Dahan Review: An intense superstitious drama of paranormal occurrences that will challenge your beliefs over facts and myths
Dahan Web Series Rating: 2.5 Stars
Just watched Dahan web series on Disney Plus Hotstar. So let’s analyze the cast, release date, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this web series.
Cast: Tisca Chopra, Saurabh Shukla, Rajesh Tailang, Mukesh Tiwari and Ankur Nayyar
Director: Vikranth Pawar
Release Date: 16th September 2022 on Disney Plus Hotstar
Duration: 9 Episodes/ 35 Minutes
Story: Series is set in the backdrop of a sandy mountainous town called Shilaspura in Rajasthan. The fable in Shilaspura has two sects Karapali who guard Ridhiyakan’s prison and appease him to keep him calm and the rebels, Nikasiya who lost a battle and were expelled from the village. The residents of the land follow ominous rituals. Every evening, the village plunges into darkness as people switch on their lights only after a holy torch atop Ridhiyakan’s mound is lit and the chieftain has concluded his pooja.
Avni Raut (Tisca Chopra) is a disgraced IAS officer and is assigned to supervise and overlook the mining of a site in the town which is funded by a private corporation. A widower Avni with his teenage boy Anay (Rohan Joshi) arrives at Shilaspura. She launch a project to exploit the mines and the locals are unwilling to cooperate with her. She chooses to move on with the project anyhow, and a series of violent incidents occur, beginning with two miners losing their lives, a survivor turning into a living dead and infecting others he attacks.
While everyone is convinced that Ridhiyakan has awakened due to the mine blast, Avani stands her ground that it’s the head priest, Pramukh Swaroop (Saurabh Shukla) and others with vested interests ensuring that superstition prevails and the village does not develop. While Shilaspura gradually turns into the land of the dead, Avani has her own demons to deal with, as the wedge created between her and her son Anay worsens. How she deal with all the situation is all about this series.
Positives
1. Excellent Performances
2. Direction
3. Cinematography
4. Story
Negatives
1. Length
2. Climax
3. Screenplay
4. Dialogues
5, Unnecessary Sub-plots
Durgesh Tiwary’s View : When I watched the trailer planned to watch this series in free time because loved the trailer and story looks very unique and engaging.
A disgraced IAS officer Avni Raut takes charge of bringing development to the town of Shilaspura. But the village is built on brutal history and it is haunted by the folklore of an inhuman sorcerer. Will Avni uncover the mystery of Shilaspura?
The basic plot of Dahan boils down to a fight between superstition and facts. But the plot is multi-layered with distinctive characters and their subplots. Story of the series isn’t novel, but you will find a connection with Avni. Like her, even you will believe that Shilaspura’s people are living in delusion. But as the show progresses, you will find yourself in a dilemma, just like Raut. Each episode will break your assumptions and gives you a surprising twist with its development. The series starts on a shocking note, as there is a warrior who beheads a family because they were possessed by Raakan. Direction is also good as manages to keep up the unpredictability factor intact and the plot keeps getting intense with every episode.
The premise of Shilaspura’s gory history, staunch superstition and secrets run parallelly with Avani’s backstory and the truth behind her falling from grace. Besides its premise and storytelling, the show will keep you hooked with its performances. The show will keep you on the edge of your seats until mid-season, after which it loses its grip intermittently. Things get convoluted, and the narrative becomes tedious and monotonous. The story demands the complete attention lest you miss something important, but that shouldn’t be hard as you are served a steady dose of thrill and drama. It has strong visuals with dismembered bodies and fountains of blood, but it’s done aesthetically, and none of it is stomach-churning. The climax and the discovery at the end is far-fetched and fantastical, made worse by the poor vfx in that scene.
Overall, Series is backed by superlative performances, an interesting screenplay, and a spooky background score. The action and gore also support the narrative and it is not weak-hearted. That makes this one a one time watch series that will take on an unpredictable ride, challenging your beliefs over facts and myths. The story indeed gives you chills and makes you not want to stop and finish the entirety in one go. My view on this series Time Pass.
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