The latest OTT offering on Disney+Hotstar, GRAHAN is a police – politics drama about re-investigation of cases of anti Sikh riots of 1984 in the aftermath of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s killing by her own Sikh bodyguards.
Set in Ranchi in 2016 Grahan revisits in intervening flashbacks to 1984 to Bokaro which was home to a small Sikh trading community who like elsewhere in India were a target of public frenzy whipped up by zealous politians for their own political interests.
Grahan is loosely based on the novel ‘Chaurasi’ by Satya Vyas. It is a romantic story of the past in turbulent times and it’s effect on current political scene. It is an eight part series with each episode approximately 40-50 minute duration.
The series moves effortlessly back and forth in time without breaking the rhythm of the story and as each layer opens up with the progress of the episodes, the mystery of the past throws up surprise after surprise. Though it does not have a stellar star cast apart from some known faces like Pavan Raj Malhotra and Zoya Hussain.
This is Zoya’s second major assignment after her superb performance as a gutsy mute girl in love in Mukkabaaz. She looks fabulous, every bit a sharp featured Indian earthy beauty and she has portrayed her Amrita Singh IPS with sincerity. Pavan is a veteran and an under utilised talent he excels in his silence. Anshumaan Pushkar as the young Rishi Ranjan is impressive. Wamiqa Gabbi a known Pollywood (Punjabi) actress as the young Manjeet Chaabra is endearing and slowly comes in her own.
All others have played their parts well. Grahan is a non partisan take of the events of the times (present day Hindu Muslim tensions are also alluded too) and how politicians and others make the best of turbulence while the ordinary citizens suffer mutely. It has its own Veer Zaara moment. The characters realising the futility of their actions and the series culminates as a tear-jerker in a courtroom feel good finale.
Justice remains half served as the actual perpetrators who are unseen and only pull the strings go unscathed scot-free. Revealing any further will ruin your experience. Grahan is available to the ordinary subscriber of Disney-Hotstar. Please send feedback if you like the review or want to add something.
– Review by PAWAN GUPTA
Cast of Grahan:
Zoya Hussain as Amrita Singh IPS Officer
Pavan Raj Malhotra
Anshuman Pushkar
Wamiqa Gabbi
Credits of Grahan:
Produced by Ajay G Rai
Created by Shailendra Kumar Jha
Inspired by the novel ‘Chaurasi’ by Satya Vyas
Written by Anu Singh Chaudhary, Prateek Payodhi,
Navjot Gulati, Vibha Singh, Rajen Chanden, Shailendra Kumar Jha
JAR Pictures production
Directed by Rajen Chandel
