Bhaukaal
2020
Original language: Hindi
- crime
- action & adventure
The story
Naveen Sikhera makes his way into the sin city as the new SSP, he is hit by the prevailing chaos and lawlessness in the city. Muzaffarnagar is ruled by Shaukeen gang in the east and the Dedha brothers rule the west.
What it’s like
Gritty, dust-caked daylight and sodium-lit night streets dominate this Indian crime series set in western Uttar Pradesh, where the palette runs to ochre, mustard and bruised grey, and the camera stays close and handheld in cramped lanes, police barracks and crowded bazaars. The sound is loud and percussive: sirens, motorbike engines, rapid dialogue in Hindi and Khariboli-tinged speech, with a pulsing, heavy-handed score that swells at confrontations. Its vibe is grimy, tense and power-hungry, best suited to a weekend binge or a late-night watch when you want momentum over subtlety. The pacing is brisk, with episodes built around escalating standoffs and shifting alliances, and the emotional register stays hard-edged and cynical. An honest, idealistic officer slowly learns how compromised his city's order really is, while the gangsters around him grow more calculating. Violence is frequent and often brutal: shootings, beatings and threats appear regularly, with some gore and menace, and sexual content is limited. It suits viewers who enjoy morally grey crime dramas and don't mind a bleak, relentless atmosphere.
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