BOTTOM LINE
Time Pass Thriller, Not a Bad Watch
Platform
Zee5
What Is the series about?
A Panchgani-based lawyer, Ved Khanna, files a police complaint that his wife Meera went missing on his birthday. Barely recovering from the setback, Ved receives the shock of his life when the cop returns with an alleged imposter who claims to be his wife, Meera. While all his family members assert that the woman is Meera, Ved hires a local detective to reveal her true colours.
Performances
Sharib Hashmi, after two OTT releases this year – Sharmajee Ki Beti and 36 Days – signs off 2024 in style with a solid, well-fleshed-out role that gives him his due as a performer. Playing a husband in a complicated marriage, the actor portrays a multi-layered character with ease. Anupriya Goenka is equally elegant and impressive as Meera Khanna, whose identity generates tension in the story.
Aamir Dalvi does full justice to the performance as a colourful cop who harbours a secret ambition to be a writer. The other supporting artists – Husnain Siddique, Raviraa Bhardwaj, Kriti Garg and child artist Ebadat Hussain, to name a few – do what’s expected of them, within the scope of their roles.
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Analysis
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OTT can be a good medium for small-scale, concept-driven thrillers that demand smart writing over prominent faces to work with audiences. Moreover, they could provide a fillip to the careers of many underrated character artists who get a raw deal at the movies. Khoj – Parchaiyon Ke Uss Paar, helmed by Prabal Baruah, is a thriller that may not blow your mind but keeps you engaged.
Set in a hill station, the low-stakes crime thriller revolves around a lawyer’s troubled marriage, his missing wife and his relentless quest to prove her true identity. The story takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of a mystery woman who wreaks havoc in the lawyer’s life, threatens to divorce him and distances him from his daughter, insisting his mental health isn’t in great shape.
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The story begins when Ved enters a police station, briefing the cop with the specifics of a missing complaint about his wife Meera. Soon, officer Amol Sathe finds the woman and much to his shock, Ved claims she isn’t his wife. All hell breaks loose soon and Ved is trapped from all corners, only for the case to progress in a different direction altogether.
It’s interesting how Ved’s problems only compound with time – starting from the identity of his wife to the issues around his mental health to the missing detective, the divorce and the child custody angle. Every episode has new layers to offer and they keep teasing you – and you don’t mind them. The compactness of the setup within a small-town ambience is an advantage.
There are multiple sides to the key characters in the show – Ved and Meera – and they unravel gradually, culminating in a thrilling finale. If you think the show is too simplistic and basic for the genre, it helps to understand that the treatment matches the story – no one claims the case is earth-shattering and there’s no unnecessary desperation to generate thrills.
Khoj is about a domestic issue involving an element of deception and the director cleverly conceals that angle in the story. The storytelling is precise and sharp avoiding any scope for melodrama. Unfolding across 7 episodes (spanning 20-25 minutes each), Khoj doesn’t try to overwhelm you or test your intelligence and still keeps you invested in the proceedings.
With reasonable performances and a reasonable screenplay, Khoj is a not-so-bad one-time watch. Watch it without expectations and you won’t complain much.
Music and Other Departments?
Soutrik Chakraborty’s score blends well with the narrative, retaining the suspense within the sequences, and not letting the music dominate the proceedings. Ajay Deep Singh’s screenplay and dialogues do have their share of blips, but given the show doesn’t have lofty aims, you don’t mind them.
Despite being a hill station mystery, cinematographer Shanu Singh Rajput doesn’t go too far to establish its ambience (we mean it in a good way) and lets the story take precedence over the visuals. With the runtime of an average feature film (around 150 minutes) and crisp episodes, you’re generally invested in the show.
Highlights?
Good performances by the leads – Sharib Hashmi, Anupriya Goenka
Decent plot
Interesting twists and turns, strong climax
Drawbacks?
Simplistic, basic execution
Limited thrills
Slightly predictable at times
Did I Enjoy It?
Not bad at all
Will You Recommend It?
If you’re in the mood for a time-pass small-scale thriller
Khoj – Parchaiyon Ke Uss Tv Series Review by M9
