The ‘Grahan’ web series has released on Disney Plus Hotstar on Thursday, June 24. The story of the series is inspired by Satya Vyas’s novel ‘Chaurasi’ and depicts the story of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Directed by Ranjan Chandel, the series is an emotional tale of love anguish and betrayal. It is created by Shailendra Jaha and stars Pavan Malhotra, Zoya Hussain, Anshuman Pushkar, Wamiqa Gabbi, Teekam Joshi and Sahidur Rahman in pivotal roles.
The web series follows two intertwined stories, a 1984 blossoming romance between Manu and Rishi who lose their lives in anti-Sikh riots and the other one is set in 2016, in which Amrita Singh, an IPS officer solves a riddle that connects the past with the present.
Review
The smartly titled web series Grahan, which means both eclipse and acceptance is set in the aftermath of the 1984 Sikh massacre. Following former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh Bodyguards, a series of organized atrocities occurred against Sikhs in India. Even decades later the memories of the horrific devastation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots haunt people.
The show is an absolute emotional knockout that has eight episodes. It is a fictional drama that moves around Manjeet Chhabra aka Manu, portrayed by Wamiqa Gabbi and Rishi Ranjan played by Anshuman Pushkar. As they fall in love they face tragic incidents that transpired in 1984, particularly in Bokaro.
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The other side of the show focuses on Amrita Singh, an honest IPS officer played by Zoya Hussain. Amrita heads the Special Investigation Team, that is tasked with investigating 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
During the investigation, Amrita gets to know what had happened in 1984 and is shaken when after learning her father Gursevak Singh played by Pavan Raj Malhotra was one of the main suspects.
Writing
Shailendra Kumar Jha and the team of writers- Anu Singh Chaudhary, Navjot Gulati, Vibha Singh, Prateek Payodhi, Ranjan Chandel have done brilliant work in the script. The team has developed a mystery drama that shows how love blossoms in young hearts and on the other side it depicts how ordinary people transform into rioters, fueled by misleading exhortations and sometimes individuals seeking personal gains.
Director Ranjan Chandel has created a touchy and disturbing picture that shows the naivety of 80s romance, gruesome violence and atrocities along with confession. All these elements of the story combine to make the series a compelling one.
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Detailing
The series is precisely directed and notice is given on little elements like songs on the radio. The songs being played on the radio in the series are actually the movie songs released in those times like- Hero, Himmatwala, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar.
Overall, Grahan is an emotional tale of love, hate, anguish and betrayal. It’s a simple love story with believable performances. The performances of the cast bring purity and much-needed warmth to the story.