Adhura review: Ishwak Singh, Rasika Dugal, Shrenik Arora put up a notable act in a web series that is eerie in parts

2.5/5

Story:
Adhura is set against the backdrop of the prestigious Nilgiri Valley School, nestled amidst the picturesque landscape of Ooty. The school is planning to host a reunion for the batch of 2007 to mark 15 years of their graduation from school. This school reunion – which otherwise should be about nostalgia trips and sweet memories, old students laughing at their silly behaviour, and more, takes an unexpected turn when Adhiraj JaiSingh (Ishwak Singh) meets Vedant Malik (Shrenik Arora)– a 10-year-old student at the school. While each of the old students has their own motives for making it to the reunion, that of Adhiraj is to meet his school bestie Ninad Raman (Poojan Chhabra) and get closure for the unpleasant things that transpired on their last day of school, 15 years ago. 

As the show progresses, Adhiraj forms a strange connection with Vedant and also discovers a dark truth buried in the past, in his quest to find Ninad. On the other hand, a troubled Vedant is labeled as ‘psycho’ owing to mysterious events taking place in his presence. It is the school counselor Supriya Ghosh (Rasika Dugal) who lends her unwavering support to the kid. Hell breaks loose when secrets of the past find an outlet in the present via Vedant. Will Adhiraj be able to bring the harrowing truth to light? That’s what the web series is all about. 

Review:
If you’re an ardent follower of the supernatural horror/thriller genre, then there’s hardly anything in Adhura that you haven’t seen before. Whether it’s the creaking doors, flickering lights, deserted alleys, contorted dead bodies, blood oozing out of the eyes, or people and things flying around a room – this one has it all. And that is precisely where directors Gauravv K Chawla and Ananya Banerjee falter as they stick to the tropes of a typical film in the supernatural horror/thriller genre. It almost appears as if they were checking off boxes while incorporating the elements that make a good horror film/show. 

Despite that, Amazon Prime Video’s first attempt at a horror web series in Hindi doesn’t really manage to scare you to the extent that you’ll let out blood-curdling screams. It’s a bit eerie at best with some moments where you see glimpses of what could have been a novel show had the writer-directors paid a little more attention to nuances and made a sincere attempt at delivering a spine-chilling show. There are hardly any jump scares to even give you goosebumps. 

However, Adhura works well in the portions that deal with the thriller and mystery elements. Gauravv and Ananya do manage to create an engaging narrative, keeping the mystery surrounding a horrifying secret from the past at its core. Much like the flickering lights, you see glimmers of hope in the way they unravel the dark secrets of each of the characters while linking them all to the central figure of conflict – Ninad. Even though the suspense is quite predictable and the writer-director duo leaves enough pieces of the puzzle for you to comprehend the full picture, the screenplay does manage to keep you engaged with the way it exposes the layers of secrets, episode by episode. 

The series also suffers from a continuity problem with there being hardly any direct link between the end of an episode and the beginning of the next. The uneven, choppy manner in which the episodes end and begin does test your patience at times. John Stewart Eduri’s atmospherics are utilized well while Srijan Chaurasia makes good use of the camera work in capturing the mood. It also helps that the show is set in a boarding school at a hill station, so they have managed to make use of the haze and mist quite effectively. 

After the two seasons of Rocket Boys, Ishwak Singh is seen in yet another calm and composed character as Adhiraj in Adhura. Here, he’s also dealing with anxiety (as several characters repeatedly remind you through the show) and is quite convincing in the moments where he has a breakdown, trying to accept the truth and let go at the same time. However, he’s let down by superficial writing as his character’s childhood trauma is only hinted at, but never really explored. 

Rasika Dugal shines as the empathetic school counselor and the voice of reason – Supriya, whose heart is weighed down by a deeply unsettling secret from her past as well. There are moments when she’s just a listener in the scene but she’s able to grab your attention in those as well, without any dialogues. If being a natural in front of the camera had a name – it would be Rasika Dugal in the current times for sure. 

Shrenik Arora delivers a praiseworthy performance as Vedant Malik. It’s hard to imagine that he’s the same naïve, innocent kid who we just saw as Shailendra Rungta’s (Anil Kapoor) son in the recently concluded Indian adaptation of The Night Manager on Disney+ Hotstar. Shrenik’s portrayal of Vedant is unsettling yet innocent. He aces his brief in most of the scenes he’s a part of and truly emerges as a star performer. 

Amongst the supporting cast, Poojan Chhabra as Ninad does a decent job, especially in the flashback portions while Zoa Morani as Adhiraj’s ex-flame Malvika is also fair. There’s very little to do for Rahul Dev as the investigating officer from Delhi and Sahil Salathia as Suyash (an unsuccessful TV actor) is passable. Among the rest, the actors playing the school version of the old students too put up decent performances. 

Verdict:
When it comes to the ‘supernatural’ horror genre, Adhura barely offers anything new. It is laced with the common tropes you’d find in any movie or show in the genre. However, it can make for a one-time watch this weekend if you want to snuggle up in a cozy blanket this rainy season and watch a thriller that is eerie in parts.

(All images, unless mentioned otherwise, via YouTube/Screengrab)