Shehar Lakhot Review: Priyanshu Painyuli, Kubbra Sait's show is all over the place

It’s safe to say that the hinterland crime stories and businessman-politician nexus are on the verge of saturation in the Indian OTT space. The new web series from Amazon Prime, Shehar Lakhot comes with that baggage and with the challenge of bringing something new to the table. Although the series is created by credible writer-filmmakers like Navdeep Singh and Devika Bhagat, the challenges remain intact for Shehar Lakhot as the makers struggle to break out of the limitations that the genre brings.

Hot Take

Shehar Lakhot is set in Rajasthan and captures the socio-political grittiness of its milieu. The series is essentially told from the point of view of Dev (Priyanshi Painyuli), a middleman from Gurugram who arrives in another city on his boss’ instructions and finds himself entangled in the broader labyrinth of its socio-political underbelly. However, as we trod along the narrative, the story makes space for many people who are a part of that universe and have been dealing with its murky realities for many years.

Does Shehar Lakhot live up to the hype?

Despite its moments of brilliance and good performances from its ensemble cast, Shehar Lakhot remains too convoluted for large parts and does not make for an engaging watch. It remains passable at best.

The storyline is scattered

The problem with the show that it opens too many threads, too many plotlines even as the central conflict point is missing. Dev’s struggle to come out unscathed from a situation seems equally important as Pallavi’s (Kubbra Sait) quest to find out the truth behind a mindless murder. It becomes too much to handle because the show focuses on all its sub-plots with an equal intensity. Given the complexity of the plot, it gets too much to handle the viewer.  The show does introduce an intriguing twist around the halfway mark but doesn’t build up to the grand revelation effectively enough.

It’s not that Shehar Lakhot doesn’t manage to get us to care for its characters or be emotionally invested in them. But after building up on a subtle strand, the narrative often abandons them in pursuit of another conflict - and Shehar Lakhot, despite it’s moments of black humour and brilliance, is not executed smoothly enough to carry all of its material with impact.

Effective use of flashbacks

Having said that, the makers of Shehar Lakhot do deserve credit for bringing a layer of poignance to their characters with an impressively economical use of flashbacks. During an early sequence where two estranged brothers end up in a brawl, we get quick snippets of their childhood which tells us everything we need to know about them. The show continues to make use of flashbacks for many of its other prominent characters as well.

Performances save the day

Kubbra Sait remains consistently impressive in her performance, playing a female cop who is exasperated and ferocious in her battle against the patriarchal system in equal measures. Chandan Roy Sanyal brings a distinct intensity to his part, playing a marble magnate who manages to hide his anguish underneath his lavish display and exploitation of wealth.

The other cast members of the show deliver good performances, including Chandan Roy, Manu Rishi Chadha and Abhilash Thapliyal. Special mention goes to Shruti Jolly, who perfectly captures the innocence and clean-heartedness of a small-town girl who has been compelled by her circumstances to grow up too fast.

Stream it or skip it?

At 8 episodes lasting 55 minutes each, and with a narrative that’s crafted with too many threads and a slow-burn pace, Shehar Lakhot is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, if stories about hinterland are your thing, you can give it a watch.

Bottomline

Navdeep Singh and Devika Bhagat make a commendable attempt at telling a new story in a worn-out genre and succeed, but only in bits and pieces.

Rating - 2.5/5 stars