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Cast: Ali Fazal, Akash Makhija, Ramandeep Yadav, Divya Sharma, Vivaan Sharma, Sonali Bendre, Aamir Bashir, Anshul Chauhan, Rakesh Bedi, Dibyendu Bhattacharya
Creator: Prosit Roy
Director: Prosit Roy, Anusha Nandakumar, Sandeep Saket
Streaming On: Prime Video
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 8 episodes of 45 minutes each
I remember, I was in college when Nirbhaya shook the nation! A woman who was raped and murdered in the most horrific way one could imagine! Before that, I was in school when I heard about the Arushi Talwar case, the Nithari case, and others! Each one of them made me skip my heartbeat! Years later, these haunting stories were turned into shows and films like Delhi Crime, Talvar, and Sector 36, and the horror still haunts! Another such true story has now turned into a show, Raakh, led by Ali Fazal.
Every once in a while, a piece of cinema comes along that doesn’t just entertain you, it unsettles your peace of mind. It seeps under your skin and pinches you to the point you feel breathless. No matter how much you try, you cannot catch your breath! Director Prosit Roy unveils absolute terror in the crime-drama web series.
Loosely based on the bone-chilling, infamous 1978 Ranga Billa case following the Geeta and Sanjay Chopra kidnapping and murder, Raakh is so deeply disturbing and traumatic that it had me genuinely worried for myself – and for my kids, who do not even exist. That is the level of fear it injects in you!
Raakh Review: What’s It About:
For those unfamiliar with the dark pages of Indian criminal history, the core narrative follows two social psychopaths who kidnap two young siblings in broad daylight. What starts as a clumsy crime for quick ransom rapidly spirals into a horrific nightmare. The eight-episode series then dives into finding the lost siblings, each and every minute dreading the inevitable, which happens, and then finding the two criminals!
With a non-linear narrative, Prosit Roy builds a chilling world – it focuses on the terrifying psychology of the victims and the chilling casual sociopathy of the perpetrators. The screenplay captures a city gripped by sudden, paralyzing panic, making this decades-old tragedy feel immediate and in real time. At times, it is so sickening that it makes you feel sick!
Raakh Review: What Works:
Prosit Roy’s direction is brilliantly suffocating. The heavy use of haunting background score makes each and every scene more chilling. There is a sense of urgency with each passing frame, making this environment more chilling. The series handles the tragic fate of the young victims with a heartbreaking sensitivity – avoiding cheap exploitation of the tragedy and hitting you with a devastating realization and fear that settles in you.
The foundation of Raakh is rooted in the dark, real-world horror of the 1978 Ranga Billa case – a crime that shattered the entire nation. By choosing a historical event that remains a sensitive and terrifying chapter in Indian crime history, the series instantly commands gravity. It doesn’t need to invent fictional stakes – the horror is inherent. Probably, that is why the premise works because it avoids the temptation to turn a real-world tragedy into a stylized cat-and-mouse chase. It treats the kidnapping and murder as a breakdown of social order and safety.
Raakh Review: Star Performance:
Ali Fazal is a hero. Period. We have seen him as the fierce Guddu Pandit, and we have seen him play a suave gentleman, but nothing, absolutely nothing, prepares you for the sheer brilliance he channels in Raakh. In one of the scenes, he promises to a Nayak in his childhood, and he does that. You root for him, for his struggle to find who sociopaths are, who have crippled and haunted the two major cities of the country in the 70s – Delhi and Mumbai!
Akash Makhija as Babu is terrifying. I cannot imagine the ease with which he crept into this criminal. I last watched him in Gram Chikitsalay, and it took a long time to realize this is him! Ramandeep Yadav shines as Rajjo, the shadow! At times, he plays with you, displaying that his moral compass is still intact!
The kids, Divya Sharma and Vivaan Sharma, as Suman and Sahil Arora, will break your heart in the final act, fighting for their lives as true warriors. I cannot imagine what brief they were given to enact these scenes, but my heart goes out to them because I am sure they must have lived the horror and the trauma for quite some time!
Sonali Bendre and Aamir Bashir as the grieving parents are so real that you cannot differentiate. It seems like they slipped into the horror and the era itself! Rakesh Bedi as Ali Fazal’s father and the retired hawaldar adds an emotional layer that acts as a breather to these suffocating crime scenes.
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Raakh Review: What Doesn’t Work:
If there is any flaw to point out, it is that the web series is an incredibly heavy watch. This isn’t a show meant for a casual, weekend binge-watch. It demands immense emotional stamina, and still, it would feel overwhelmingly exhausting. By the time you reach the final episode, the emotional drainage is so severe that you just feel nauseous!
Raakh Review: Last Words:
“Koi aakhir kaise? Apni khud ki maa ko? Apni khud ki maa…mehez kuch maheeno ki bachchi, Johnny ek 6 saal ka ladka, Freddy, Deena, phir Sahil, Suman. Aur bhi kai naam honge. Kya se kya ho gaya. Kab log insaan se….
Insaan se shaitaan ban jaate hain?
…Shaitaani to bachche karte hain. Ye ek beemari hai. Bachpan mein mele se mujhe bahut dar lagta tha. To meri maa apna pallu pakda deti thi. Uska pallu pakad leta tha, sab theek lagne lagta tha. Rajjo aur Babu ke jitna kareeb jaata jaa raha hun, andhera utna hi badhta chala jaa raha hai. Aur maa ka koi pata nahi hai. Kabhi Kabhi sochta hun, ye burai, ye andhera, hamare aas paas bus phailta chala jaa raha. Kya ise koi bhi police, koi bhi koshish rok paayegi.
Yahi to hamari asal ladai hai – ki hum naaummeed na ho. Buraai hai to acchai bhi hogi. Andhera hai to taare bhi honge. Aur tumhare to naam mein hi prakash hai. To jalao apna torch aur sara dar, saara andhera aise hi chala jaayega.”
This is a heartbreaking conversation between a police officer, investigating the most chilling crime case, and his journalist friend following that case.
Raakh is brilliant, essential, and entirely unwatchable for the faint-hearted. It serves as a stark, chilling reminder of the monsters that walk among us in broad daylight under the guise of ordinary men. Ali Fazal delivers a tragic historical tale with raw, unfiltered honesty. Watch it for the stellar performances and the impeccable filmmaking. I really do not know if we need such haunting tales.
4.5 stars.
For more reviews of shows on OTT, stay tuned to Koimoi.
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