‘Shodha’ web series review: Mildly intriguing thriller set amid breathtaking locales

For a six-episode mini-series (about 100 minutes in total), Shodha takes its time to take off, before it gets gripping by the third episode. This, in a way, also shows the nature of the place it is set in — a sleepy town which wakes up after a crime.

Set in Madikeri, Shodha follows Rohit (Pawan Kumar), a lawyer whose wife Meera (Siri Ravikumar), disappears without warning. Following this, he meets with an accident. When he wakes up, his wife is back, but he fails to recognise her. It is suggested that he has some kind of amnesia. But Rohit is adamant that she is not his wife, but there is enough evidence to prove she is.

The rest of the series follows Rohit’s attempts to prove that the woman is not his wife, while simultaneously uncovering something bigger. Billed as a thriller series, Shodha ends with a rather underwhelming suspense reveal. Amidst all this, the plot keeps shifting back to the 1700s, narrating the story of a brave woman called Devika (Sapthami Gowda). These flashbacks add little to the main plot — and with each episode running only 18 minutes, the makers could have made better use of the time.

The series is directed by Sunil Mysuru of ‘Orchestra Mysuru’ fame. After watching Shodha, it becomes apparent that many restrictions and perhaps meaningless demands seemed to have come from the producer or the streaming partner. With audiences now far too familiar with web series, the makers have to make a huge leap to meet expectations. This is true for new content across languages. While the viewing experience can be gritty and captivating, how they end is often dull. The recent horror series Andhera, from Farhan Akhtar’s banner was a similar experience.

Nevertheless, Shodha can be watched for its breathtaking landscapes, aesthetics, and brilliant performances from the cast.

(‘Shodha’ is streaming on Zee5)