Review: Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein (2022)
Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein is somewhat an ode to Shah Rukh Khan, who looms largely over throughout this 8-part thriller series, but not in the way you’d expect. Created by Sidharth Sengupta, and starring Tahir Raj Bhasin, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, and Anchal Singh in pivotal roles, this series finds its strength in human weaknesses.
The show is centred on Vikrant, a small-town engineering graduate whose modest ambitions (a job in Bhilai) and dreams (a house with girlfriend Shikha) go for a toss when he becomes the object of desire for Purva, a menacing politician’s daughter, and is forced into an ominous household against his wishes.
From the iconic ‘Palat’ moment from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge played with a sinister effect, right in the opening episode, to Vikrant doing the typical Shahrukh-giri, by climbing his girlfriend’s window to prove his devotion, we get to see the Shah Rukh of the 90s – romantic hero, and vengeful psychopath.
What interested me is the way we see small-town stories become characters of their own. Picking up from shows like Mirzapur, the setting in this series sets quite a subversive tone. The show is based in Uttar Pradesh where rules the political party “Bharatiya Suraksha Party”. Not only this, but Sengupta has also thoroughly worked with his actors to get the Indian-dialect correct.
Seeing Shweta Tripathi Sharma in this ‘small-town’ role, reminded me of her performance in Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan – the cute, sweet girl, who’ll go lengths for love - Even for that matter, a role reversal: eloping with her parents, for the man she loves.
Like most thrillers, each episode tries to end on a cliff-hanger, that seems to send the plot in unplanned directions, which will keep you wanting for more. However, mid-way through the series, I felt that every twist and move of the protagonist is sort of humanized, which made me sub-consciously aware of his next move. Right from diegetically telling us his internal thoughts through a voice-over, to retching while seeing blood, to hiring hitmen as killers, or even watching YouTube tutorials, the show humanizes almost every twist.
The craft of the show, however, is on point. Anchal Singh as Purva, and Tahir Raj Bhasin as Vikrant, play their character with sincerity and integrity. Bhasin’s performance and his difficult arc is what keeps us on the edge, and Vikrant on the brink.
The “remixed” title song also does wonders - it sounds like a smoky cabaret track, giving off the right sinister appeal to the show. The supporting cast is terrific, especially Saurabh Shukla as the casually savage politician, and Brijendra Kala as Vikrant’s greedy-but-good father.
What also fascinated me about the show is how it inverses the usual gender dynamics at play, whether it is looking at love and lust through the female gaze or seeing an emasculated protagonist.
You can watch Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein on Netflix India.
