Kohrra review: dense and murky, this slow burn thriller twists your insides

Kohrra review: dense and murky, this slow burn thriller twists your insides

What: Kohraa - regales in melancholy with a poignant background score and a meticulous lensing of heartland Punjab

 OTT web series Kohrra review

The setting is Punjab. Lush Paddy fields. A couple is making out in the wee hours when they discover a brutally murdered dead body, triggering a police investigation.

Two cops are assigned the case, namely Balbir Singh and Garundi, played by Suvinder Vicky (CAT, Meel Pathhar) and Barun Sobti (Asur) to find out that the body is that of a NRI Bridegroom, Paul (Vishal Handa) from London, and happens to be Steve's son (Manish Chaudhari).

Battling their personal woes and struggling with their respective grief, guilt and grudges, the two men come across some harrowing secrets about the lives of the involved people and are startled by the level of disfunction which is rotting their seemingly normal conduct.

 

Director Randeep Jha is inching strong and steady with each of his projects. His previous works - Halaahal and Trial by Fire were eminently recognized in the OTT Space and in Kohrra, he astutely creates a delectably dark universe with deliciously flawed protagonists.

Showrunner Sudeep Sharma of Clean Slate Films, known for edgy thrillers like Paatal Lok have a penchant for slow burn narratives rooted in realism and a haunting hinterland setting.

Kohrra accomplishes that degree of authenticity with its infused Punjabi ethos and dialect, and an array of stupendous performances.

At the helm is Suvinder Vicky, playing Balbir with a restrained flourish. His sullen face speaks volumes and his eyes are broodingly intense, conveying an ever consuming guilt and grievance over his daughter's ( Harleen Sethi) infidelity and daddy issues. Watch him out when he mercilessly hits his daughter's boyfriend.

On the other hand, Sobti is volatile and lends a solidly flamboyant edge to the younger cop. Watch him out in the bullet combats and the chase sequence involving Sumit. It's strikingly realistic.

Vicky and Sobti are surrounded heartfully by actors like Chaudhuri, Varun Badola, Harleen and a brief appearance by Rachel Shelley (Lagaan fame).

 

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