BOTTOM LINE
Nothing Fresh
RATING
2/5
PLATFORM
NETFLIX, 6 hours (7 episodes, approx)
What Is the Show About?
Ruffians in Kolkata kidnap a noted politician’s grandson. A sincere officer Saptarshi comes on board to resolve the issue, seemingly linked to a dreaded gangster Bagha. While the boy is released, tensions erupt between Bagha and his henchmen, eventually leading to twin murders. A new cop Arjun Maitra comes on board to clean the mess.
Performances
Jeet holds his own as a police officer with a conscience. He plays a straightforward character (sans much evolution), ensuring restraint and keeping his emotions at check. Prosenjit Chatterjee is perfectly cast as a crooked politician. The performer uses all his experience well, bringing a method to the madness. Chitrangada Singh, despite a late resurgence, is wasted in a one-note role.
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Playing friends-turned-foes, both Ritwik Bhowmik and Aadil Zafar Khan display adequate spunk and verve in their portrayals. Parambrata Chatterjee and Saswata Chatterjee don’t get to do much in the ‘basic’ roles. Amidst the heavyweights, Aakansha Singh holds the fort, performing a crucial role with composure. Mimoh Chakraborty tries to make the most of a well-etched character. Shraddha Das looks like a dream in a brief appearance.
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Analysis
Khakee: The Bengal Chapter is a follow-up to Neeraj Pandey’s cop saga Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, which showed a righteous officer’s life, both on duty and off. The action shifts to West Bengal this time, a state drowning in its moral corruption, revealing the nexus among politicians, criminals, and the police force, while a dedicated cop fights to find answers.
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For someone who had a knack for exploring unconventional, edgy episodes in the lives of men in uniform, Neeraj Pandey’s latest outing is disappointingly generic, breaking no new ground as a political drama, even if it keeps you fairly engaged. The story captures the greed for power across various groups in a historic city losing its moral centre. The hero tries to bring back lost hope and restore order.
Jointly directed by Debatma Mandal and Tushar Kanti Ray, the creators ensure a compelling hook to the drama, where two officers relive the turmoil in Kolkata through multiple flashbacks. It precisely provides an overview of the situation: the political scene where Barun holds the aces, the police force led by a truth-seeking yet rebellious cop Arjun, and the action within criminal Bagha’s gang.
West Bengal CM Shirshendu is under scrutiny for the wrong reasons, his hands tied by Barun’s demands. Barun understands the cost of power: controlling Bagha and his men, and shifting allegiances as needed. The party’s sole opposition comes from Nibedita, who strives for a crime-free society. All equations change with the death of an influential figure, an opportunity many try to milk.
Henchmen Ranjit and Sagor are the Jai and Veeru in Bagha’s camp – an officer keeps referring to them as fire and water (at least try to come up with an original metaphor after RRR please?). Barun uses politics as a forum to drive a wedge between the two (yawwwn). Despite being sandwiched between the bureaucrats and the notorious gang, Arjun pulls the strings at the right time.
What’s truly disappointing is the absence of a strong regional flavour. The glimpses of culture and the pulse of the region are too basic, and the ideation as a Hindi show (where Bengali references are kept to a bare minimum) featuring popular Bengali actors, makes it harder to understand the purpose. This might have made sense if the story was told through an outsider’s lens.
The series sticks to a time-tested formula, where the situation is ripe for an efficient police officer to showcase his skill – the collapse of law and order in the state, a morally corrupt party in power and the rise of gang wars. There’s infighting all around, a mole in the police officer’s team (which ensures a good twist), a subplot of a friendship turning sour (and many dreams are shattered).
Worse, the protagonist, Arjun Maitra, doesn’t have much to lose. He has no vulnerabilities, is supposedly a gentleman who maintains a cordial relationship with his ex even after marriage, and has a redoubtable reputation at work. The other characters—the dummy CM, his evil minister, the honest opponent, Ranjit, and Sagor—are bound by a template; there are no layers to unearth or discover.
The ending, though predictable with the chases, betrayals and bloodshed, offers many key characters to restart life on a clean slate. Yet, as a sequel to a hit series, Khakee: The Bengal Chapter is underwhelming. The writing is full of done-t0-death ideas, the filmmaking is barely functional and the talents in the lineup remain largely underutilised.
Khakee: The Bengal Chapter is tolerable but hardly offers anything original.
Music and Other Departments?
The show doesn’t offer much scope for the music to shine; the writing is full of familiar beats and it’s hard to expect Jeet Ganguli to do anything out of the box. Four cinematographers – Tushar Kanti Ray, Arvind Singh, Tarashree Sahoo and Souvik Basu – succeed in not portraying a touristy version of the city and staying true to the needs of the story instead. The runtime of over six hours, despite the detailing, feels too long for a templated political saga.
Highlights?
Engaging despite the predictability
Controlled performances
Stays focused on the story (despite its limitations)
Drawbacks?
Lacks originality
Template characters, formulaic treatment
Too long
Did I Enjoy It?
Only in parts
Will You Recommend It?
If you’re in the mood to watch a basic cop show with a Bengali flavour
KHAKEE: The Bengal Chapter Netflix Review by M9
