From chilling teleplays to intriguing shows, the small screen has it all to keep you riveted
The small screen is now big enough to accommodate borderless, multi-genre entertainment from all over the world and brings home an unprecedented abundance of long-format shows, films, and teleplays. For those looking for psychological intrigue and some goosebumps-inducing programming, there is plenty to choose from and we offer our pick of some spine-chilling offerings that are streaming currently on various platforms.
An overview:
Gunehgaar
This Zee Theatre teleplay is a psychological suspense thriller directed by Akarsh Khurana and opens with Bansal (Gajraj Rao), a mysterious man inviting well-known investigative journalist Mrinalini (Shweta Basu Prasad) to his flat. The ostensible reason is that he wants to offer her a scoop but Mrinalini soon realizes that there is a hidden agenda behind their meeting and a cat-and-mouse game ensues between the two. Soon Om (Sumeet Vyas), a cop arrives at the flat and the audience begins to wonder if there is a connecting thread between the three that goes all the way back to a life-altering incident in their past. As the plot unravels, a stunning twist reveals itself. The teleplay will air on 2nd April at 8 pm on Tata Play Theatre and on 30th April Dish TV & D2H Rangmanch and Airtel Theatre.
Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side
This crime drama is set in mystical Varanasi and juxtaposes scientific facts and myth. The CBI forensic expert turned teacher, Nikhil Nair (Barun Sobti), amidst professional and personal conflicts, comes to India to solve a series of serial murders. Along with his mentor, Dhananjay Rajpoot (Arshad Warsi), he finds himself in a whirlpool of events that pushes him to the edge of fear and challenges his beliefs. The Gaurav Shukla directorial also stars Anupriya Goenka, Ridhi Dogra, Sharib Hashmi, Amey Wagh, Pawan Chopra, and Vishesh Bansal and is currently streaming on Voot.
Delhi Crime: Season 1
The Emmy winning ‘Delhi Crime’ (Season 1) is a raw and gut-wrenching retelling of the Nirbhaya tragedy. Without going into gory details and with a procedural exactitude, it shows how much work, research and planning went into the arrest of the rapists. Shefali Shah portrays the steely yet empathetic DCP Vartika Chaturvedi in a performance of a lifetime. The series also depicts the socio-political pressures on law enforcement agencies and the lack of resources that impedes good policing. The Richie Mehta directorial also stars Rajesh Tailang and Rasika Dugal in lead roles and is currently streaming on Netflix.
Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein
This gritty thriller depicts the story of a dangerous obsession, ill-fated love, political clout and multiple lives that intersect each other in a small town. The story begins with a happy-go-lucky Vikrant (Tahir Raj Bhasin) falling in love with Shikha (Shweta Tripathi Sharma) but then arrives Purva (Anchal Singh), the daughter of a powerful politician who wants to make Vikrant her own, any cost. Vikrant, despite his best efforts to protect himself and Shikha, is trapped in the sordid world of brutal violence and political corruption. The eight-episode series directed by Siddharth Sengupta also stars Saurabh Shukla, and Brijendra Kala and is currently streaming on Netflix.
