Naxalbari

I could not even watch 15 minutes of it. The direction is horrible, the acting is subpar, everything seems fake. Also I'm tired of the same old story Line of glorifying terrorism. All these people giving 10 stars are obviously fake.

Naxalbari is a crime thriller centered around the Naxal movement in Gadchiroli in Maharashtra; a location that has witnessed some gory encounters in recent times. The series is directed by Partho Mitra - a veteran with a fairly accomplished body of works primarily in television. Partho's choice of name is interesting as Naxalbari is the village in west Bengal from which the first armed Naxal offensive started in the late sixties - a movement that had strong ideological reasons for its beginning, got phenomenal support from urban left leaning intellectuals and also made significant inroads into the academia. The "atrocities & exploitation" by the "people in power" on the tribals and the consequent support to them from intellectuals across all walks of urban society has been the raison d'etre of the armed uprising(s) time and again - which is what forms the backdrop of this series as well. What however works well for Naxalbari is the very realistic characterization(s), extremely relatable screenplays and the deft twists-n-turns in the plot that keeps one veritably engaged. The series features Rajeev Khandelwal in the lead as Raghav - a Special Task Force cop - sharp & committed - but not without the frailties and flaws of a human. Rajeev, who first rose to fame for the portrayal of the chocolate boy hero - Sujal Garewal in Kahiin to Hoga, over the years, has grown up phenomenally as an actor. Naxalbari will clearly rank as one of his top performances till date, along side Amir, Shaitan, Soundtrack et al and clearly redeems him after a not so great "Cold Lassi & Chicken Masala" and eminently forgettable "Ateet" which released earlier this year. The rest of the cast has done ample justice to their roles as well. Tina Datta as Raghav's live-in partner hits the right notes at all stages of the twists and turns. Sreejita De, Satyadeep Mishra, Shakti Anand as a naxal activists live their characters with elan despite minimal dialogues. Aamir Ali, the CEO of the mining company being set up by the industrial house of Sisodias, in the forests, is the only disappointment of sorts, in my opinion. However, one could well argue that his deadpan face in abject contradiction to his shrewd mind is a well architected part of the directorial ploy. The background score by Paresh shah is adequately engaging and the recurring lyrics "Anth hee Prarambh Hai" in the differential octave creates quite an impact. A good part of the action scenes have been shot in the forests with fantastic use of the light and shadow; keeps one thoroughly engaged. I liked Naxalbari for the fact that it does not attempt to take any ideological sides and instead painstakingly brings forth the thoughts and strategies on either side and the gory denouement that gradually unfolds, which is probably what has happened every time in the history of this movement! When the web series starts, a large convoy of minister and policemen are blown to pieces up by the Naxals and we, the audience gear up to see the unfolding of a poetic justice - BUT - by the time the series ends following a fierce shootout and a "thought through" killing of a specific Naxal activist by Raghav, you are no longer so sure of what is "justice". One if forced to sit back and come to terms with the enormous complexity of the Naxal situation today and probably just resign oneselves to sympathizing with people on both sides who keep getting sucked into this bloody turmoil. Naxalbari makes for a riveting watch and if you come from one of the Naxal affected areas also makes you sir back and think if it has all been an evolving byproduct vested political interests!

This is probably the first series which is made from the point of view of security forces and doesn't glorify naxalism. This is the first series which has showed the nexus between so called intellectuals, social activists, politicians and naxals. It also shows how the brave security forces are martyred for the greed and political agenda of these people and despite this they are always ready to serve.

Great performances by Rajeev Khandelwal, Aamir Ali, Sreejita Dey and Tarun Arora. However, there ending is abrupt and somethings are shown which are far from current reality.

The story is very promising but the direction and plot spoiled the series. The unnecessary fighting with fists bollywood style instead of shooting in the head makes the story unrealistic. Also the thrill is missing in most places due to loose and predictable plot. Other than the cop Mohit's killing nothing else in the movie is mysterious or thrilling. Some characters like Ketki and FICA MIT industrialist who happen to the main villain are very weak.

"Naxalbari is a taut, gripping and action packed mini series on Zee5 that ticks all the boxes. It exudes the conviction of all the players involved, the activists who believe in the Maoist ideology, the administration on the defensive and the capitalists who create the imbalance in the society.

Raghav (Rajeev Khandelwal) leads a mission to investigate the Gadchiroli blast with the objective of bringing the Naxalite movement under control, but gets caught in the maze of his own past, the tragic assassination of his dearest friend and eventually gets nabbed by the resurgents. He soon realizes that the network is extremely complex, reinforced by the local village folks and there are challenges closer home too.

As he tries to put the clues together with his colleagues and other seniors, a major showdown is waiting to be executed at a summit where the chief minister is about to inaugurate an industrial initiative that's meant to change the demographics of the region.

It's showtime!! Director Partho Mitra puts forward a power packed, fast paced, suspenseful and intriguing drama with some stellar performances from Aamir Ali, Satyadeep Mishra, Tarun Arora, Tina Dutta, Narayani Shastri, Shakti Anand and Rajeev Khandelwal. Spurred by some breathtaking cinematography by Modhura Palit and Hari Nair, wild sets steeped in reality and a haunting background score will keep the viewers glued on till the very end.