Why you need to watch Asur? || Asur Webseries Review

Why you need to watch Asur? || Asur Webseries Review

A unique crime thriller that pits two opposing worlds against each other. The less explored, intricate world of forensic science and the deep mysticism of ancient Indian Mythology. - Voot

Readers, we all are under the threat of COVID-19, sitting in our house and getting bored by doing nothing, at least most of us. Nothing new is being released on Netflix, Amazon Prime or other OTTs. 

Out of boredom, I stumbled upon the trailer of An Voot Original, Asur, a thriller web series starring Arshad Warsi, Amey Wagh and Barun Sobti. Now, who doesn't love to watch a good thriller? The trailer was interesting enough and I gave it a go. And believe me, you have to watch this series whether you love thrillers or not. 

What the series is about?

A mask from Bali tribe

A serial killer is on a murder spree, committing murders all over India. The modus operandi of this killer is very brutal involving mutilations, taking away the right hand's index finger of victims as well as some sadistic interest in Indian mythology. A CBI team lead by Dhananjay Rajpoot (Arshad Warsi) is trying to find this killer. Retired CBI and FBI officer Nikhil (Barun Sobti) is called upon and assigned for capturing the killer. As the story progresses many pages about the killer as well as our characters unfold. Over the course of the show, the officers fight their own inner demons along with trying to apprehend the Asur.

What I liked?

The Plot

Everyone is an Asur

When talking about the plot, you can actually see how much research was put into understanding the Indian mythology on the writer's and director's part. It was a treat to see the clashing of Indian mythology and forensic sciences as I love them both. 

The murders and the methods used for them were well planned and well written. Again kudos to the writers. The murders seem plausible enough. 

The plot is quite unpredictable except for two major plot points which I can't spoil but it is predictable from the introduction of those characters.

At its core, the show is all about questioning the morality. What makes good the good and what makes bad the bad. Can we ever see beyond ourselves, the bigger picture of the universe, the karmic cycle and the consequences of our decisions?  The creators succeeded in making the viewers question and think about all these throughout the series. The end of the series itself keeps us wondering about the choices that were made over and before the whole hunt of the killer.

Pacing is good throughout and the end of each episode is done in a way that you want to jump to the next episode ASAP.

The Acting

They nailed their parts

The plot of this works well because of the actors and their grounded acting. 

Arshad Warsi has pulled off the 'no-bullshit CBI officer' part very well. It's good to see him doing serious roles, unlike the old Golmaal ones, not saying those don't work for him.

All the scenes where Sharib Hashmi was talking were very fun to watch. He is my favorite character among the bunch. His dialogue delivery is on point here.

Gaurav Arora is very charismatic and all of his scenes are energy and enthusiasm filled, everything his character was supposed to be.

The perfect representation of the character

The kid who plays the character of young Shubh deserves praise as his portrayal of a sadistic, hyperlexic kid. His unnerving gaze and unsettling monotonous voice make the character serious and believable.

Cinematography

Good use of practical effects

The show doesn't shy away when it comes to showing the brutality of the murder on screen. This is rarely seen in mainstream Indian shows. It deserves some appreciation for this. 

I liked the presence of the two distinct visual cues which will help viewers discuss the aftermath of the story if they really paid attention to the visuals.

A Family-Friendly Show

While most of the OTT shows are filled with unnecessary nudity and sex, this 'thriller' has none. Not even a kiss is shared between the characters. This show is a good show which can be watched with your family now that everyone is at home.

Baby, it's okay to curse. just keep it minimal.

It does have violence and some 8-9 'bhenchods' and 6-7 'fucks' but every parent should accept cursing as part of our culture and just ignore it. 

What I Disliked?

We can hack anything team

The plot while grounded in reality can sometimes feel stretched. The complexity of murders is over the top in few cases and the CBI discovering these clues or murders is impractical. CBI setting an office in jail, just how!

The killer records videos of his victims which are too cinematic like a director is directing the murder. The camera takes close-ups, overhead and panning shots of murder. How is that even possible? They could have shot two versions of the same murder, one for the viewer and the other for the killer. Extra efforts are needed for making a perfect thriller.

Why Indian directors are obsessed with adding a yellow or blue tint to their movies? Do they take 'setting up the tone' line literally?

A major part of the plot would have not happened in the end if the 'greatest of great officer' had used his common sense. My whole excitement went out of the window in the last episode because I was constantly thinking of this easy alternative. This is a very inconsistent character and plot writing, the same is with another incident in the last episode. I don't know what happened to all the logic and reason in the direction while directing the last episode!

Acting by Barun Sobti is hit and miss. His character had a lot of emotions to be conveyed through words and body language. He fares well in body language but dialogues delivery wasn't good enough.

Anupriya Goenka's acting doesn't work in earlier episodes but later it becomes okay.

She IS pretty though

Riddhi Dogra looks pretty throughout the show and that's it. Her acting was meh.

Speaking of pretty, female leads were able to change their hairstyles, put on good makeup while their and their coworker's lives were in constant danger.

Computer Engineering = pinging Google

While the show wanted to be grand, it did the same mistakes that all of the Bollywood movies do when it comes to sci-fi and technology. Like anything is possible with hacking, computer engineering = pinging www.google.com, a tech expert= a person who uses RGB keyboard and mouse, etc. Can we please keep field experts on sets just to keep technology within the realm of reality?!

Final Verdict 

We don't get enough movie thrillers or mystery in India, let alone a series. Oni Sen and the team have tried their best to bring something new to the Indian audience which will set the bar and tone for many Indian thrillers to come. It by no means is a perfect show but it's a good start and a great attempt at dwelling into mythology and crime. We need to appreciate such shows so that more directors can try their hand at this genre.

It's an excellent show to watch with your family under the current lockdown like situation. You will like it or either love it but will not be a boring watch. Easy to binge in one sitting. Just Go and Watch it!

Asur is streaming now on Voot.