Bad Cop REVIEW: Anurag Kashyap is the showstopper; steals thunder from Gulshan Devaiah and Saurab Sachdev in this fast-paced series

Film:
Bad Cop Series

Director: Aditya Datt

Star cast: Gulshan Devaiah, Harleen Sethi, Anurag Kashyap, Saurabh Sachdeva, Aishwarya Sushmita

Runtime: 6 episodes 30-35 mins each

Platform: On Disney+ Hotstar

Bad Cop Review

Story

Bad Cop is the story of twin brothers, Karan & Arjun (Gulshan Devaiah) who are opposites and choose a path of their own. Karan, a power-packed cop and Arjun, a witty thief find their fates intertwined most unexpectedly, altering the course of their lives forever. With high-octane action, power-packed scenes and a deadly villain, Kazbe (Anurag Kashyap), Bad Cop is a complete mass entertainer

What’s good about Bap Cop

Anurag Kashyap: Director Aditya Datt seemed to have explored Kashyap’s potential and his acting capabilities to the fullest. We have seen Anurag in a negative space before; however, there’s a different spark in him in Bad Cop that makes you like the anti-hero. With his expressions to see his evil side, Anurag is the showstopper for sure. He lives the character onscreen with some much finesse that his real identity (as he is also a filmmaker in real life) gets wiped from your head. There’s a scene where he dances in Bedardi Raja song and man, the expressions of Anurag were bang on! Anurag has a strong hold on his dialogue delivery and dialect in speaking slang language. 

Screenplay: Honestly, the entire 5 episodes seem like a puzzle. Everything is so chaotic that you don’t understand what exactly is happening. However, it reveals at the end that what the story is about. The writers have opted for a non-linear format for Bad Cop as it does not follow a single pattern and that is quite a refreshing change to see onscreen. What intrigues you about the series is that the story starts from the middle without giving any context about the character or the scenes. You’re simply bound to follow the story without any understanding of the show. That is something that grabs your attention till the end. The last episode reveals the real purpose of the story and that was quite a revelation.

Pace: The series is a fast-paced show that doesn’t give you any moment to lose interest. It is engaging in bits and parts but it doesn’t bore you to tears. Given that the story has no chronological order, the speed honestly keeps you focused. 

Background score: The music by Vikram Montrose, Tallz pumps up every scene in the series. The upbeat theme song of the series perfectly complements the storyline.  

What’s not

Direction: Aditya Datt is the captain of the ship who guides the character through the story with gripping storytelling. However, it seems a little flat in most of the episodes. His direction skills were simple and basic and nothing flattery. 

VFX: There is a scene where Devika (Harleen) is asking to open the assignment outside the police station and the VFX used is so patchy that it clearly shows that they were shooting against the backdrop of a greenscreen. The VFX used in the action sequences also looks glitchy, not justifying the watching experience.

Action sequences: Ravi Verma and Raj Shinde are the action directors who have done a decent job in choreographing action. They look quite flimsy and mediocre and nothing extraordinary. They even attempted the matrix-style action which doesn’t look pleasing onscreen. Wish it was neat and clean rather than adding action for the heck of it.

Editing: Editor If you have seen the Bad Cop trailer, it was so neatly and finely edited. From the songs to the dialogues, the scenes in the trailer were enthralling. Unfortunately, did not see the same magic in the series. Editor Jitendra Dongre did a good job on the editing table as things were captivating. Nonetheless, certain scenes can seem a little unimportant but it’s not bothersome. It’s easily passable. 

Performance

After Anurag, Gulshan Devaiah is the next one to give a banging performance. From playing the double role to doing action, Gulshan excels in his scenes. Gulshan plays a nuanced character and he does it with so much honesty.

Harleen Sethi essays the role of Devika, Karan’s wife and she gives an underwhelming performance. In some parts, it seems like Harleen is trying too hard to look like a tough cop and it is off-putting.

Saurabh Sachdeva plays the role of a CBI who is investigating a murder case and he is top-notch in the movie. He plays the cool and calm demeanour character with so much ease. On the other hand, Aishwarya Sushmita who plays Kiki in the show is decent.

Conclusion

Concluding the review, Bap Cop starring Gulshan Devaiah and Anurag Kashyap is a partially engaging thriller series. The story builds up at the end of the series and that can come across as boring or even confusing. The story looks half-baked and needs to be a bit crisp. However, Anurag’s performance completely makes you forget all the flaws of the show as it is top-notch. The series ends on a cliffhanger note, making way for season 2.

Watch Bad Cop trailer after the review

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