Shehar Lakhot follows the story of a protagonist who visits his hometown after a decade only to be embroiled in a pickle amidst the politics of the land that is on full display. Will he survive the onslaught? The story here is a slow burn and requires patience to understand the intrinsic details of the drama. In between there is a murder, a riot and an interesting bunch of characters with the politics of the land at its epicenter, all of which is flavourful while simmering in the heat of the dusty bylanes of Lakhot. The screenplay standing at 8 episodes of roughly 50 odd to 70 odd minutes each is a little too long and it most definitely ought to have been trimmed to wrap it under 7 episodes. But if you are willing to apply yourself and invest in the drama, there are some rewards to be had in the drama which follows a classic neo-noir template, much like Navdeep’s other films. I liked how the hierarchy of power amidst was highlighted amidst undercurrents of certain relevant issues in today’s times.

Written by Devika Bhagat and Navdeep Singh, the drama does open on an intriguing note with a dismembered hand popping out of a ground, only to be discovered by a bunch of boys. Soon, you are introduced to the protagonist as he is tasked with visiting his hometown to take care of a conflict that is created between a marble factory owner and the tribals. As he makes his way to the dusty town of Lakhot, he is almost able to smell danger along the way! The writers do well in developing an interesting mix of characters who are grey, and all of them are stakeholders in an intriguing town laced with a crimefest. The beauty lies in the detailing wherein you can’t quite figure the core of the story until the fourth episode. The idea of the writers to run riot in multiple directions across multiple subplots must be complimented, given that it adds a layer of unpredictability to the drama while also presenting the politics of the land wonderfully well. Once again, it is a slow burn while tying all the loose ends at the end, so stick by the drama and allow it to surprise you.

I am a fan of world building and character development and I have often been vocal of how these aspects of writing and filmmaking are a rarity in Hindi Cinema. But if there was that one criticism that I had with the writing, then that was with the overstretched world building. I did feel that the line of urgency could have been drawn a little earlier given that the setup was already well established, by simply moving ahead with the drama. To give you a perspective, some plot points like the Gay angle did not drastically contribute to the screenplay, and if taken out may not have altered the screenplay either. There is a chance that some viewers may leave the show halfway for the same reason, even before the good part begins. But once the fun element begins, it will keep you glued until the very end.

The star quality of the writing for me was the character dynamics that kept shifting between characters due to their own vested interests. The politics of the land that ensues while slowly bringing multiple plot points together may not have been easy, but that aspect was executed very well. There is a hint of black humour sprinkled in the narrative amidst multiple twists and turns that will keep you engrossed in the second half of the drama. The unassuming quality of the writing is impressive when you realise the direction that the story is taking eventually.

The events leading to the final act are interesting with the levels of urgency that peak at the right time. The writers aren’t afraid of raising the stakes in the game by eliminating some of the characters that adds to the excitement levels in the drama. The finale chase sequence was laced with humour while the final act did have an underlying layer of emotions while creating an ambience of tension to keep you on tenterhooks. With all the plot points nicely tied up together at the end, I was indeed satisfied with the writing that is far too unassuming than I had ever imagined!