The story of ‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’ begins with Bagha Da (Saswata Chatterjee) staking claim to the throne. This is followed by the entry of IPS officer Saptarishi (Parambrata Chattopadhyay), who vows to end crime from Bengal. But his untimely death shakes the entire city and makes people realize the bitter truth. After this, when a new police officer takes charge of the case, he clashes with Bengal’s political leader Varun Das (Prasenjit Chatterjee), who uses criminals to shine in his politics.
In the series, honest police officer Arjun Maitra (Jeet) gives a tough time to criminals with his fearless and strong personality. Arjun faces dangerous criminals like Sagar Talukdar (Ritwik Bhowmik) and Ranjeet Thakur (Adil Khan). This nexus of politics and crime makes the series very exciting.
Direction and Writing: Weak climax despite great direction
The series is directed by Debatama Mandal and Tushar Kanti Ray, while the writing is done by Neeraj Pandey, Debatama and Samrat Chakraborty. The script and screenplay of ‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’ is largely predictable, but its tight direction, brilliant cinematography and tremendous casting make it special.
However, the story seems a bit dull at some places in the show. There are many scenes that seem to have been added without any reason. Despite this, the strong acting of the actors and impressive dialogues keep the audience engaged till the end. However, in the climax when Arjun Maitra easily catches the last criminal, it seems a bit weak.
The background music of the series is a bit dramatic, but the title track by Jeet Ganguly is quite catchy. On the lines of ‘Aaina Hamra Bihar Mein’, the song ‘Ek Aur Rang Bhi Dekhiye Bengal Ka’ is quite powerful, which brings life to the show.
Strong performance by the actors
The biggest strength of this series is its cast. Bengali actor Jeet has made his Hindi debut through this series and his acting has won everyone’s heart. His strong police avatar reminds us of films like ‘Singham’ and ‘Dabangg’. Jeet’s acting at times seems similar to the character played by Ajay Devgan in ‘Gangajal’.
At the same time, Prasenjit Chatterjee has given a brilliant performance as a corrupt leader. His cunning style is worth watching. Ritwik Bhowmik has done a great job in the role of Sagar Talukdar. Adil Zafar Khan, who rocked ‘Jehanabad: Of Love and War’, has also impressed everyone with his acting.
Saswata Chatterjee’s performance is strong as always, while Chitrangada Singh’s work is average. Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Saswata have done a great job even in less screen space.
Should one watch ‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’?
‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’ is a series worth watching, but there is nothing new in it. We have seen the nexus of politics and crime many times before in films and web series. However, the influence of Bengali language in the series makes it a bit different.
The action scenes are good, but the sequences filmed in slow motion seem a bit cumbersome. The special thing about the series is that many new and rarely seen faces are seen in it, which makes it feel fresh.
The story has plenty of twists and turns, which keep you hooked till the end. This series deserves 3 stars out of 5. If you like crime, politics and action, then definitely watch ‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’ on Netflix.
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