This standalone sequel to Khakee: The Bihar Chapter takes the police drama to a new state with a new story. Is this new chapter, also helmed by Neeraj Pandey for Netflix, worth checking out?
Opening Shot: A woman with a bloody bruise on her forehead is driving with a man when suddenly their car is hit, causing it to toss over a few times.
The Gist: Bagha (Saswata Chatterjee), a well-connected gangster and politician, crosses the line by killing an important businessman, kicking off an investigation by the police into his gang network. But there is a mole in the police operation, creating a cat-and-mouse game within the larger Bengal stratosphere.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The crime thriller genre is a favorite for the Indian subcontinent, and there have already been a handful of similar shows released this year: Paatal Lok (Prime Video) and Black Warrant (Netflix) are two good places to start.
Our Take: In crime dramas that are immensely popular with Indians and their diaspora, the story of corrupt law enforcement or government is a well that writers seem to continue going back to. Whether it’s a reflection of the current state of Bengal’s governmental set-up or simply an enticing setting for fiction, Khakee delivers exactly what you might expect from one of these types of streaming shows. The cat-and-mouse game seems to hope to reveal larger truths about the Indian, and specifically Bengali, political climate, with a lofty goal of one man hoping to turn around an entire system. What follows in the seven-episode season remains to be seen (as a reminder, these reviews judge only the first episode), but I’m hopeful that the series will deliver a substantial treatise on how to fix the corruption that seems to fuel these stories.
But even if the premise feels like it’s been tread before, the Netflix series executes it at a high production value and in convincing fashion. If one of your favorite parts of a crime thriller is the action set pieces, Khakee: The Bengal Chapter has more than enough of that to quench your thirst. There is plenty of blood and guts and gore to go around, and while it can be quite graphic, the scenes do add to the intrigue and excitement of the story.
The series is buoyed by the performances, led by Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Chatterjee, and Jeet. Even when set with heightened dialogue and scenes, the stars are able to elevate the material. So if you’re torn about tuning in, know that at least the execution feels worth your time.
Sex and Skin: No sex or skin in Khakee.
Parting Shot: IPS officer Maitra, who was willing to negotiate with the gangsters, acts impulsively and shoots him in the head after the criminal bragged about killing a handful of women.
Sleeper Star: Parambrata Chattopadhyay as IPS Saptarshi Sinha has a commanding screen presence and gets to have a lot of the fun too: many of his lines are the most memorable of the first episode. But it’s Aadil Zafar Khan, who plays one of Bagha’s minions with a highlighted head of hair that announces his presence before any words are uttered that stands out as a menacing protege to take up the mantle and continue Bagha’s legacy.
Most Pilot-y Line:: “We need to work like a washing machine. Get the clothes clean without any noise,” officer Saptarshi Sinha says to his boss, distilling their operation into a simple metaphor.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Though the storyline feels like reheated nachos, fans of the genre will enjoy this installment.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in New York City. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.
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