn’t so much about continuation of a tale in the same breath as the first season, and it is about time that makers realise this. In hindsight, there is a strong case of the show being pointless – almost like ending a film at the Interval point, something that feels like cheating!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are understated despite the usual Gen-Z lingo infused in a few scenes, that stuck out like a sore thumb. Words like ‘bounced’ or ‘simp’ during an interrogation sequence is simply a general perception of how Gen-Zs talk with each other, and another pointer that filmmakers need to take note of. The BGM is quite engaging and it elevates the levels of tension and the impact of various scenes throughout the narrative. The cinematography adds a sense of aesthetics to the drama, with the grimly lit frames that compliment the mood of the narrative. I wished that the frames would cash in on the locations of Navi Mumbai just a little bit more, to add texture to the narrative while allowing the city to play a significant character in the narrative. The editing pattern is taut and crisp that allows the drama to be snackable, but at times overlooking the emotional core of the drama. Director Rohan Sippy does a solid job in keeping the narrative compelling and focused through and through, with the engaging world building and the infusion of clues that contribute to the complexity of the investigation that is unfolding. From a direction stand-point, I didn’t really have complaints other than the creative decision to spill over the investigation in the second season of the show.
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the members of the cast. Hemant Kher as Jatin, Anoushka Pant as Chhaya, Shazia Saher as Jhanvi, Anmol Rawat as Aarav and Madhurima Ghosh as Supriya have their moments to shine. Naved Aslam as Sahil and Govind Namdev as Pradeep are wonderfully understated and both manage to impress here. Mukul Chadda as Bheesham is a delight to watch in a character that falls in the grey area of wanting to give his relationship another chance while also being on the tipping point of breaking it off. The balance is perfectly carried out by Mukul. Sanjay Dadhich as Vinayak is first rate, and how I wished his character was a little more pronounced with the writing. Varun Thakur as Randhir is decent but he could have added a little more depth in his performance, particularly with the ‘indifferent’ emotions that he had to portray.
Pari Tonk as Mahi has a good screen presence, and she does a good job. Kabir Kachroo as Ojas is a layered character carrying the exuberance of youth and a hint of fear during the interrogation sequences. He maintains a fine balance while doing an incredible job. Atiya Nayak as Lavanya is pretty good too, showcasing her incredible acting chops in a nuanced manner – particularly in scenes of interrogation. Her fear is palpable but it accurately represents the psyche of her character who fears being embroiled in a case. Chandsi Kataria as Naina is terrific to witness too, deftly taking you on a personality tour that opens a can of worms along the way. And her screen presence is impeccable too. Irawati Mahadev and Sagar Deshmukh as Naina’s parents are brilliant to witness here. This is particularly true for the latter who transforms from an affable and supportive father to someone who is vengeful – the transformation being seamless to the core.
Dhruv Sehgal as Sahil is calculative, and he exploits this trait with a hint of panache. I feel there are more layers of his character waiting to be explored, and he will be an important cog in the subsequent seasons of the show. Shraddha Das as Raksha is seemingly calculative herself, something that makes her dynamic with both Sahil and Tushar interesting. She showcases control in her performance while treading on the theory of ‘looks-could-be-deceptive’, while putting forth a commendable act. Shiv Panditt as Tushar is pretty good too – assertive and righteous in places while accounting for the twisted nature of politics in the drama. His posture and expressions remain a facade, something that is met with grace through his performance here.
Surya Sharma is such a good actor who briefly stumbled in his previous outing with Salakaar. Still, the charisma and screen presence that he showcases is nothing less than towering here as Jai. Having to go shoulder to shoulder with a performer like Konkona Sen Sharma is not easy, and Surya does that with a lot of confidence here. He is natural to the core and puts forth a brilliant performance. Konkona Sen Sharma is the soul of the show here. As Sanyukta, she is dealing with her own vulnerabilities of a potentially fragile relationship(s). And yet, there is a sense of grace in the way she conducts herself, using her expressions of angst and uncertainty to good effect. She holds the investigation together, maintaining an undetstated profile with assertive undertones that drive her character. She is excellent here while delivering a solid performance, through and through.
Conclusion
Boasting of solid performances, the first season of Search The Naina Murder Case is a compelling whodunnit that scores despite a tapering and underwhelming season finale, thereby making it a decent watch. Available on Jiohotstar.