WEB SERIES REVIEW RAKTANCHAL

Producers-Jatin Seth, Piyush Gupta, , Pradeep Gupta, Shashank, Mahina Gupta

Director- Ritam Srivastav

Star Cast- Kranti Prakash Jha, Nikiten Dheer, Vikram Kochchar, Ronjini Chakraborty, Krishna Bisht and Daya Shankar Pandey

Rating-***1/2

Genre- Drama

Edgy with a lot of twists and turns!

Jyothi Venkatesh

Whether it is Sacred Games, Mirzapur or the latest addition Paatal Lok, the crime genre seems to attract more eye balls if done properly. MX Player's latest web series Raktanchal also takes a similar route and dives deep into the crime backdrop but takes it a few decades back to the 1980s. The Raktanchal web series cast includes Nikitin Dheer, who is known for his villainous roles in films like Chennai Express and Ready. Also starring are Kranti Prakash Jha, Soundarya Sharma, Rojini Chakraborty, Vikram Kochhar and Basu Soni. 

Amidst the picturesque Purvanchal, the criminal empire of Waseem Khan (Nikitin Dheer) rules. Waseem runs mafia syndicate that grabs government tenders. One day a young simpleton Vijay Singh (Kranti Prakash Jha) crosses path with Waseem and its mayhem in that land of Purvanchal. The intriguing web series  reminds you a lot of not only Gangs of Wasseypur but also Mirzapur

The series follows an unpredictable and gripping fast paced tone leaving less time to have any dull moments. The 1980s has been skillfully recreated including the costumes which make the series authentic and at par with various other critically acclaimed web series in recent years. The nine-episode series can be easily binge-watched as not only is it interesting but also does not drag unnecessarily. Towards the end of the series, the plot developments start coming to a definitive close and though some conclusions are befitting to the series, others leave the viewers asking for more.

Nikiten Dheer is good at his job but his role does not seem to be as full-fledged as that of Kranti Jha.The anti-hero Vijay’s character and his evolution into the world of crime and politics are unraveled through many flashbacks from his past, adding a rare intrigue and help build his story convincingly. Kranti Prakash Jha gets into the skin of his character Vijay  slowly but surely. His physical transformation from a lanky young boy studying to become a gangster is convincing.

 

Though it is Kranti Jha who has more footage than him, Nikitin Dheer plays Vijay’s formidable opponent, who fits the bill as the ruthless Waseem Khan. Apart from these two, there are quite a few important characters, who lend strong support. Like Pujari Singh (Ravi Khanvilkar) and Sanki Pandey (Vikram Kochhar). While both are all out evil, Pujari is calm and calculative and Sanki is hot-headed and reckless. ‘Raktanchal’ (streaming on MX Player) barely has any significant female characters except for Seema (Ronjini Chakraborty), who makes a late entry but leaves an out and out impact nonetheless.

 

Ritam Shrivastav – the director of the award winning short Maternity Blues, and the dacoit drama Taanashah, this time comes up with a quintessential revenge drama in the blood soaked vessels designed by his predecessors  like Guy Ritche, Tarantino, Bhardwaj, Kashyap etc. In spite of its flaws, the web series which has nine episodes each of 30 minutes looks like a winner with its edgy twists and turns in its complexly wielded plot.