Where charisma meets thievery

Released early January, ‘Lupin’ has got rave reviews. The first French series to rank among the top 10 on Netflix in the United States, ‘Lupin’ will be well-enjoyed by mystery lovers.

The series covers it all — deception, romance and trust — yet doesn’t take the focus away from the main story. Its witty and stylish nature is the icing on the cake.

‘Lupin’ is about a professional thief Assane Diop (Omar Sy), the only son of Babakar Diopan (Fargass Assandé), an immigrant from Senegal who moves to France seeking a better life for his child. Assane’s father is framed for stealing an expensive diamond necklace by his employer, Hubert Pellegrini.

Deceived into signing a confession so as to get a lesser sentence, Babakar hangs himself out of shame.

Assane, a teenager then, is left an orphan. Inspired by a book on the gentleman thief Arsene Lupin, gifted to Assane by his father, he sets out to take revenge on the Pellegrini family, almost twenty-five years later.

The best part about ‘Lupin’ is that it doesn’t use violence to avenge but rather incorporates charisma and mastery to expose Pellegrini’s crimes. It is funny how Omar as Assane is able to disguise and slip into a place unnoticed, despite being around six-foot. Omar is so convincing that it’s tough not to like him.

Apart from the lead, all other characters are written well, yet none of them take the centrestage.

Based on Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc, the script still is fresh. Created and written by George Kay and François Uzan, the series has been directed by Louis Leterrier and Marcela Said.

Spread across five episodes, the series will definitely leave you waiting for its next season, which is scheduled to release in summer 2021.