Crime plus journalism has always been a delightful combo. ‘Crime beat’, a crime drama directed by Sudhir Mishra and Sanjeev Kaul, streaming on Zee5, promises a lot. Is it worth a watch? Let’s find out.
Storyline
The year is 2011. Abhishek Sinha is an ambitious rookie reporter from Varanasi with dreams of making it big in the cut-throat media industry in Delhi. He bags a job at a leading daily publication, and believes he has almost made it big, with Amir Akhtar as his mentor and fellow-reporter Maya Mathur by his side. His aim – front-page bylines and breaking stories – by doing whatever it takes. He follows his instincts and chases a potential scoop that appears to be connected to the Commonwealth Games of 2010, with support from DCP Mayank. However, he gets professionally disillusioned and pretty soon comes to terms with the reality.
The story he is chasing is that of Binny Chaudhary, a notorious kidnapper with political ambitions. Hiding in Afghanistan and running operations in India through his mysterious accomplice, ‘Heroine’, Binny is forced to return to India due to an extradition treaty.
Why are powerful forces blocking his investigation? And what deep, dark past connects Binny, Amir, and a suspended DCP?
Our critique
The story is engaging in parts, mainly due to the fast pace and interesting characters, particularly at the start. The narrative however, loses focus and fails to keep you hooked. It tries to bring in too much and just manages a superficial coverage. Many portions are exaggerated, especially Binny’s story and Heroine’s action. The Commonwealth scam could have been the real meat but it was sidelined. Several scenes seem unreal and superficial, even illogical. Barring a couple of characters, most are under-developed and wasted.
Direction and editing are just about okay. Cinematography is decent and music is average.
Screen Performances
Saqib Saleem tries hard as Abhishek, but his confident, brash persona doesn’t align with the ‘small-town journalist’ role he’s supposed to play. Danish Hussain is a natural, he easily fits into Amir Akhtar, the seasoned editor of a popular daily. Rahul Bhat, a brilliant actor otherwise, is wasted as Binny. So is Sai Tamhankar, as Heroine, who does well but is miscast and her character hardly has any room. Saba Azad who plays Maya Mathur, is a show piece with hardly any value-add. Notable performance from Adinath Kothare as DCP Mayank.
Overall opinion
An average investigative journalism drama. With a tighter script and better focus, it could have been a standout. Instead, it settles for being just about watchable.
Our rating
