5 Reasons to Watch Dahaad on Prime Video

 

It's another weekend and a hot one at that! Or a rainy one if you are in the path of Cyclone Mocha! Please stay safe! 

So, if you are looking to stay in and binge a show, then may we suggest Dahaad on Amazon Prime Video. 

We binge watched it today and here are five reasons why we think you should watch this show! 

1. Loosely inspired by the notorious Cyanide Killer - a serial killer from Karnataka known for killing women with cyanide - Dahaad is, at a very basic level, a serial killer thriller show. However, it is not just that. It is a lovely, nuanced look at general misogyny, the role and place of women in society, issues of casteism and religious intolerance that are so prevalent in our society today. So, if you want to watch a great serial killer cat-and-mouse type show with some thoughtful and intelligent layers, then this is the show for you. 

2. The casting is just stellar! Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma, Gulshan Devaiah and Sohum Shah are pitch perfect in their roles. Their accents, body language and mannerisms are all pitch perfect. Since the show is based, primarily, in small town Rajasthan (Mandawa), the accents are fairly authentic and the main characters seldom slip up. Always a good thing. The supporting cast is also very good and it is a pleasure to watch a show that has good actors in every scene. 

3. The narrative is well-rounded and perfectly paced. You don't feel like skipping ahead or feel yourself getting bored during the eight-episode run of the show. The narrative unfolds well and we see the story being told from the cops' perspective as well as from the killers' perspective leading to the cat-and-mouse game between the two parties. 

4. As I said earlier, the show is very nuanced. The issues that plague India today have been captured beautifully and organically without being too preachy or over-the-top. The prevalent casteism and how they impacts people on an everyday basis has been shown so starkly here. You feel like cringing in disgust. Also, there is a lot of focus on misogyny and how women are treated at home, in the workplace and in our society. Girls go missing and the families don't report them missing because khandaan ki izzat! *head desk* 

5. The individual journeys/ life situations of each of the cops (Sonakshi, Sohum and Gulshan) are also quite interesting as each has different issues of their own and each of these are so starkly different from the other. Sohum's character is so jaded by the evil around him that he doesn't want a child at all. His character arc and growth is one of the highlights of the show. Sonakshi's character faces both gender and caste-based discrimination and on top of that, like every girl of a certain age, she is desperately staving off her mother's attempts to get her married to some suitable boy. Gulshan is a father of two in a marriage with a woman whose worldview is very different from his own progressive, gentle ones. His conversations with his kids are also a huge highlight of the show, especially, how he explains the urge to learn more about sex with his teenaged son. 

Overall, this show is a full package. Thrilling, dark, interesting and stays with you long after you've finished watching it. Highly recommend!