Naxalbari: Well Executed And Contemporary
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2020-12-07 06:38:56
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
Naxalbari (streaming on Zee5) is a contemporary tale about urban ultras, corrupt politicians, shady local leaders, immoral businessmen, sympathizing college professors and policemen and of course those who want to root them out. The series plays out on a huge canvas where corporate boardrooms, chambers of ministers and offices of senior police officers mingle effortlessly with the lush greenery of the jungle where the ultras hide or the run down villages.
When an MLA is killed in a blast in Gadchiroli, it rings alarm bells in the state administration. There is a huge mining plant coming up in the area and a lot is at stake. The chief minister wants the security forces to sanitize the area. Raghav Joshi (Rajeev Khandelwal) is an officer of the Special Task Force (STF) who is handed the charge of going after the ultras. But Raghav is fighting inner demons as his parents had committed suicide after being branded as naxalites.
The story moves at a fast pace and there are many twists and turns that keep the viewer hooked. College students seem to be guided by professors to become revolutionaries. Things are not really what they seem to be. The corporate czar plays his own devious games by involving the leader of a party that wants to wipe out the ultras. Killings happen at random but when Raghav is kidnapped by the naxalites and they want the release of their comrades, things take a serious turn. The administration involves the army and the operation becomes bigger.
Still, the ultras manage to fool the army commander in charge of the operations. It is only when Raghav escapes and realizes that they have been thrown off-track that he makes a desperate attempt to save the chief minister and foil their plan. There are concealed identities and double-crossers all over the place and no one is above suspicion. In such a scenario, Raghav tries to launch a final assault with a hand-picked team. But will he succeed? Who can he trust?
Naxalbari is a riveting series that will entertain you thoroughly. Rajeev Khandelwal is brilliant as the cool and calculating STF officer who is fighting inner demons. He looks vulnerable in the scenes where he wakes up after a bad dream and searches for his medicines and looks tough when going after the ultras. Shakti Anand as the leader of the ultras is competent while Satyadeep Misra as his comrade-in-arms is outstanding. Sreejita De as Prakruti, a college-going revolutionary, also makes a huge impression. But it is Aamir Ali as the corporate honcho Keswani who impresses the most. The series is shot breathtakingly well and the background score is good. Do watch if you like a well made thriller.
