Abar Proloy

Abar Proloy is a crime thriller series that follows the story of Animesh Dutta, a rogue Special Crime Branch officer who is sent to the Sundarbans to bust a women trafficking racket. The series is based on the 2013 Bengali film Proloy, and it is directed by Raj Chakraborty, who makes his web series debut with this project.

The screenplay is strong in the initial five episodes, as it does a good job of setting up the characters and the mystery. However, the series starts to lose steam in the later episodes, as the plot becomes increasingly predictable. The background score is excellent, and it helps to create a suspenseful and atmospheric tone.

The performances are all great, with Saswata Chatterjee giving a standout performance as Animesh Dutta. Ritwik Chakroborty, Gourav Chakraborty, and Koushani Mukherjee are also all excellent in their respective roles. The supporting actors are also very good, and they all help to bring the story to life.

The series does a good job of exploring the dark side of the Sundarbans, and it shows how the region can be a dangerous place for women and children. The series also touches on the issue of human trafficking, and it shows how this crime can have a devastating impact on its victims. The characters in the series are all well-developed, and they are all believable and relatable. The series is suspenseful and atmospheric, and it will keep you guessing.

One of the things that makes Abar Proloy stand out is its focus on the young actors. The gang members, who are a group of teenage boys who are forced into a life of crime, are all very memorable, and their performances are both heartbreaking and inspiring. The teenage versions of Kanu, Haru, and Moni are also very well-acted, and they help to add a sense of innocence and hope to the story.

Abar Proloy is a solid crime thriller series with some great performances. However, the predictability of the plot and the slow pacing in the later episodes prevent it from being truly outstanding. Still, it is worth a watch for fans of the genre.

The story had some beautiful elements, but they were not utilized very well. The presentation was so bad that it was annoying every moment. There were a lot of plot holes, the twists were predictable and the poor direction ruined a nice mystery. The characters did not act or decide as a normal person would in the situation, giving the audience frustration and intolerance for the weak writing.

The most annoying plot hole was, not being able to catch the Hujja gang even after knowing Rubel's identity and address! Come on writer! If they investigated who Rubel hung out with everyday, you would have caught the whole Hujja gang! What was the point of dragging it till the end! And Paran Bandopadhyay was forced into the story, there was no reason for him to be there.

The scenes could have been more logical and instead of making a ten episode web series, the story could have easily fit into a movie. In short, Abar Proloy is a waste of a good concept and Saswata Chatterjee's brilliant acting.

Whilst the core subject is delicate and puts forth a real-world problem, the execution is unabashedly mainstream. With exaggerated action scenes and crassly comedic elements, it undeniably falls into hardcore commercial space. Albeit, that was to be expected, given the main guy behind the camera is none other than Raj Chakraborty, a name which has been synonymous with Bengali mainstream territory for the past decade.

Now I did not mind the over-the-top, balls-to-the-walls treatment; matter of fact, I enjoyed myself in a couple of sequences (particularly when Animesh Dutta kicked people's arses). However, I did want it to tone down on the glitz and be a little bit grounded, but it was not meant to be. The makers had a precise vision about how they wanted to approach this story, and they stuck to their objectives. And I see nothing wrong with that.

That said, I did have some gripes about the writing, and it has more to do with the factor of predictability rather than the main plot points. None of the twists or final revelations surprised me because I could predict them from a mile away. I quickly figured out what would happen and who would be the primary culprit, I knew it all, and that spoiled my experience.

Lots of loopholes (expected I guess), cliched dialogues and absolutely similar fight sequences with people spinning around. After a couple of episodes, it just drags on. Thank god for the fast forward feature!

Paran could have had a much bigger role given his characters capabilities as seen in the previous Proloy. That would have made the storyline more interesting.

The side character actors have done well. But Saswata looks really old, out of shape and tired. If he has to play an action oriented hero, he should put in some effort to look the part.

This is a miserable attempt to cash in on the earlier Proloy which was really good.

While watching this series, you might find that nearly everything seems right, yet leaves you unsatisfied. It's a puzzle of sorts, where something crucial seems to be missing, and the feeling lingers. Firstly, Saswata Chatterjee's appearance might disappoint. He seemed to be at his best in the prequel "Proloy," and even in movies he played the role of "Shabar Dashgupta." However, here, he appears aged and bulky, no longer fitting the role of Animesh Dutta perfectly. Many, including myself, have revisited the short clips from the "Proloy" movie countless times on platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Those moments still captivate us, pulling us back for repeated viewings. Regrettably, that same fire is noticeably absent in "Abar Proloy". Despite its attempts, the series struggles to rekindle the brilliance of the original "Proloy."

Moreover, the suspense that was once a hallmark is now lacking. The predictability starts right from the beginning, leaving no room for any genuine intrigue. For all its efforts, it fails to ensnare the audience's curiosity. On a positive note, I'm awarding it a 6-star rating for the extended screen time of the top stars of the Bengal Film Industry. Saswata Chatterjee, Paran Banerjee, and Ritwik Chakraborty continue to shine, making their presence enjoyable day after day. The ensemble cast includes other accomplished artists as well, yet the series falls short of harnessing even half of their potential.