Shikarpur

Last year, Hoichoi started the year with amazing Gora. This year, ZEE5 did the same. Shikarpur is the beginning of ZEE5's big lineup and they have succeeded in their 1st release. It's a very enjoyable content both in terms of mystery and the slight comedy.

Loved the performances. The lead character got a good storyline and Ankush portrayed it very well. The chemistry between his character and his guru played amazingly by Kaushik Ganguly was lovely to watch. There's a 7 mins long single take sequence and I always love to watch these shots. Overall, I liked it very much.

Available on ZEE5.

© MandalBros.

Shikarpur as a town creates just the right amount of surrealism. The suspects of the murder are all quirky characters. A magician, an ayurved medicine shop owner and his wife whose face is revealed late in the show, a small time daily wage worker who buys costly earphones. The story manages to be engaging with the slight humor here and there. There were some minor plot holes but the overall surreal touch manages to convince the audience. Ankush shed his bigger than life persona and manages to be the struggling small time detective quite well, though there were glimpses of the generic big screen hero Ankush here and there which I am hopeful he will take care of in the next season. The story contains some bengali history and cultural beliefs and nicely has that regional touch. The villains motivations could have been fleshed out better. Overall a nice watch and hopefully this franchise will continue for another season which I surely will check out when that appears.

Trust creators from Bengal to churn out the best thrillers. Every single time! Watch Shikarpur for that. Starts of on a pulpy note, but never fails at keeping the viewers engrossed in the proceedings. What works for it is that it never takes itself too seriously, and yet makes it all believable. Credits to the makers for successfully avoiding predictabilities in the plot line. The story is just about rural everymen in North Bengal with a past and a future too. As to the actors, Ankush Hazra is a revelation. Kaushik and a Ganguly is brilliant as usual. Rest of the cast gel well into the plot. Gets edgy in the last episode with the big reveal! Zee5 begins the year with a hit.

I have never seen such bad actor in a lead role #AnkushHazra. The story was really good but totally destroyed by this lead actor Ankush. Otherwise Sayan, Sandipta was really good on their roll. And the ASI or SI he was also good.

May be next time the film makers would be cautious of choosing the lead role.

My preference would be Rwittik Chakraborty, Abir , Rudranil, Jishu or Parambrata.

Whatever I'm really happy to see this kind of story and the shooting location selection which is really appreciable.

Only bad thing about this web series was the Lead role Ankush he is not at all fitted in the web series.

Since the inception and eventual dominance of OTT and its content, particularly in the Bengali regional industry, I have always wished that the mainstream, commercial superstars would embrace the challenge and test their mettle in this relatively unknown waters.

And I am glad that Ankush has at least come forward and taken the risk, because boy! Did he rise to the challenge? The series as a whole may have a few lapses, but it is impossible to deny Ankush's sheer determination and commitment to emerge from his shell and perform on an entirely different wavelength!

In addition to its technical sophistication, what intrigued me was how well the characters were developed. The contributions of each ensemble member further sweetened the deal. Among them, it goes without saying that "Keshto" shines the brightest.

My greatest main gripe is the conclusion. The revelation was surprising, but the motivation didn't seem to carry enough weight on its own; and therefore, I am still having difficulty comprehending it. I mean, really, doesn't it sound a bit shortsighted and a bit childish?