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Grahan Web Series Review: A Combination of Riot, Greed, Love & War

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Review Dekha
Grahan Web Series Review:  A Combination of Riot, Greed, Love & War

Director: Ranjan Chandel

Cast: Pavan Malhotra, Zoya Hussain, Anshuman Pushkar

Rating: 2.4/5

There are many films, shows and books that tell us about a traumatic moment in history through the point of view of its protagonists. In this way, a sinking ship becomes a metaphor for young love and a dictatorial regime becomes synonymous with a woman's courage and endurance. By putting a face to a historical event, they make it real and relevant. At the other end of the spectrum, there is the risk of trivializing such an event.

The new web series Grahan begins with a noble goal, to talk about a family and a group of people who were victims of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. However, at the end of the eight episodes, it only manages to distract the audience from the cause.

The program tells the story of IPS officer Amrita Singh, who tries to investigate the murder of a journalist, but faces resistance from her superiors. She is delegated to another case by the CM because she wants her rival to be defeated. In 1984, a man falls in love with a woman, but does not get the approval of her parents. He is later seen participating in the riots. Unbeknownst to Amrita, everything is related to her.

Grahan talks about the riots, but is also following a police investigation in the present. He makes a statement about community politics and also tries to uncover a mystery behind a father who keeps a great secret from his son. It's a comment on police corruption, but it also talks about journalists killed for asking questions. In between are signs of caste and Islamophobia. The show tries to do too many things at once and falls short despite his best efforts.

It is also very convenient how one thing connects to another. How the other case in which she is delegated is inadvertently related to the murdered journalist. How the only photo her colleague from the rioters finds shows someone she knows. How when she goes to Bokaro (where the riots happened) she meets people who will not only help her case, but also give her answers about her personal life. All strings are connected for convenience and not because manufacturers are trying to connect them.

There are so many chains, so many players, that the characters that require the most attention are ignored. We see so much politics around riots, both past and present, that we forget about those affected by them. The only member of the affected Sikh family, who has a body, is the daughter Manu, but only because she is the object of affection of our protagonist. This unconsciously trivializes the event itself.

Yet despite all of his shortcomings, Grahan is not a dull show. In some parts, the show plays its hands too fast, but it also saves some juicy parts to wow the audience. Although it lacks focus, there are many things to keep your attention. Each episode begins with a mystery and ends with suspense. There are many types of filler in between.

In terms of performances, Pavan Malhotra easily outshines all of his co-stars. He plays so well with vulnerability, that even though his character has shades of gray, you support him. Zoya Hussain has definitely done better before, but it seems to be a problem with the director. Anshuman Pushkar shows his rank in the series.

Long story short, Grahan may not be one of the ground breaking web programs we're used to seeing now, but it can still be seen.

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