The Secret of the Shiledars

The Secrets of Shiledars" is a six-episode fantasy-adventure series released on Disney+ Hotstar on January 31, 2025. Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, known for the horror-comedy Munjya (part of the Maddock Horror Universe), this time he shifts gears to helm an action-packed treasure hunt mystery. The series is based on Dr. Prakash Koyade's Marathi historical fiction novel Pratipaschandra.

The show boasts a stellar cast, including Rajeev Khandelwal, Sai Tamhankar, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Gaurav Amlani, and Kanan Arunachalam.

Story & Execution The plot revolves around a secret society of Shiledars, who have been guarding Shivaji Maharaj's legendary golden throne for generations. Krishnakant (Dilip Prabhavalkar) has been searching for the next Shiledar when he encounters Ravi (Rajeev Khandelwal) and reveals his true destiny. At the same time, Ramachandran (Kanan Arunachalam) sends his men after Krishnakant to uncover Shivaji's heirlooms.

Ravi, along with his brother Aditya (Gaurav Amlani) and Krishnakant's assistant Priyali (Sai Tamhankar), embarks on a thrilling quest to find the treasure before it falls into the wrong hands-all while being pursued by the police.

The characters are well-developed, with each playing a crucial role. Rajeev Khandelwal shines in his dual identity as a doctor and a history buff. Gaurav Amlani brings charm as the tech-savvy younger brother, and Sai Tamhankar provides solid support. Ashish Vidyarthi, as always, delivers a powerful performance, while Kanan Arunachalam's villainous presence is noteworthy.

The direction is good but it felt a little bit off at some points . The director was able to generate goosebumps inducing moments at many places but also fails to make some points engaging. The writing is brilliant with attention to details and building suspense. It brilliantly merges history with fantasy making it a engaging watch. But the story felt a little predictable at many points. The odds and tension didn't felt so much as it should has .

The story had some plot holes and some unengaging plotlines but the fast pacing of the story made it unnoticeable which made the series a pretty good watch. All the story wrap up under 6 episodes of about 35 mins each. The ending wasn't conclusive as it left some questions that should have been answered. Despite the thrilling premise, the tension and stakes don't always feel high enough. The characters rarely seem truly endangered, which reduces the intensity expected from an adventure series.

It is a pretty decent watch. You will like it if you are a history buff or a fan of treasure hunt movies like Indiana Jones and National treasure. You can binge it in one night. I personally liked it but it could have been better.

A Quest of Hidden Treasure A Shiledar bound to protect it A person intending to destroy it Who will win ?

Adapted by the book "PRATIPASHCHANDRA" this Aditya Sarpotdar directed stands out as an absolute adventurous and intresting series. Though the story is a fictional story but the emotions and respect generated towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is real !!!

The concept was absolutely amazing. Creating this as a series instead of a film was a good decision. It couldn't have done the same justice to the story as a 2 hr film as it did as a series. The suspense and twist through the story was fantastic. Though some twists felt like predictable, some will really amaze you.

Rajeev Khandelwal is a truly gem and underrated actor. He has done a fantastic job as Ravi. The way he potrays different type of emotions throughout is amazing. Sai Tamhankar as Priyal Deshpande is amazing in her role. She did a good job. Gaurav Amlani as Adi, had not much but he did his job well.

Other actors as Ashish Vidyarthi and Dilip Prabhavalkar were also great in their respective roles and had good impact on story.

Coming to the musical part of the series. The background score and theme was great. Although there were no such songs in the series which made it intense and intresting.

Special mention to all the locations and set of the whole series. They all were shown amazingly.

That's it about this series. This is an adventurous and full off suspense 6 episodes series. It has action, drama, suspense, thrill and lot of respect for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The series though at some point is predictable but it won't bore you much. You can give this one a try !!

One of the best books I have read till date was Pratipchandra .While reading the book I had no idea that someone of around my age think like that. I was waiting for the film on this book .

But the cast and the screenplay was not able to do what the writer was able to do with story in the book with his writing skills. The protagonist role , the storyline , the police , lead actress role and the conclusion everyone had a role that was justified but in the film things were not aligning .One time watch !! Those who are really interested the original book is what you should read. One of the finest EVER!!!

The web series has a solid plot and good performances, but its execution is questionable. While it attempts to mimic 'The national treasure' movie, it falls short, feeling like a weak imitation. The action sequences are often unnecessary, making the story drag rather than intensify.

One of the biggest flaws is how effortlessly the protagonist and their team crack ancient codes-either the hero is a genius, or our ancestors were ridiculously careless with their secrets. The portrayal of security is even worse. The series makes it seem like anyone can waltz into government offices or even a judge's house with weapons, no questions asked. No wonder real-life attacks on monuments and institutions seem so easy if this is how security is imagined.

The police act exactly as we expect them to, useless, Clueless and Dumb. But overall, the series requires a serious suspension of disbelief. Watch it for fun, but don't expect logic.

P. S- The people giving it 10/10 are either from Maharashtra or just out of respect for our most brave king 'Shivaji Maharaj'.

The series provided a good approach on showcasing indian history in a fictional manner. Had a good story line but couldn't back it up with screenplay and was coming out as an indian adaptation of Nicolas Cage's National treasure.

But a good watch and had some gripping scenes to make it binge worthy.

Rajeev and Ashish Vidyarthi had a good performance but the background score could have been little mature.

Historical facts and figures were used very gracefully in the series.

Some scenarios might attract controversy but in a nutshell it is a great story to be portrayed on the great ruler Shivaji Maharaj.