Powder

Powder, an Indian Crime Drama released in 2010 & now streaming on Netflix was actually born in the wrong era of Indian Television History, which predominantly focused on more bogused & plotless shows at that time ( and even till now).

However, after watching the entire series you will have a fair amount of knowledge how Enforcement Departments work in India along with the pressure of Bureucracy & Red Tapism.

Powder, follows the story of Usmaan Ali Malik(Manish Chaudhary) & his subordinates of Narcotics Control Bureau who are in pursuit of A Drug Syndicate run by a Notorious Drug lord Naved Ansari (Pankaj Tripathi) who plans on leaving the country in search of a new haven.

The Plot looks simple but has been wooven by Atul Sabharwal (Director & Writer) in a very neat & phased manner. Their are hardly any instances when you will be able to point out that the scenes have been exaggerated or any character is over-defying. The Strong Point of this show lies in both acting & direction. From Brinda to Raja every sub characters are positioned in a perfect manner kudos to Atul Sabharwal. This show is one hell of a ride from Streets of Mumbai to Political Corridors of Delhi & then Ending on. . .(well lets keep that a secret for now). Just for the sake of how good this show is let me remind you this show came 5 years before Narcos & you will still feel those vibes from the Main Antagonist (Naved Ansari) you may also sense a bit of #METoo (remind you again this show came 8 years before this movement) on how the director has never overshadowed its female protagonist in the show, she is tough & independent.

Sadly it could not ascend to Season 2 but its a fresh & a mindblowing take on the rivalry between Enforcement Departments & Drug Smuggling in India.

Watch this Show for the Final Confrontation between "Usmaan & Naved" which wont let you take your eyes off! It's a Must Watch

First things first, 'Powder' has to be the best thing that has happened to Indian television in the last 15 years! Intelligent & Crisp!

The entire series was scripted intelligently with the characters being well sketched & believable. The thorough research done by the director & his team is pretty evident as the plot never loses steam or lacks depth. The attention to detail too was commendable right through the series.

Performances by Manish Chaudhary, Geetika Tyagi, Rahul Bagga & all others were memorable, to say the least. However, for me it was Pankaj Tripathi who stood out for his portrayal of Naved Ansari - the smart, sly, calculated drug lord, who's always one step ahead!

All in all, the first season of 'Powder' was so well conceptualized & competently executed that it leaves you craving & praying for more!

Kudos to Atul Sabharwal & his team for giving us this gripping crime-thriller.

Really hoping to see them carry on the good work into the second season!

A very well written and directed show which has been equally well brought to life by it's actors. Each character was well researched and given ample screen time. The ending, though seems rushed which is understandable given that the show was ended in its first season. Indian audience were not ready for such a show then. But an online platform brought it back. A next season though improbable but is highly anticipated.

The series has an excellent story, it was just wrong timing for the TV series to launch

Before saying anything anything about the plot or story or acting, let me praise the show which it truly deserves. This show is the best thing which has happened to Indian television in a long long time. While every one was busy doing does bogus soap-operas and cheap, crappy reality shows hats off to Director Atul Sabharwal and Yashraj Television for bringing out something which was so differently refreshing, so life like and was a never before.

The director and the team should be credited for the research work. Every aspect of the life of these officers, drug deals and drug lords seems so true to life. Professional aspects like how raids are carried out, how the network of informers work, how does personal ambitions of officers coincide, how does departmental politics distort things and at times help the criminals, how following the protocol ties officers hands and many more things are just real. Personal lives of the officers and drug lord have also been touched upon but in a perfect balance.

The show portrays three different departments working against the drug mafia. NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau), ANC (Anti-narcotics cell of Mumbai Police) and DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence). NCB is featured most predominantly and their is a on-going tussle between all the three. ANC is often silenced as they're a smaller department while NCB and DRI are neck to neck.

As the show progresses it comes out that Naved Ansari is the man behind most of drug deals and he operates from Mumbai. All three departments make him the prime target.

Usmaan heads the NCB operations team. He is also shown to have some past links with Ansari. What is Usmaan's personal connection with Ansari. Will these officers be able to catch Ansari. Which department will get to put his hands first on Naved Ansari and will he be captured? Each of the character is perfect and you'll get to see some of the best acting performances ever on Indian television.

Unfortunately, the show has low TRPs while its broadcast though it has generated its own cult following. Due to low TRPs of the first season chances of a second season are very unlikely.