Posham Pa Movie Review: Suman Mukhopadhyay's Posham Pa is a serial killer drama that is based on true events. The title itself is taken from a popular, playful nursery rhyme but there is nothing playful about this ZEE5 original film, which is dark and depressing in nature. Posham Pa is based a real case from Maharashtra where half-sisters Seema Gavit and Renuka Shinde are found guilty of murdering five children. Article 15 Actor Sayani Gupta: I Have Always Wanted to Sing in My Films

The film introduces Nikhat Ismail (Shivani Raghuvanshi) and Gundeep Singh Saggar (Imaaduddin Shah), two activists who follow a chilling serial killer case. The case involves two siblings,  Regha Sathe (Sayani Gupta) and Shikha Deshpande (Ragini Khanna) who are lodged in Pune jail and are awaiting death sentence. The activists land there to interview the sisters and then attempt to get a mercy petition for them. Article 15 Actor Sayani Gupta Who Missed a Chance to Click Pic With Shah Rukh Khan, Finally Gets Her Jabra ‘Fan’ Moment

First, they interview an almost bald-headed Regha. Sayani's entry, accompanied by eerie background music, is actually spine-tingling. Regha, who we discover is a super-freak psychopath, narrates her journey from the time she was a poor selfless kid, raised by her mother Prajakta Deshpande (Mahie Gill). Here is when the flashback begins. The past tells us a depressing dark tale of a murderous mother, her marriage to the army-man Dharmesh Deshpande, their separation, and how another child (Shikha) becomes her responsibility. And then more murders happen.

Posham Pa does a good job of convincing us how the circumstances are to blame for the murderous trio in committing such heinous sins. They start picking up poor children who would beg for them. Each kid is murdered after he is of no use and the case is finally reported. The whispered voice that recites Posham Pa in the background starts giving us a disgusting feel. Things get interesting when Ragini Khanna as Shikha, Regha's sister is introduced as an innocent child to Prajakta. She concludes the climax with a good twist. The end is abrupt, but feels justified.

Posham Pa has its weaknesses, but you won't regret watching the film, mostly thanks to the mesmerizing performances of Mahie Gill, Sayani Gupta and Ragini Khanna. The narrative is quite engaging as there is rarely any dull moment in the entire one-hour sixteen-minute film. The compelling screen-play makes such a weird crime case intriguing. Unexpectedly, Posham Pa turns out to be a promising watch as every scene from the film is well placed. No unnecessary ad on and the makers have kept things crisp and clear. The treatment to the script is admirable and as a viewer, you would finally get a gist of how a psychopath operates. At places, the cinematography falls short with improper lighting.

As for the performances, Mahie Gill gives her best shot as Prajakta Deshpande and her impactful performance is laudable. Ragini Khanna has a special part to play and to me, this is her career-best performance. While these two actresses are brilliant, there is hardly any doubt that Sayani Gupta is the standout performer of all. After impressing us as the independent soul Damini in Four More Shots, she is highly convincing as the psychopath, who is also a victim of her circumstances.

Final Thoughts

Posham Pa keeps you hooked from the start to the end, which is the best part of being a dark suspense thriller. The characters are well sketched and the performances are breath-taking. Watch this Zee5 Original film if you have a craving for twisted dramas that have the potential to surprise you.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2019 06:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).