When a Naxal-led blast occurs in Gadchiroli, killing an important MLA as well as 16 others, Raghav Joshi, an officer with the Special Task Force, is assigned to the case. Along with his team, Raghav must try to stop the Naxal uprising of Gadchiroli, before it wreaks havoc in the city.
It’s about a troubled cop on a mission to rout Naxals
The show begins with a bomb blast in Gadchiroli that kills an MLA. This attack is led by Binu Atram (Shakti Anand), a Naxal leader. He takes orders from a mysterious person called ‘Baba’, who lives in the city. We’re also introduced to Atram’s close comrades Pahaan (Satyadeep Mishra), a hot-headed young man and Prakruti (Sreejita Dey).
This is when Raghav Joshi (Rajeev Khandelwal), son of the Mumbai Police Commissioner, comes into the picture. Joshi, a troubled cop who copes with his harrowing past by taking sleeping pills, is particularly driven to break the Naxal group. With his colleague Mohit Kale, he orchestrates successful attacks on Naxal recruits.
If the show was a book, it would be unputdownable
What’s central to the story is the presence of FICA, a company that wants to build a mine in the forests of Gadchiroli. Its CEO is a smooth-talking businessman, Ambar Keswani (Aamir Ali). Plenty of people, including the Naxals of course, are against this project, believing it to be an environmental threat that will destroy crops and homes and even cause serious medical issues. The plot deftly switches from FICA’s attempts to establish themselves as a trustworthy brand, the Naxals’ plans to keep this from happening and Raghav’s efforts to stop this red uprising from creating any more trouble.
While the show doesn’t seriously get into the history and politics of the Naxal movement, it does comment on the plight of poor village folk who are compelled to turn to Naxals. On the whole, Naxalbari (the name refers to village in Bengal where a seminal peasant revolt took place in 1967), is a gripping thriller without a dull moment. Rajeev Khandelwal and Aamir Ali as the shrewd businessman deserve props for their strong performances.
WATCH OR NOT
Great story-telling, wonderful actors and crisp editing are what make this web series tick. Watch it for the action.
Creator: Partho Mitra
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Aamir Ali, Shakti Anand, Satyadeep Mishra, Sreejita Dey, Tina
Datta, Narayani Shastri
Streaming on: Zee5
