‘Bhagwat Chapter 1: Raakshas’ movie review: Arshad Warsi and Jitendra Kumar moor this familiar crime thriller off the beaten path

When most platforms are done with tales of serial killers hiding in plain sight, Zee 5 has woken up to the template where an innocuous-looking man targets young girls, and he is chased down by a police officer who is fighting his own demons.

Obviously based on a real story, Bhagwat follows an honest police officer on a punishment posting in Uttar Pradesh’s Robertsganj. Investigating the case of a missing girl that has snowballed into a communal riot-like situation, the film juxtaposes his search for the culprit with a blooming romance between a backward caste teacher, Sameer (Jitendra Kumar), and an upper-caste girl, Meera (Ayesha Kaduskar).

The two strands are connected in ways that are not exactly surprising. Still, director Akshay Shere, along with writers Bhavini Bheda and Sumit Saxena, imbues the predictable whodunit with socio-political layers that compel you to stay and uncover the ‘why’ behind the crime. When Meera goes missing, the first needle of suspicion falls on a Muslim boy, and a conversion racket is hinted at. It is followed by the character assassination of the girl by the system and near and not-so-dear ones. Even her family stops short of saying that she invited the trouble on herself, with technology becoming an accomplice. Without saying as much, Akshay suggests how this social behaviour helps the sly killer spread his net. The misogynistic, polarised environment allows the chameleon to hide and attack at will.

The credible production design of a small town, coupled with a sense of urgency and dread, makes one feel the suffocation. Bhagwat promises the girl’s father that he will find her in 15 days, but discovers a chain of missing girls with similar circumstances.

We have experienced familiar territory in Dahaad. Akshay doesn’t have the luxury of the long form, but the urge to tick all the boxes that the liberal, progressive, OTT audience will admire, makes the storytelling a little too self-aware after a point. Be it the backstory of Bhagwat involving a wolf in the hide of a saint or the prostitution ring, the situations start feeling a tad mechanical. When the subtext becomes desperate to be on the surface, it irks.

When given a decent script, Arshad can capture the attention of even an audience in slumber. He has become bulkier over the years, but the spirit of Sehar (2005) hasn’t diminished. Cast against type, Jitendra uses the tricks of his simpleton image to chilling effect. What feels repetitive and even irritating in other shows works to the film’s advantage here. But like the subtext in the movie, Jitendra is also a bit too eager to chew the scenery, but has yet to develop those teeth.

Bhagwat is currently streaming on Zee 5