Director: Vikrant Pawar
Star cast: Tisca Chopra, Saurabh Shukla, Mukesh Tiwari and others
Where to watch: Disney plus Hotstar
Rating: 3.5 stars
Synopsis: A disgraced IAS officer Avni Raut takes charge of bringing development to the town of Shilaspura. But the village is built on brutal history and it is haunted by the folklore of an inhuman sorcerer. Will Avni uncover the mystery of Shilaspura?
Dahan review: Bollywood has churned up mundane horror flicks, and the fan base of the genre felt cheated. However, 2018's film Tumbbad made a striking entry, and it revived the genre by giving the perfect mixture of ancient mythology with horror. Dahan, a 9-episode web series is an attempt to take you on an unpredictable ride of a cursed land, where beliefs-disbeliefs, facts-superstition, and good-evil submerge.
The basic plot of Dahan boils down to a fight between superstition and facts. But the plot is multi-layered with distinctive characters, and their subplots. Avni Raut (Tisca Chopra), a disgraced IAS officer embarks on a journey to Shilaspura, a fictional town in Rajasthan. Avni is assigned to supervise, and overlook the mining of a site in the town which is funded by a private corporation. A widower Avni with his teenage boy Anay arrives at Shilaspura, and she finds out that the town is riddled with superstitions, and the people of Shilaspura worship and fear the deity Ridhiyakan.
For ages, Shilaspura is under the threat of Ridhiyakan and his inhuman army of Raakan. Whenever someone tried to conduct mining at the site, they got possessed and ended up creating havoc in the town. As the story progresses we are introduced to Pramukh Swaroop (Saurabh Shukla), a warrior-priest who protects the people by conducting some occult practices. Avni, who is dealing with her demons from the past, challenges the norm. She starts the mining, and all hell breaks loose.
Watch the trailer of Dahan
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The plot of the series isn't novel, but you will find a connection with Avni. Like her, even you will believe that Shilaspura's people are living in delusion. But as the show progresses, you will find yourself in a dilemma, just like Raut. Each episode will break your assumptions and gives you a surprising twist with its development. The series starts on a shocking note, as there is a warrior who beheads a family because they were possessed by Raakan. Writer-director Vikrant Pawar manages to keep up the unpredictability factor intact, and the plot keeps getting intense with every episode.
Talking about performances, Tisca Chopra does a fabulous job of Avni Raut. Her character will resonate with you the most. A woman who's dealing to cope with her own past aspires to bring change and fight against a backward society. Saurabh Shukla is a scene-stealer. The veteran shines in every frame, and he delivers more than expected. Apart from these two, Rajesh Tailang who plays head constable Parimal Singh keeps up the unpredictable factor high with his acting chops. Even Mukesh Tiwari, who is known for his comic roles, was a treat to watch him as inspector Bhairon Singh. Apart from them, Pankaj Sharma, Rohan Joshi and Sidharth Bhardwaj will leave you impressed. Dahan is backed by superlative performances, an interesting screenplay, and a spooky background score. The action and gore also support the narrative, and it is not weak-hearted.
Final verdict: Dahan- Raakan Ka Rahasya is certainly a binge-watch series that will take on an unpredictable ride, challenging your beliefs over facts and myths.
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