Gripping murder mystery with loose ends
After the success of Asur and Marzi, Voot Select has come up with yet another mystery web series ‘The Raikar Case’. It reasserts the fact that sometimes enemies are found among the ones closest to us and touches upon the essence of relationships and values in families.
Story
The affluent Naik Raikar family in Goa is headed by the patriarch Yashwant Naik Raikar (Atul Kulkarni) and his wife Sakshi Naik Raikar (Ashwini Bhave). The family experiences three deaths in four years and the latest victim is Tarun (Honey Kamboj) who is Yashwant’s nephew. However, to everyone’s shock, his death is deemed as murder.
An ambitious politician Rajsekhar Rane (Ajay Purkar) and his psychopath son Eklavya (Lalit Prabhakar) have a different game-plan to control the Raikars in order to protect their self-interests.
As things start to unfold, Etasha Naik Raikar (Parul Gulati), Yashwants daughter, wants to find out the truth behind her cousin’s murder.
Etasha joins SP John Pereira (Neil Bhoopalam) and together they begin a comprehensive investigation to find out the murderer and the mystery behind Tarun’s death. With many skeletons tumbling out of closets, the case turn out to be a bigger demon than initially imagined.
Performances
Undoubtedly, its Atul Kulkarni and Ashwini Bhave who stand tall with overwhelming performances. Kulkarni once again proves his versatility with a complex character who has to keep the reputation of his family intact by overcoming challenges that are being hurled at him.
Ashwini Bhave as Sakshi is stellar. She shields her husband so that their business empire as well as political ambitions do not get jeopardised.
Parul Gulati as Etasha gives out a decent performance. Her character is pivotal for many key revelations and twists in the story. Neil Bhoopalam also stands his ground and delivers with what his character has to offer.
However, Kunal Karan Kapoor as Mohit Naik Raikar, the younger son of Yashwant is wasted in a role that is quite insignificant.
Positives
A very well-conceived murder mystery with a new twist in every episode is the key factor of The Raikar Case. It does well to keep you hooked throughout and does not leave much room for distractions.
The web series focuses on the ethics and values of a family facing serious charges. It highlights the importance of unity and strength in troubled times.
Bijesh Jayarajan’s tight screenplay aided Aditya Sarpotdar’s spot on direction makes The Raikar Case a definite treat to watch.
Aditya-Nayantara’s lingering background score is another plus point of this engrossing murder mystery.
Negatives
The romantic angle between Etasha and John hampers an otherwise gripping narration and this could have been chopped off to add more sleekness to the story.
Loose ends here and there along with some unanswered questions point to the possibility of a second part. As a result, the first season of The Raikar Case feels inconclusive and would probably leave the audience somewhat disappointed.
Worth it?
The Raikar Case is definitely a suspenseful watch with unexpected twists and turns throughout the series. It has its set of problems but is enjoyable overall.
