‘Brinda’ web series review: Trisha, Ravindra Vijay sparkle in this brooding, taut crime drama

Trisha in the Telugu web series ‘Brinda’, streaming on Sony LIV

First-time director Surya Manoj Vangala’s Telugu web series Toastwhich marks actor Trisha Krishnan’s entry into the digital space, features the actor without most of the trappings of mainstream commercial cinema. Cast in the titular role, she portrays a brooding insomniac cop popping anxiety pills, grappling with ghosts from her past, facing gender discrimination at the workplace with quiet resilience and working with an unflinching sense of purpose. In the eight-episode series streaming on Sony LIV, approximately 40 minutes duration each, she smiles fleetingly on a couple of occasions. The narrative gives her and her co-star Ravindra Vijaya colleague at the police station, ample scope to portray troubled characters, even as the crime they are investigating gets darker at every turn. Toast tries to go beyond the whodunnit hook points. It blends the personal and professional journeys of its principal characters, while also trying to discuss a tricky socio-cultural issue.

The prologue in the opening episode establishes the premise. In a distant village in the forest, in the mid-1990s, a young girl is chosen to be offered as a human sacrifice to appease the supposedly angry Goddess. The wails of the girl’s brother and mother fall on deaf ears; no one in the village questions the superstitious, ritualistic practice. The series is peppered with practices that continue to occur in contemporary society, across religions, in the name of God.

Surya Vangala uses cinematic liberty to explore what is likely to happen to individuals who bear the brunt of such practices. Someone raised in a sheltered, doting family environment, may, with some struggle, stay on the right side of the moral compass. Left on the fringes and ignored by society, some others might channel their energy into the darker zones. The retaliation to practices in the name of faith forms the backdrop of Toast.

The protagonist struggles to overcome memories of the past and is constantly searching for answers. Brinda (Trisha), a newly appointed sub-inspector, is mostly relegated to a desk job. She keeps to herself, unmindful of the casual disdain with which her colleagues approach work. We see her sometimes fixing an electricity issue and often having to close the washroom door that her colleagues leave ajar. Small, everyday happenings are used to establish her persona. When an auto driver hesitates to take money after dropping her off at the police station, she insists on paying him.

The power and gender politics at work play out in different ways, with only Sarathi (Ravindra Vijay), a fellow cop, treating her with some respect. Sarathi and Brinda forge an unlikely partnership, with some friction, as they begin to investigate what seems to be at first, a case of suicide. The details get grotesque as they unfold and viewer discretion would be advised in the case of young children.

The stories of Brinda and Sarathi are effectively woven in when we get a glimpse of their families. Aamani plays Brinda’s doting foster mother, struggling to balance the animosity between Brinda and her younger daughter. The sibling friction has a predictable arc and could have been worked upon better in a story that otherwise tries to avoid predictable tropes. For instance, the prologues of the first few episodes make it seem easy to connect the dots and guess who will be pitted against whom. But events and characters revealed later add a layer of complexity to the web of crime.

At one point, when Brinda tells her mother that she is thankful that she has been nurtured in a caring home and wonders what the mindset of someone who has not received that warmth is, she points to characters on the other side of the coin.

Toast tries to address the good versus evil debate through the characters played by Jaya Prakash and Rakendu Mouli, painting a grim picture that education alone may not be enough for people to rise above superstitious practices. It also shows how another educated character is blinded by hatred towards such practices. To a certain extent, the narrative manages to underline the need for a sensible approach and let goodness prevail over all kinds of evil.

The personal stories of some characters humanise the crime drama. Sarathi’s story is that of someone desperately waiting for better tidings on the personal and professional fronts. Ravindra Vijay puts forth a fine performance as a police officer who aspires for a higher position but does not shed his innate sense of fairness towards a colleague. A scene that shows him breaking down on learning a crucial turning point in his personal life is a sensitive, realistic portrayal in terms of writing and performance. An easy, cinematic portrayal could have shown him and his wife Lekha (Anjana) exulting. But the reality is likely to be different. His tears are a sign of gratitude, relief and hope for better things to come. Anjana as the wife, in her brief screen time, is striking.

Toast banks on its writing and the ability of its lead actor, Trisha (with voice by Harita), to breathe life into the non-glamorous part and carry it with all her resolve. Trisha’s is a measured portrayal of a resilient woman trying to rise above her circumstances. Trisha makes it count and never strikes a false note.

Giving Toast its grittiness is also an able technical team that includes cinematographer Dinesh Babu, music composer Shakti Kanth Karthick and production designer Avinash Kolla, who are in sync with the proceedings. anand sami as Thakur is pitch-perfect, as is Indrajith Sukumaran as the suave Kabir Anand who adds intrigue to the drama. To discuss their characters would amount to revealing spoilers.

Despite a few predictable stretches, Toast is an impressive addition to the Telugu web series space.