Kohrra Review: Suvinder Vicky and Barun Sobti are Excellent in Netflix's Well-Written Police-Procedural Series (LatestLY Exclusive)

Kohrra Review: To call Kohrra simply a crime investigative thriller series would be doing the Sudip Sharma series and its viewers a disservice. Sure, there is a murder that is established in the opening sequence of the show (whose parallels to Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder cannot be ignored), and the investigation of that continues to the very end. But Kohrra, starring Suvinder Vicky and Barun Sobti in the lead, is more about the complexities of love and some truly dark turns it takes when there is no fulfilment in sight. An aspect that is established in Kohrra's opening scene where a furtive lovemaking act is interrupted by the discovery of a dead body in the fields. Kohrra: Did You Spot Lagaan Easter Egg During Rachel Shelley's Entry Scene in Barun Sobti's Netflix Series?

That dead body belongs to Paul (Vishal Handa), the son of an NRI businessman Steve Dhillon (Manish Chaudhari), who was set to marry in a couple of days. What's more, his best friend and UK national Liam (Ivantiy Novak) has gone missing as well. Two cops, Balwinder (Suvinder Vicky) and Gharundi (Barun Sobti), are tasked to investigate the case. From a ditched love affair of the bride to some in-family rivalry, the policemen sift through the suspects and motives, while staving off pressure from their seniors to get this sorted as soon as possible.

Balwinder and Gharundi have their own personal demons to battle. Balwinder is in a prickly relationship with his daughter Nimrat (Harleen Sethi) who is living at his house with her son, having separated from her husband. He is also fighting his feelings for the widowed wife of a former informer. Gharundi is having a clandestine affair with his sister-in-law while living at his brother's house.

So who killed Paul? Where has Liam disappeared? What's love got to do with it all? All questions answered with high scores, but a few missteps.

Watch the Trailer of Kohrra:

Kohrra, from the makers of Pataal Lok and created by Sudip Sharma (who also wrote the screenplays for Pataal Lok, Udta Punjab, and Sonchiriya), does not disappoint in most places. However, let me be frank and say that the central mystery and its unraveling are not exactly mind-blowing. It is easy to connect the dots long before the police do, and it also made me wonder why a certain character was not made a suspect, even though that person had the most opportunity to commit the crime (and that turned out to be the case). With some hints strongly pointing in that direction, I wonder if this was a deliberate creative choice.

Another aspect of Kohrra that did not impress me was its almost unapologetic attitude towards police brutality and torture. After seeing films like Visaranai and Jai Bhim that take a hard look at custodial third-degree measures, it is not easy to ignore the many scenes of police officers using excessive force on suspects, most of them from less-privileged backgrounds, in their attempts to get to the truth. From witnesses being slapped to a girl having her arm twisted badly, it is clear that the police are not above using violence to get what they want. While you could argue that this is a realistic depiction of how suspects are treated in police custody, I wish the show would pause for a moment to show the inhumanity of this treatment.

That is not to say that Kohrra does not offer any moments of introspection. There is a scene where a suspect is released on bail, but he breaks down after hours of being tortured and even pushes away a police officer's comforting hand. However, this moment is more about the viewer feeling the suspect's pain than it is about making the police officers reflect on their actions. Nevertheless, the fact that this same character starts off as a punching bag for angry Punjabi rap jokes and ends up being one of the most heartbreaking characters in the series is a mark of good writing.

Now that I've gotten my gripes out of the way, it's time to lavish some major praise on Kohrra. Even if the mystery isn't exactly groundbreaking, Kohrra manages to keep the investigation riveting until the end with red herrings, some dark twists, and frustrating police procedurals. All the while, it addresses the privilege of the wealthy, the drug abuse that is still prevalent in Punjab, and the corruption of the law and order system through an opportunistic bureaucracy.

But what makes Kohrra stand out is how it tackles interpersonal relationships. I can't think of a better example than the show's treatment of Balwinder's relationship with Nimrat. At first, it seems that the daughter is both unfair to her father and her husband, who is a good man. However, as the layers of their relationship are peeled back and the skeletons stop tumbling out of the closet, it becomes difficult to ignore the tragic plight of a woman who simply wants to live a life of her own choices, rather than live one where things are forced upon her. Kohrra Review: Critics Hail Suvinder Vicky and Barun Sobti's Netflix Series, Call It Powerful and Soul-Stirring Murder Mystery.

The paternal toxicity may seem more subtle in Balwinder's case — but it is still there — but it takes a more concrete form in the way that other fathers in the show behave. I would say that Kohrra is actually about bad fathers and how their indifference or dominance shapes the life paths of their children. Steve was an arsehole to his son when the latter cut his hair and didn't display the "masculine" traits of the warrior clan to which he belongs. Steve's estranged younger brother Manna (Varun Badola) gives his own son the "Sharmaji Ka Ladka" treatment, trying to put him down in front of others and praising his nephew over him. The scene where Manna realizes the impact of his actions on his son and confesses to his brother is one of the most poignant and well-acted moments in the series.

It is interesting that the writers hold the keys to the murder mystery by reflecting the troubles of the cop protagonists onto it. Whether it is Balwinder's relationship with his daughter or Gharundi's affair with his bhabhi that leaves him destructively jealous when he seeks a bride for himself, these subplots are intricately woven into what happened to the dead man.

Talking about the performances, Suvinder Vicky, who was fantastic in Ivan Ayr's Meel Patthar, is going to be the talk of the talk for the next few days, once more people watch the series and discover the brilliance of his performance. The actor stands tall in his conflicted performance of a committed policeman with hidden skeletons in his career-file and an anguished father who is in denial of where he went wrong. Easily one of the finest performances of this year. Meel Patthar (Milestone) Movie Review: Ivan Ayr’s Social Drama Sharply Views the Nihilistic 'Survival of the Fittest' World We Are Stuck In.

Can Bollywood please take more notice of Barun Sobti? The former television actor has done some good work in films like Tu Hai Mera Sunday and Halahal, and in series like The Great Indian Dysfunctional Family and Asur. Kohrra is another feather in his underrated cap, as the actor is incredible in nailing the accent, the look, and the nuances of a hot-headed cop so perfectly.

Manish Chaudhari and Varun Badola are excellent. Harleen Sethi does justice to what is a difficult character to portray. Saurav Khurana leaves an impact as the former lover of the dead man's bride-to-be. Rachel Shelley, who returns to Bollywood after 22 years, makes a welcome comeback as the aggrieved mother desperate for her son's whereabouts.

Final Thoughts

In many ways, Kohrra reminded me of Roman Polanski's Chinatown. There is a mysterium to be solved, and the detective work is gripping. However, more than the dénouement, it is how the murder mystery unpeels the layers of the principal characters and reveals their raw selves that makes this show a must-watch. Not to mention, it boasts of some excellent writing and fine performances. All six episodes of Kohrra are streaming on Netflix.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 17, 2023 05:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).