Daldal Web Series Review | Suchin Mehrotra | THR India

Suchin Mehrotra reviews Daldal, the 7-episode crime thriller from creator Suresh Triveni streaming on Amazon Prime Video and adapted from Vish Dhamija's bestselling novel Bhendi Bazaar. Suchin admires the show's daring to defy algorithm-driven storytelling and refuse to handhold audiences, but finds the execution falls short of its ambitious aspirations. He praises Bhumi Pednekar for bringing stillness and conviction to her role as angry, tortured cop Rita Farrera, calling it a character that deserves a better show, while noting Aditya Rawal continues to prove he's one of the most exciting young actors around as drug addict Sajid.

Despite committed performances from leads including Samara Tijori as serial killer Anant, Suchin finds the show feels like moody, violent, scattered, sad vibes without the required tension of a cat-and-mouse thriller. He criticizes the structure for taking two full episodes to establish who's who, then lacking enough pilot mileage to sustain seven episodes. Director Amrit Raj Gupta and the writers attempt to explore deeper themes of trauma and abuse but seem to forget the surface itself, with the final showdown descending into a messy blur. Suchin concludes it's ironic that a series daring to rise above formula makes you yearn for a little formula to make it go down easier—a well-intentioned, indulgent misfire.