Karagar part 1 review: Chanchal Chowdhury’s thriller is riveting and jaw-droppingly good

4/5

Story: There are supposed to be 325 prisoners in a correctional home. One night, the jailer and his team find one extra prisoner at cell number 145 – a cell that has been under lock and key for 50 years. The legend goes that the cell has been locked since a series of prisoners hanged themselves there. The newly found inmate (Chanchal Chowdhury) can’t speak and hear. Through sign language, he says that he has been imprisoned for 250 years. The first part of the riveting series chases the identity of the mystery man.

Review: First thing first, Karagar Part 1 matches all the conventional global standards of a good thriller. From direction to acting, camera, storytelling, sound, light and set – every aspect seems carefully crafted. Karagar grips you from the first episode and takes you through a disturbing ride of a mysterious prisoner’s story. It is difficult to think of a film or a series of recent times that matches the calibre of Karagar.

The story that the show presents is multilayered. Every character is realistic with their inner crisis, past and problems. Initially, one may think how could the series deal with so many subplots and how would all these plots merge. As we progress we discover how seamlessly one plot blends with another and the show goes on. The scripts, screenplay, light, sound and background music are put together at work to make it such a seamless concoction. And the show makes its audience wonder if it is of the horror genre. Or is it a thriller? Are there any paranormal elements in it? Or is it a human story after all? The cliffhanger ending of every episode takes us to the next one at ease.

The problem is that Karagar Part 1 is an incomplete show. It ends with a red herring and that makes you dearly want to watch the second part. This generates a certain level of displeasure and frustration. It does not address the moot mystery. Besides, a lot of other questions loom large by the end of Part 1. Who is that Burka-clad woman? Who has leaked the CCTV footage? We have no answer. We just cannot fathom why there should be so many loose ends by the end of part one and why there should be no clarity on the release date of Part 2. Several international series, where there are elements of mystery, offer some logical answers to a certain number of plots. There is barely any series that works like a television serial without the next telecasting date.

Also read: Exclusive! Chanchal Chowdhury on Tollywood: I cannot work on a project in a rush. To maintain standard, I will have to spend time in Kolkata 

Performance is one of the main fortes of the show. Chanchal Chowdhury is back after Taqdeer and Boli and how! It seems that he doesn’t act. Rather he lives the life of that man on screen. His body language, walks and spine-chilling gaze leave you awestruck. Intekhab Dinar as Jailer Mostak Ahmed and FS Nayeem as police officer Ashfaque are outstanding too. Their performances are so realistic that one may find them disturbing at times. Tasnia Farin as Maha is also very apt in the show. And there is a young prisoner, played by Abdullah Al Sentu. He plays the sidekick of the head prisoner. He enacts every word that the head prisoner says. He is outstanding in his expressions.

Verdict: Lastly, being realistic is one of the essential qualities of a good series/ film. However, it needs a little extra to make a show out of the world. Karagar Part 1 promises that X-factor which makes it class apart.