‘36 Days’ Review: Neha Sharma and Purab Kohli’s Thriller Series Is a Passable Whodunit! (LatestLY Exclusive)

36 Days Review: Vishal Furia's 36 Days is an official adaptation of the Welsh series 35 Diwrnod, which translates to 35 Days. The Hindi adaptation adds an extra day, and although I have not watched the original show, I am quite confident that the additional day is meaningless apart from wanting to sound different. 36 Days is a thriller series with an element of mystery, where a murder is shown, and the show goes back in time, exactly '36 days' before the murder, to establish the events that led to it. Maharani 3 Review: Huma Qureshi’s Performance As Rani Bharti Earns Praise From Netizens!

The victim is introduced in the opening scene as Farah (Neha Sharma), an air hostess who moved into a posh and cosy neighbourhood in Goa 36 days before her murder. It is clear she has ulterior motives, evident from the way she watches her neighbours sneakily. The neighbours have their own hidden demons, and one of these demons is connected to Farah's arrival in the colony. Or perhaps more than one. No, just one, as Farah clearly targets Rishikesh (Purab Kohli), a best-selling author struggling with his marriage to Radhika (Shruti Seth). Farah's intentions become apparent, especially as she gets closer to Rishikesh's family. Once her reasons are revealed, the track becomes more ordinary, though it gains some interest in the series' final events.

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While Farah's target may be one particular family, her presence in the neighbourhood stirs trouble for the other neighbours. The men in the colony are sleazebags of various levels, while the women are either nags or shrews. Tony (Chandan Roy Sanyal), who owns most of the houses in the colony, is a lecherous homophobe with a trophy wife, Sia (Chahat Vig). He becomes very riled up when Sia invites her trans friend Tara (Sushant Digvikar) to stay with them. Chandan Roy Sanyal's performance is in sync with his boorish character, and Sushant Digvikar is quite good as Tony's self-made nemesis. However, this track lacks the shock appeal needed to sustain interest among the other plotlines.

Then there is Benaifer (Shernaaz Patel) and Denzel (Kenny Desai), who live with their reticent son Riad (Faisal Rashid). Benaifer and Riad are mentally disturbed in their own ways—she is a confectioner whose overprotective nature smothers her family members, even breaking her son's marriage. She also hallucinates, seeing rats or talking to her dead daughter. Denzel, an artist, has his own sleazy secret hidden in his studio, which comes to light later.

This track explores mental illness and how, if not treated well, it can lead to dire consequences. It also highlights the importance of open conversations and therapy, though the sensitivity needed to deal with these issues feels lacking in places. The performances are good, whether it's Patel, Desai, or Rashid, but the plotline lags in several places. The twist near the end feels more like a 'gotcha' moment for its own sake, and it tries to wreck the one sensible character in the storyline without properly establishing it. Illegal Season 3 Review: Neha Sharma and Piyush Mishra's Legal Drama Series Makes a Razor-Sharp Return to the Courtroom With Splendid Performances.

The fourth family in the show is Vinod (Sharib Hashmi) and Lalita (Amruta Khanvilkar), who stay as tenants with their kids in one of Tony's villas. Vinod works as a casino manager for Noel (KC Shankar), a powerful criminal businessman. He is frustrated with his wife's high-maintenance lifestyle, who shows no regard for their income. He is also unhappy with her ties to her drug dealer brother. Vinod starts doubting if Farah is spying on them, though that track is abandoned later. While Sharib Hashmi is decent as the husband on the verge of losing it all, Amruta Khanvilkar goes overboard in places, trying to replicate the loudness of her character. It is a passable track with over-manufactured drama that becomes more engaging towards the end when Vinod tries to take control of his life.

'36 Days' Review - Final Thoughts

In many ways, 36 Days reminded me of another adaptation of a foreign show that received a muted response from critics and viewers. I am referring to Karmma Calling, the Disney+ Hotstar series starring Raveena Tandon, which was a remake of Revenge. Both shows feature protagonists coming to a posh colony and stirring trouble for one family with revenge in mind. And like Karmma Calling, 36 Days does not rise above being a passable thriller while managing multiple tracks, though the latter does a comparably better job at it. 36 Days is streaming on SonyLIV.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 12, 2024 12:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).