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Undekhi (Season 3)

RATING
3 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

It was way back in 2020 at the onset of SonyLiv as an OTT platform wherein I happened to watch what turned out to be one of the marquee shows of that year(which was quickly followed up by the brilliant show Scam 1992). The first season of Undekhi, a show with virtually no known faces came at a time when power and politics was slowly gathering flavour in the country. The ‘win at any cost’ attitude was the flavour of the season even as folks across the country(and the globe) grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the reasons why the first season of Undekhi had worked for me was the characterization wherein every character was grey with truth being far buried within the realms of power. The twists and turns were exciting that partly did carry forward to its second season too which was good but didn’t exactly match the high standards of the first season. But the cliffhanger that the second season ended with, made me want to wait for its third season. And I was quite curious and eager to venture into the third season of Undekhi which was announced amidst much anticipation. Now that I have finished watching the third season of Undekhi, here are my detailed thoughts on it.

Story & Screenplay

The third season of Undekhi picks up from the same point where the second season had ended, and it follows the pursuit of the truth of a tribal girl being shot in broad daylight at a wedding by a senior member of a wealthy family. The initial conflict here is of the original video resurfacing that opens the court case but the question remains on whether the accused will ever be proven guilty, given their might with power. The story here is a decent followup that does a bit of a course correction from its slightly deviating second season while forming an intriguing tale of the power of politics. Yet, the stumble and the slide in its third act cannot really be discounted given that it introduces a fresh conflict late in the day that changes the core idea of the show in the first place. The screenplay standing at 8 episodes of roughly 30 odd to 40 odd minutes scores with its first two acts nicely but falters with its third act which was nothing short of a brain fade!

The drama does open with the confession of a character about the original video capturing the murder of the tribal girl before being shot himself. Yet, it is very early on that you do get a strong indicator of the course correction that the writers opt for from the second season. So you are introduced to all the principal characters and the situation that they find themselves in, in the current timeline. So you have the family of the Atwals featuring Papaji who doesn’t exude of an iota of remorse for his actions with his sons, Rinku and Daman by his side. This, even as Inspector Ghosh grappling with depression wishes to get back to his case of arresting Papaji. And a few subplots not withstanding, the twists and turns emerging out of the cat and mouse chase does a ruffle a few feathers from the side of the accused.

The proceedings are pretty compelling in the first two acts that show glimpses of the first season where it is win at all cost for the Atwals using all their might and power against Ghosh and his colleagues. The subtle game of one upmanship is interesting even as the writers aren’t shy to bump off characters, some of whom seemed to be important in the larger context of things. The urgency shown with the turn of events was incredibly good even as the writers manoeuvre past its twists and turns related to a character that was long presumed to be dead. Yet, you see a sense of vulnerability in a few principal characters that often act as chinks in their armour. This, until the court of law produces its judgment at the end of the second act. Pretty interesting, I would say until this point!

The issue for me was in its third and final act wherein the writers try to introduce a totally fresh conflict which has very little time to be setup. Had there been a little thread(from the perspective of Papaji) running through the narrative up until this point, then this may well have worked. But what baffled me was to put aside the core concept of the show, and run in a completely different direction which made me feel a little cheated. This, even as a couple of characters that could very well have been solid trump cards in this season were simply ignored, never to pave a path for them to return in the third act. When the core subject is compromised, the impact of the show is diluted, and something that exactly happened here. The events were still watchable with a little twist at the end but by then, I was disconnected with the drama. The rushed and simplistic finale didn’t help its cause too. So overall, the screenplay here is decent but doesn’t quite match up to the intensity of the previous two seasons.

Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues are pretty interesting and definitely manage to create an impact. The BGM is pretty solid and gels well with the mood of the drama. The cinematography captures some interesting frames that allow you to be a silent spectator in the thick of things. The frames enhance the characterization of the characters wherein you often get a sneak peek into the psyche of the characters through some mid shots with tight camera angles. The editing is decent although there were some glaring screenplay lags in its final act. Director Ashish R Shukla does a good job yet again but I must say that he does falter in the third act wherein the creative decision to introduce a completely new conflict doesn’t pay even with a twist in the tale. Barring that, the direction is still good with glimpses of the incredible first season.

Performances

The performances are pretty good by the ensemble cast. Omna Harjani as Kavita/Kanwal is impressive and manages to leave a mark. Breshna Khan as Gerri and Jamie Alter as Issac have their moments to shine. Rahul Bagga as Satinder is sincere and earnest. Lavvina Taandon as Rashi is superb and hits all the right marks with her character and the amount of emotions that she brings to the table. Nandish Sandhu as Samarth is first rate and is dependable in his character despite a limited screen time. Shruthy Menon as Deepika has an intimidating presence in a job done really well. Varun Badola as Rajveer is a welcome addition to the show although his character needed a lot more screen time for an impact in the third act. Heli Daruwala as Geet as an astounding screen presence and she scores in a rather deceptive character. Vaarun Bhagat as Lucky has an interesting character arc here but it was inexplicably halted midway although his performance was very good. Ayn Zoya as Saloni is unassuming with her character and she will keep you guessing about which side she favours with her incredible act.

Ankur Rathee as Daman has a massive transformation from the previous seasons and he is quite impressive here. Aanchal Singh as Teji will go down as one of my favourite characters given how she had shades of Portia straight from a Shakespearean literature! Her manipulative ways with her share of ambitions is what makes her character a winner. Shivangi Singh as Muskaan is pretty good here although I did feel that her character was a little underwritten. Dibyendu Bhattacharya as Ghosh is absolutely brilliant wherein he provides another quiet little reminder on what a fine actor he is. Harsh Chhaya as Papaji is excellent to the core in a foul-mouthed character that is repulsive with his body language. His constant smile in the most weird situation will make you churn your teeth, and that for me was a victory for an actor who is brilliant to witness. Surya Sharma is such a talented actor who depicted such softness with his character in Bhakshak. Yet here as Rinku, he is unabashed but still balances his act with a touch of vulnerability that you notice in his character for the first time across three seasons. Such a good actor that scores yet again with his towering act!

Conclusion

The third season of Undekhi is a compelling thriller with incredible performances that inexplicitly stumbles in its third act, making it a decent watch, overall. Available on SonyLiv.

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