I was a little skeptical when I sat down to watch Undekhi Season 3 to review, simply because I had not watched the previous two seasons. But when I binged the first two seasons to nosedive into the third, I regretted not watching them earlier. Directed by Ashish R. Shukla and produced by Applause Entertainment, Undekhi is a crime drama that revolves around Rinku Atwal (played by Surya Sharma) and his father (Harsh Chhaya). Involved in an illegal drug business, Atwal aka ‘Papa Ji’ lands in trouble after a video of him attempting to take his life surfaces. In an attempt to save his ‘Papa Ji’ from being imprisoned and their drug business, Rinku discovers some hidden dark secrets.
To begin with, the show will remind you of Ranbir Kapoor’s starrer Animal. In the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial, Ranbir is obsessed with his father, who is always trying to protect him. Rinku is no different. Like the repeated use of ‘Papa’ in Animal, there is repeated use of ‘Papa Ji’ in Undekhi season 3.
In fact, in one of the scenes just before the climax, Rinku enters his business rival Malhotra’s house with a rifle and attacks everyone. He turns a one-man army and kills everyone. The scene brings back memories of Ranbir’s insane fight scene set against the backdrop of ‘Arjan Vailly’ in Animal.
What works wonders for Undekhi season 3 is its cast. Every actor shines in their respective roles. Surya Sharma carries the show on his shoulders. He brilliantly presents several layers of his character throughout the season. In most parts of the show, we see him maintaining an intense personality. However, when he is supposed to be emotional, he does that also in an impressive way. In several scenes he lets his eyes and silence do all the talking.
Harsh Chhaya essays the role of ‘Papa Ji’, an old drunk man with a criminal record. Despite his character’s grey past, Harsh’s performance makes you fall for the character. In comparison with his past projects, Undekhi is an extremely difficult project for Harsh. Yet, he aces it remarkably well.
Ankur Rathee plays the role of Papa Ji’s son – Daman Atwal who does not like the world of crime and wants to escape from here. However, he ends up being trapped in his father’s world.
Dibyendu Bhattacharya returns to Undekhi 3 as DSP Ghosh. He fears no one and has only one motive – to uncover Papa Ji’s truth and put him behind bars. Dibyendu makes this otherwise intense show fun and lightens its atmosphere. He is fun to watch.
Anchal Singh as Teji Atwal looks a little dull but it is primarily because other actors in the show are good enough to overpower her.
Varun Badola and Nandish Singh Sandhu get very little screen time. SPOILER ALERT! Nandish finally dies after two seasons. On the other hand, Varun’s story is presented in haste. He isn’t given enough time and opportunity to either present his acting skills or show layers of his character.
Even if you haven’t watched the previous two seasons of Undekhi, there is nothing to worry about. You will still understand the third season and that’s the beauty of it. Undekhi 3 is gripping and intriguing. It does not let you blink your eye and makes you wonder what is going to happen next. The show is violent, there is bloodshed. However, it is not gory as compared to other shows in this genre. This makes the crime drama a comfortable watch for all.
However, the second half of the show looks a little dragged. The climax of the show is also very weak. It disappoints you and gives you no goosebumps. The climax uncovers Papa Ji’s history in haste and brings nothing new to the audience. It is predictable and similar to what we have been watching for years in almost every other television show. The fault of this terrible climax lies with weak writing.