She Review (Netflix): Imtiaz Ali Skips Love & Chooses Lust To Lead This Thriller

She Review (Netflix): Yeah! That same Imtiaz Ali who has redefined the meaning of love many-a-times in Bollywood. He’s the one who has penned this (along with Divya Johry) and at first, I wasn’t sure how to react but now, I know how. Imtiaz accumulates all the darkness he’s unable to show his in films for various reasons and force it in this one. Is it worth it? Read on!

Cast: Aaditi Pohankar, Vijay Varma, Vishwas Kini, Kishore Kumar G, Shivani Rangole

Available On: Netflix

She Review (Netflix): What Is It About?

Remember what Geetika Ohlyan managed to pull off in Netflix’s 2018 police-drama Soni? Bhumi Pardeshi (Aaditi Pohankar) is a kind-of extension to her character but with different goals. Despite working for the police, Bhumi is pressurized to fit into certain stereotypes which she’s certainly not fond of. Looking after an ailing mother and pompous sister Rupa (Shivani Rangole), Bhumi gets appointed for an undercover mission and is posed as a sex-worker, to arrest a drug-lord named Nayak where she meets Sasya (Vijay Varma).

She Review (Netflix): What’s Good?

Along with building a scenario for catching a deadly drug-lord in Nayak, the show is never really about him. Imtiaz’s signature move of ‘confused emotions’ keeps the show intrigued despite the flaws. Peeling the layers of Bhumi’s character on-by-one, the narrative manages to back it with something which you presume to be the main plot.

The story plays with your head evoking multiple thoughts like – “Is she having fun? Or is she feeling punished?” For the die-hard Imtiaz Ali fans, you have a couple of ‘mirror realisation’ scenes, a homeless man and a whole layer of ‘Tu koi aur hai’ subtext. It all gets interesting when Imtiaz decides to make you uncomfortable while exploring Bhumi’s character. Dipping it into mild-erotica, Imtiaz plays with your mind using Bhumi.

It’s sometimes bizarre to see an actor getting so much comfortable in uncomfortable roles. Bhumi is one such role for Aaditi Pohankar. She’s so damn convincing with her act that even during the show you get confused if she’s with the police or is really a sex-worker.

Vijay Varma owns the frame he is in. He’s someone you look out for when the show starts to drag. He deserved more, to begin with, and also a better ‘bid adieu’ to end with. Nevertheless, an extraordinary performance which was just a ‘good writing’ away from being a classic.

Kishore Kumar G plays an important role in the show which I’ll not reveal because of spoilers. He’s subtle at it and enjoys a really interesting character graph. With less screen-space, he gets in your head better & this is what Vijay’s character lacked towards the end. Shivani Rangole is stupendous as Rupa (Bhumi’s sister). She has all the siblings’ traits and has no complexity as the other characters.