Table of Contents
1. Sabdo Jabdo
Imdb Rating: 7.1/10
Directed by: Sourav Chakaraborty
Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Payel Sarkar, Mumtaz Sorcar,
Subrat Dutta, Kankana Chakraborty
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Thriller
The Story :
Sougata Sinha is a popular International writer. He returns to Kolkata after a sabbatical with his wife Aditi and daughter Raka. He has some dark past which creates unrest in him. The dark visions of his victims keep haunting him. The gradual unveiling of the events will keep the suspense intact.
Highlights:
- Rajat Kapoor’s performance.
- Interesting story.
- Promising technical standards.
Drawbacks:
- Predictability of the screenplay.
- Simplistic ending.
Analysis:
The performance, direction, cinematography, background music and editing of Sabdo Jabdo are outstanding. Basically when it is a thriller the plot is driven by mystery. Here it is the same where we see the story is driven by a mysterious girl. Then gradually the story moves unveiling the characters and their past. Although it is not any horror movie, the eerie atmosphere that the storyteller builds is worth your attention.
Bottom line: Neatly crafted story, worth watching.
2. Charitraheen(1-3 seasons)
Imdb Rating: 5.2/10 Imdb
Directed by: Debaloy Bhattacharya
Cast: Naina Ganguly, Sourav Chakaraborty, Mumtaz Sorcar, Sourav Das, Saayoni Ghosh, Ankitaa Chakaroborty, Soumendra Bhattachrya
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Thriller
The Story :
A young couple lives in a mansion in Kolkata. Kiranmoyee, the beautiful wife, is an object of desire for everyone. Her husband is paralysed. She comes across several men in her life, but never finds true love. Everyone just lusts for her.
Highlights:
- The scenes are well edited.
- The direction is still good enough.
- The background scores are impressive.
- Season 2 is comparatively better with some back stories that have led to the current trauma of the characters.
Drawbacks:
- The story will bore you by its fag end.
- The series of sexual scenes, violent expression and distorted mentality will exhaust you.
Analysis:
The webseries Charitraheen is an adaptation of Bengali literary genius SaratChandra Chattopadhyay’s famous novel ‘Charitraheen’. Here editor turned writer-director Debaloy Bhattacharya has moulded the novel as per his taste and vision. He has great story telling capability as many series and T.V shows he has directed as of now. Just like the novel questions society, statues of women and complications in relationships, the series also follows the same. There are a lot of debates on love, religion and pain in reference to the present context. But the series fails to create an impact on the audience.
Bottom line:
The storyline was just fine but a little bit dragging. If you are someone who loves mystery eroticas it is fine but if you have seen better content then you must aim for some of the best in this genre.
3. Paap
Imdb Rating: 5/10
Directed by: Anupam Hari, Joydeep Mukherjee
Cast: Puja Banerjee, Saheb Bhattacharya, Solanki Roy, Rahul Banerjee, Ishani Das, Rajat Ganguly, Bhaswar Chattopadhyay, Rupsa Dasgupta, Priyanka Mondal, Indrajit Chakraborty
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Thriller
The Story :
The story is set in the backdrop of Durga Puja where all the family members gathered to be a part of the celebration. The protagonist Parboni( Puja Banerjee), aka Paru comes as an unwanted guest to the sprawling Choudhary household in Palashpur bringing with her the dark secret of the past.
During the festival two murders occur and the puja house becomes a crime scene. Gradually murder mystery is solved unveiling the real suspect.
Highlights:
- Brisk narrative.
- Holds the suspense till the end.
- Good plot twist.
Drawbacks:
- The screenplay was loosely crafted.
- Some of the scenes are stretchy.
- The series is structured in a T.V serial format like some of other Hoichoi series.
- Mostly one location shorts.
Analysis:
If compared, Paap season 2(Antim Pawrbo) is more riveting than the first season. The first season which was full of mystery and suspense and little dragging takes a fast pace in season 2. The blend of classic film noir with bengali culture is interesting to watch. The final episode reveals the entire story and the murderer, which will surprise you.
Bottom line: Well paced murder mystery with a twist at the end which will suprise you.
4. Dhaka Metro
Imdb Rating: 7/10
Directed by: Amitabh Reza Chowdhury
Cast: Neville Ferdous Hasan, National Award-winner Aupee Karim, Shariful Islam Shamim, Sharmin Joha Shoshi, and Mustafa Monwar.
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Drama
The Story : The premise of Dhaka Metro, a web series from Bangladesh, goes like this – a troubled city man who drives off, away from the chaotic city life and finds himself stuck in a disturbing reality. During the road trip, he encounters bizarre events and meets different people.
Highlights:
Well crafted characters, each of them weird and crazy.
Drawbacks:
Could have been better from the screenplay point of view.
Analysis:
This series comes in the road trip genre where the protagonist Kuddus is searching life, getting out of the fake instagramable life. He wants to escape from the meaningless pursuit of material life which is a good concept but the execution of the series could have been better.
Bottom line:
I found Dhaka Metro is not engaging enough, although it has 9 episodes it becomes difficult to watch.
5. Byomkesh
Imdb Rating: 8.3/10
Directed by: Sayantan Ghosal, Soumik Chattopadhyay, Soumik Halder
Cast: Anirban Bhattacharya as the lead actor.
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Detective Thriller
The Story :
The series is based on the adventures of Byomkesh, his friend and biographer Ajit, who usually accompanies Boymokesh during his investigations.
Highlights:
- Brilliant performance by Anirban Bhattacharya.
- Great work of directors.
- The spin of the episodes are done with effective technical brilliance.
Drawbacks:
- No whim in Byomkesh’s characterization.
- Not much scope for other characters.
Analysis:
Just like A.C.Doyle’s Sherlock, Byomkesh is the beloved detective of Indians created by writer Saradindu Bondhopadhyay. Despite his regional leanings he has created a special place in the hearts of audiences and filmmakers. Although there are a lot of movies already related to Byomkesh, still audiences love to explore this detective genre every time.
Earlier we have seen many actors like Uttam Kumar, Jishu Sengupta, Rakjat Kapur, Abir Chatterjee, Sushant Singh Rajput bring life to the fictional character. In the same pace Anirban Bhattacharya did justify the role. His composure as a detective is arresting. Even when he is portraying himself as a family man is quite natural but the actor ought to have brought variety in his body language too.
Bottom line:
A must watch for detective lovers to appreciate the works of the creative team who took the pain to create such a content driven series.
6. Shei Ja Holud Pakhi
Imdb Rating: 7.2/10
Directed by: Joydeep Mukherjee
Cast: Tridha Chowdhury, Saswata Chatterjee, Rupanjana Mitra, Koushik Sen, Shoumo Banerjee, Sudip Mukherjee, Gourab Chatterjee, Prantik Banerjee, Bidipta Chakraborty, Chandreyee Ghosh
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Musical Thriller
The Story :
A middle aged police officer named Somnath Maitra finds himself helpless and lost after losing his daughter Mitil. He becomes an alcohol addict and cannot focus on his duty. Mitil was passionate about singing and wanted to pursue a career in the same but Somnath was against her musical career and thus Mitil was forced to run away from home. Although Somnath wanted to find her but was unable to find his daughter.
Another part of the story we see a musical band and a star singer Vaidehi. Her sucide creates a sensation in public. Whether it is a murder or suicide and how Somnath, the police officer get involve in this case is what the thriller reveals.
Highlights:
- Brilliant performance by Saswata Chatterjee.
- Tridha Chowdhary, whom we have seen in Aashram and Bandish Bandits acted very well.
Drawbacks:
- Little bit dragging and monotonous.
Analysis:
Season 1 of the series was released in 2018 when Hoichoi was still trying to find its feet as a streaming platform. Although the storyline is good but could have been better. The suspense factor is less and so it seems a little dragging.
Bottom line: Watch it if you are a fan of Saswata Chatterjee and Rupanjana. It is an average series.
7 Eken Babu
Imdb Rating: 8.2/10
Directed by: Joydeep Mukherjee, Surajit Chatterjee, Anupam Hari, Anirban Mallik, Abhijit Chowdhury.
Cast:
Anirban Chakraborty as Eken Babu
Shoumo Banerjee as Bappaditya or Bapi
Debapriyo Bagchi (Bubble) as Promotho
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Comedy, Detective Novel
The Story :
Ekendra Sen aka Eken Babu the lovable yet sharp detective from Kolkata. Eken Babu, residing in Bengaluru, is a full-on-nature enthusiast, author and a quirky detective who has uncanny-yet-effective ways of solving cases and unlocking mysteries. As he goes to Dhaka for his book launch, his publisher Masood dies at a launch party under suspicious circumstances. How Eken Babu solves the case is what the story narrates.
Highlights:
- Delight to watch Eken Babu.
- Great cinematography.
- Background score is also intriguing.
Drawbacks:
- Simple plot.
- Audiences who have not watched the previous seasons will find the rest slow and boring. So to enjoy the series, watch it from the first season.
Analysis:
The character of Eken Babu is sketched considering the already famous characters of established writers, such as Sharadindu Bandopadhyay and Satyajit Ray. You can get a little bit of Feluda as well as Bomkesh in the characterization of Eken Babu. The series covers several aspects that concern a modern-day Bengali – the prospect of staying in a different city for livelihood, the nostalgia of Kolkata, the obvious comparison between a Bangladeshi and an Indian Bengali about who stays truer to their roots. Beneath the mystery in the setting, what the series misses is quality humour. The writing could have been crafted in a better way.
Bottom line: Old school detective thriller.
8. Rohoshyo Romancho
Imdb Rating: 7.5/10
Directed by: Abhirup Ghosh
Cast: Rudranil Ghosh, Souman Bose, Poulomi Das, Kanchan Mullick, Saayoni Ghosh, Sourav Saha, Biswanath Basu, Priyanka Sarkar, Preetam Ganguly
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Thriller
The Story :
Rohoshyo Romancho Series directed by Abhirup Ghosh is an amalgamation of three refreshing and engaging short stories. It features three different shades of thriller such as a crime thriller, a supernatural thriller and a suspense thriller. It was made as a feature film but later it has been released as a five episode series on the OTT platform Hoichoi.
Highlights:
- Brilliant performance of Rudranil Ghosh and Souman Bose.
- Pure content.
- Great editing.
- Great color tones used.
Analysis:
Director Abhirup Ghosh is another gem in the industry. Most of his debut films went unnoticed by a lot of people. As the movies that he makes were not produced under a big banner so he remained unnoticed. But as we know “content is king” so these amazing directors who know the right way of storytelling will always shine. The series has three amazing stories such as Jhontu Motors, Shakuni and Jhorer Raat all of them are amazing to watch.
Bottom line: It is the perfect treat to those who love watching thrillers.
9. Taqdeer
Imdb Rating: 8.9/10
Directed by: Syed Ahmed Shawki
Cast: Chanchal Chowdhury as Taqdeer, Sanjida Preeti as Afsana Anjum, Manoj Kumar Pramanik as Rana, Shohel Mondol as Montu, Partha Barua as Hitman and others
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Crime Thriller
The Story :
The plot of the series is about a freezer van driver in Dhaka named Taqdeer (played by Chanchal Chowdhury) whose whole life turns upside down when he finds a dead body inside his van. A trail of occurrence thereby follows which pushes Taqdeer and his best friend Montu (played by Shohel Mondol) into bigger problems.
Highlights:
- Gripping Narrative.
- Key Artists Performed extremely well.
- Well knitted Screenplay.
Drawbacks:
- Predictable Central Plot.
- Slow Pace Throughout.
Analysis:
The slow paced narrative takes off with the introduction of a dead body from where the actual story starts. The narrative tells the story of a common man who has an unexpected situation to handle. The ending is gripping but can be guessed.
The series has a good beginning, middle and end with the thrill element makes it a worth watching web series.
Bottom line: A must watch web series.
10. Hello
Imdb Rating: 6.4/10
Directed by: Anirban Mallik and Soumik Chattopadhyay
Cast: Raima Sen as Nandita, Priyanka Sarkar as Nina / Debalina Som, Joy Sengupta as Ananyo Bose, Saheb Bhattacharya as Rongit, Pamela Singh Bhutoria as Ria, Ambarish Bhattacharya as Ambarish.
Streaming on: Hoichoi
Genre: Thriller
The Story : Hello is a web series where you find a unique blend of drama and psychological thriller. The series revolves around the life of Nina, Nandita and Ananyo( Nandita Philandering husband). The story talks about bisexuality and obsession. Nina and Nandita were schoolmates. Nina has a soft corner for Nandita. Gradually Nandita becomes her obsession but Nandita is completely unaware of the events. In college Nandita falls in love with Rongit but somehow the relationship fails. Later Nandita marries Ananyo Bose, who is presented as a womanizer. The twist in the story makes season 1 quite interesting.
Highlights:
- Brilliant performance of Priyanka Sarkar
- Brilliant performance of Raima Sen
- Season I is captivating.
Drawbacks:
- Season 2 and season 3 seems dragging.
- Dialogues appeared to be quite unnatural and out of context.
Analysis:
Priyanka Sarkar was the star of the show. Her dialogue delivery and expressions made her shine bright in her role. Saheb Bhattacharjee was good in his space, but was under-utilised to a good degree.
Anirban Mallick and Somuik Chatterjee did well in directing the series. However, a little more attention to the detail and practical approach could have given an eclectic angle to the series.
Bottom line: It is an average series, where season 1 is engaging but season 2 and 3 falls flat.
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