Hunter - Tootega Nahi, Todega review: Suniel Shetty-Rahul Dev faceoffs are worth a watch and that’s it

3/5

STORY: Hunter - Tootega Nahi, Todega charts the upheavals in the life of ACP Vikram Sinha (Suniel Shetty), who’s suspended after being wrongly framed in a high-profile murder case. Now as he navigates the dark alleys of Mumbai’s crime world to find a missing woman, Vikram is constantly at loggerheads with Hooda Kartoos (Rahul Dev), a shrewd cop who follows his own rule book.

REVIEW: Years later when action star Suniel Shetty makes a comeback, it’s a given that audiences will be treated to high-octane energy and power-packed sequences on screen. As ACP Vikram, Suniel makes his presence felt throughout the series, showcasing his grit, passion and steely determination to ace every action scene, even at the age 61. That said, is the script of Hunter - Tootega Nahi, Todega strong enough to justify the honesty of the action legend? Probably not. The thriller series doesn’t waste time to transport you back to the 90s, when action sequences and romantic numbers in a film would dwarf the importance of a believable story and a logical narrative. 

Focussed on Mumbai’s dark underbelly, the Prince Dhiman and Alok Batra directorial is a typical Bollywood action drama, told in eight episodes. While the premise of the story looks promising in the first and second episodes, it fizzles out soon after that. The storyline follows ACP Vikram, who is on the run after he was wrongly implicated in the brutal murder of the owner of an orphanage Leena Thomas (Smita Jayakar), who was involved in a huge organ trafficking racket along with her son, David (Siddharth Kher), a certain Dr Satish (Harssh A Singh) and Dr Dey (Pawan Chopra).  

Mind you, it’s not just his job that Vikram has lost. He is also on a path of redemption after he lost his teenage daughter and separated from his wife Swati (Barkha Bisht), who is now having an affair with his friend and former colleague, IPS Sajid Shaikh (Karanvir Sharma). In a parallel story, we meet Esha Deol as a freelance crime reporter, named Divya, whose younger sister, who had come to Mumbai to act in movies, goes missing. Obviously, Divya’s paths cross with Vikram, and together they set on a mission to bust the red market and save the lives of those who are falling victim to forced organ harvesting.

Also read: Hunter: Tootega Nahi, Todega release date: When and where to watch Suniel Shetty-Esha Deol's action-thriller series on OTT

The only other character, apart from Vikram, who’s a treat to watch is Hooda Kartoos (Rahul Dev). As fearless as Vikram, Inspector Hooda enters the plot delivering dialogues in a thick Haryanvi style. The two police officers have worked together in the past, but Hooda is hell bent on getting Vikram behind the bars this time. Although at times comical, their faceoffs provide relief from an otherwise tangled and clueless plotline. Somewhere in between, we also meet Mir Sarwar, whose character (Imran) gets killed way too soon. Because it’s an action thriller, bloodshed is obvious, but certain sequences come across as too viscous and uncalled for. Mihir Ahuja impresses as a young computer hacker, who helps Vikram whenever he can. This character could have been fleshed out a little more. 

Vikram is also the narrator of the story, which is peppered with the remixed versions of iconic Bollywood numbers like Rang Barse, Mere Sapno Ki Rani, Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli, Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai and Awara Hoon. The title track is also catchy, but Neha Kakkar’s Daiyya Daiyya is not something that will remain with you for long. Some of the dialogues - like ‘Zindagi mein kabhi kabhi aise mauke aate hain, jab darwaze kholne ke liye thodi nazakat se pesh aana padhta hai. Aaj woh mauka nahi hai…’, ‘Jiske haath mein hathiyar, wohi chaudhuri’ and ‘Ab toh tu khatam’ - are interesting. Don’t miss the part where Vikram signs off as ‘Gopi Kishen’. 

Far from being compelling, Hunter - Tootega Nahi, Todega is a convoluted action drama, which fails to impress despite some stellar performances by the ensemble cast. Overall, it’s an ambitious project with a rather intriguing subject for a thriller. But in retrospect, the series barely manages to lend a fresh approach and treatment to a typical Bollywood masala film.      

VERDICT: Watch Hunter - Tootega Nahi, Todega for Suniel Shetty and Rahul Dev, who are brilliant, versatile actors. Oh yes, Jackie Shroff also makes a quick, classy appearance. But again, if you are not a fan of mindless action, you can give this crime thriller series a miss.