There has been no dearth of investigative thrillers in the past few years, especially those led by a female cop protagonist. However, what Karisma Kapoor achieves in Brownher comeback project where she plays the lead figure, is nothing short of stupendous. There is a distinct gravitas the actor brings to the proceedings. The performance is not showy in any way — Karisma is impressively minimal in how she captures the protagonist’s exhaustion and emotional baggage. Rita doesn’t have to say much for you to be able to sense her inner turmoil. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Karisma single-handedly carries the series on her shoulders.
Directed by Abhinay Deo, Brown largely revolves Rita (Karisma Kapoor), an emotionally struggling cop who is assigned a high-profile murder case. Rita’s struggles don’t merely pertain to her investigative pursuits — she is also navigating a machiavellian political nexus that wants quick-fix solutions and won’t think twice before making her a scapegoat, while dealing with a tainted past that refuses to leave her. Very admirably, the series gives considerable attention to Rita’s subordinate, Inspector Arjun Sinha (an impressively subdued Surya Sharma) where we get a glimpse of his life beyond his job, a life which is uncannily similar to Rita’s in many ways.
Directed by: Abhinay Deo
Cast: Karisma Kapoor, Surya Sharma, Jisshu Sengupta, Soni Razdan, Helen, KK Raina
Streaming on: ZEE5
Brown has many things going for it. The grimness isn’t merely in the emotional baggage of the characters, or the themes explored — but in the overall visual design itself. The city of Kolkata feels alive in a macabre way. Every episode begins with a brutal sliver from the past that informs us as much as in intrigues about the central mystery. The more Rita and Arjun travel within city, the more facets of the city and its murky present we get to explore.
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