A Srinivas Rao

This series set in rural Punjab promised more than it delivered. The very good acting on display by the lead characters is however belied with an ambitious narrative overburdened with too many subplots. With subplots ranging from parenting errors, rural practices to keep property undivided, to children traumatised, to homophobia, and the broken lives of police families (indeed many families) the narrative sags and groans with so many characters that it gets confusing. The several small characters fliting in and out makes it staccato and jumpy. I had difficulty identifying the characters until the third episode. Editing such an overstretched narrative is difficult even for a seasoned editor making some call bad editing as slow burn. This could have been done effectively with greater focus in just 4-5 episodes making the murder investigation the main focus. Closing the several subplots trivialises the ending which is banal and predictable with the numerous hints dropped along the way making the denouement unsatisfactory. Murder investigations to me are satisfying with their relentless focus and not in the spread of a spilling background. I watched the series with my mother and was embarrassed with some of the scenes beginning with the opening shot. Finally when you try to explain what really happened in the end you miss the point of the whole narrative. A narrative should open up like a flower obvious to the beholder.

Banal crime tale despite the actors. Extremely poor editing and pacing. What would need just three or four episodes dragged into Eight!!! Repetitive and unimaginative.