Bad Cop Review: Performances Save Gulshan Devaiah and Anurag Kashyap's Pulpy Series From Being a Cop-Out! (LatestLY Exclusive)

Bad Cop Review: After making the 'so bad, it's bad' Crakk earlier this year, director Aditya Datt sort of redeems himself with his new show on Disney+ Hotstar, Bad Cop, but more of like, it cannot go anywhere lower than the Vidyut Jammwal film. A Hindi adaptation of a German series of the same name, Bad Cop is as cheesily entertaining as Datt's most watchable film to date, Table No 21, benefiting from its pulpy premise and the performances of its lead stars, particularly Gulshan Devaiah and Harleen Sethi, based on the six episodes sent to me for review. Yet the writing is all over the place at times, and Bad Cop is not as smart as it thinks it is. Bad Cop Trailer: It's Anurag Kashyap's Gangster vs Gulshan Devaiah As Cop in This Disney+ Hotstar Crime-Thriller.

Karan and Arjun (both played by Devaiah) are identical twins who shared a close bond as children but grew into diametrically opposite career paths. Karan is a cop going through a marital crisis, unhappy to serve under his wife Devika (Harleen Sethi), who is also his senior. Arjun is a criminal who cons wealthy, amorous men with the help of his girlfriend, Kiki (Aishwarya Sushmita... what a double divaesque name!). While on the run from one such con in Pune, Arjun accidentally stumbles upon the murder of journalist Anupam (Deepraj Rana). When the murder is pinned on him, he flees to Mumbai to seek Karan's help.

Watch the Trailer of Bad Cop:

The brothers' reunion turns unfortunate during a violent ambush. In the ensuing chaos, Arjun is mistaken for Karan, who is presumed dead by his wife and the department. To save himself, Arjun maintains the charade while trying to uncover who targeted his brother and killed Anupam.

Anurag Kashyap plays Khazbe, a dreaded gangster and smuggler who has turned his prison into his fiefdom, from where he conducts his criminal activities, including murder. There's also Arif Khan (Saurabh Sachdeva), a CIB officer (not a typo for 'CBI'), investigating the journalist's murder. Interestingly, Arif was a close friend of the victim, yet is allowed to lead the investigation. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but did I sense something more between the two in a flashback scene involving a table-pushing exchange?

Bad Cop Review - What Works...

The characters are definitely colourful, and the premise is a classic potboiler with some thrilling moments. The shootout scene at the end of the first episode is quite Bollywood-esque. Karan and Devika's capture of Khazbe's consignment and their subsequent efforts to hold onto it at the police station also stand out, with Harleen Sethi shining particularly in this sequence. Another notable scene is Kiki's evasion from Arif and his team, showcasing her street-smartness, though her final escape relies on a manipulative editing trick.

Bad Cop Review - What Doesn't...

The twin-switcheroo premise, reminiscent of Lal Jose's Malayalam film Randam Bhavam, doesn't always make sense—perhaps some of the logical fallacies are addressed in the final episodes. Some 'twists' are easily predictable, yet Bad Cop (the title itself is somewhat of a spoiler) drags them out as if they are major revelations, particularly the one at the end of episode six. Additionally, Arjun's attraction to his sister-in-law feels more like a plot necessity than a well-developed dynamic. Given Devika's established smart, no-nonsense character, it is hard to believe she doesn't recognise her reformed husband is actually his twin. It's like the series is itself trying to figure out how it wants to work out its characters, like us. Not that Bad Cop is devoid of smartness - like the scene where  Arjun identifies the most gullible officer in a police surveillance room based on their subservience - but the show needed more of those to stand out.

Bad Cop Review - The Performances

Hussain Dalal, who has been quite inconsistent as a dialogue writer lately, goes all-out flashy here. Anurag Kashyap, in good form as the uncouth criminal, benefits the most from that. Saurabh Sachdeva reminded me of Nana Patekar in Bhoot and Ab Tak Chhappan, the performance feels derivative. Aishwarya Sushmita is an actress to watch out for. Maharaja Movie Review: Vijay Sethupathi is Phenomenal in Nithilan Saminathan's Cleverly Deceptive Revenge-Thriller.

As for the brilliant Gulshan Devaiah, he makes the show watchable even in its most struggling moments. But sometimes, that doesn't feel enough.

Bad Cop Review - Final Thoughts

Bad Cop is pulpy and occasionally entertaining, and benefits from strong performances, particularly by Gulshan Devaiah, Anurag Kashyap and Harleen Sethi. But what it needed more is a smarter screenplay and direction that is ahead of the viewer, and doesn't depend just on the actors to pull it through. Bad Cop is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from June 21.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 20, 2024 06:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).