Abhay Season 1
Jenifer Griffard
Abhay is a ZEE5 Original Indian Hindi-language psychological crime thriller web series.[1] Produced by B. P. Singh under Fiction Factory Productions, and directed by Ken Ghosh, the series marks the digital debut of Bollywood actor Kunal Khemu, who stars alongside Elnaaz Norouzi, Sandeepa Dhar and Namit Das.[2][3] The series revolves around officer Abhay Pratap Singh, an investigating officer with the mind of a criminal, who can go to any extent to solve a case.[4][5] The first season comprised eight episodes[6] and was released on ZEE5 on 7 February 2019.
Abhay 2 saw [7] returning as the protagonist while Ram Kapoor[8] and Chunky Pandey[9][10][11] were seen playing the antagonist in the series. Besides them, the second season also stars Bidita Bag, Raghav Juyal, Indraneil Sengupta and Asheema Vadaan. Abhay 2[12] is produced by B.P. Singh,[13] and directed by Ghosh was released on the same OTT platform on 14 August 2020.[14]
Season 3, which released on ZEE5 on 8 April 2022, sees the stakes getting higher with Abhay facing a new unknown threat. Kunal Kemmu plays Abhay Pratap Singh with admirable composure in the eight-part crime thriller.[15]
The story revolves around the life of SP Abhay Pratap Singh who solves different cases along with his team which includes Inspector Komal and other officers. He has a son named Saahil towards whom Abhay is overprotective due to Abhay's past which includes officer Natasha and her informer Govind. Govind is back to take revenge from Abhay who was the reason behind Govind's family's death. Will Abhay be able to solve all the cases? Or will he lose to Govind's quest for vengeance?
Set within a year of the events of the first season, Abhay continues to hunt vile murderers and monsters with his trademark ingenuity, and novel deductions until an enigmatic criminal mastermind, with no name or past, turns his world upside down and traps him along with everyone else in a maze that will test the very fibre of Abhay's morality. He plays the villain's game better than the villain could have expected but still the game does what it is meant to. The Villain lies & tries to corrupt Abhay. It starts getting to Abhay, the pressure of saving the kids and his past secrets make him vulnerable, but even by the end he remains incorruptible.[16][17]
Season 3 is about Abhay facing a new unknown threat, a dark force capable of exploiting anyone in the name of a twisted belief.[18] Abhay must now crackdown on more than just criminality. Abhay is in a mess of his own life and cannot forget the setbacks he has endured. Abhay the hunter and hunted in his third coming. This makes him even more fascinating.[19]
The third season of psychological crime thriller web series Abhay 3 is released on 8 April 2022 on ZEE5.[1][2] It consists of 8 episodes, each running approximately 40 to 50 minutes. The season mostly covers about Abhay facing a new unknown threat.[3][4] The series is directed by Ken Ghosh and stars Kunal Khemu, Vijay Raaz, Asha Negi, Rahul Dev, Tanuj Virwani, Vidya Malavade, Divya Agarwal, and Nidhi Singh.[5][6][7]
When Abhay began three years ago, it followed a rough case-of-the-episode format with an overarching story following the titular hero through the season. In season 3, however, there are no individual cases barring one in the first episode. Every episode from thereon grapples with one story. That approach makes the show much different from its previous two iterations. But it does not make it necessarily better. The third season includes new elements and bad guys but also takes away some of the aspects that made the show successful, diluting it in the process. Also read: Kunal Kemmu recalls when Inaaya Naumi Kemmu saw a poster of his show Abhay: 'Why is daddy so angry'
Abhay follows UP Police SP Abhay Pratap Singh (Kunal Kemmu), who heads the Special Task Force and solves violent and gruesome crimes. And Abhay must do all this while battling his personal demons and making sure his past doesn't catch up with him. Throughout the season, he is both the hunter and the hunted, as he squares up against a charismatic cult leader hell-bent on mass murder (Vijay Raaz).
Abhay has toned down on the gore and violence this time around and left something to the viewer's imagination too. That much is refreshing. The show was never a whodunnit. You always knew who the killer was. The show's core was how this supercop tracked the killer in a way that seemed elusive to others. That journey made the show engaging. And that's what is missing here. We no longer get a front row view of Abhay Pratap Singh's brilliant and twisted mind as he solves the cases. Things just fall into place themselves.
The trouble with the show is that the writing comes across as quite lazy. The characters aren't fleshed out enough, the plot holes are gaping at us, and the cops come across as quite incompetent in the absence of sharp writing. By dumbing down the mysteries, the writers have not just diluted the show but also made the cops appear more incompetent. To sum it up, much of the twists and turns in Abhay season 3 could have been avoided had the cops simply followed protocol and taken back-up along with them.
The villains in the season include a social media influencer couple that kills for fun, a cult leader, a feral individual that hunts people, and an outcast who lives in the woods. There was so much scope to delve into their backstories and give weight to these characters, explain their mindsets. But all these villains were reduced to 2D drawings, leaving the actors very little to take from.
The actors have done justice to their roles. Kunal Kemmu brings equal parts ruthlessness and vulnerability to the role, making you root for Abhay. Vijay Raaz excels in every scene he is in, even though his role isn't very smartly written. Even in a cliched charismatic cult leader character, he manages to hold his own. Rahul Dev has been utterly wasted in a role and character that could have allowed him to showcase his acting talent. Instead, we get a fleeting glimpse of him in what can only be described as an extended cameo. The rest of the cast hold their own without leaving an indelible mark though.
By following a murderous cult with a semi-paranormal ideology, Abhay attempts to wade into new waters and fans may equate it with shows like The Following or even Mindhunter. It's a solid attempt but should not have been done at the cost of the elements that made the show strong and watchable in the first place.
Directed by Ken Ghosh, Abhay also stars Asha Negi, Nidhi Singh, Divya Agarwal, Tanuj Virwani, and Vidya Malavade. The eight-episode season 3 begins streaming on Zee5 from April 8. And the way the show concludes (no spoilers), it appears that this may be it for Abhay's investigative days. But then the makers give in to the temptation and end on an unresolved note. Can an Indian show be brave and resolve its plotlines on its own at least once?
August 14th, 2019 was the day I landed in Rochester from India. I was super excited about my first ever visit to a country other than my home country. Known for its freezing winters, I was warned and reminded a thousand times by everyone in my family and all my friends back in India to keep myself warm. And so, there I was at the Airport, wrapped in 3 layers of woolen material and a snow jacket, wearing gloves and beanie that my sister had gifted. I didn't step out of the airport until the cab arrived thinking that it would be too cold. While the cab slowed down to stop at the exit door, I was taken aback to see the cab driver sporting a tank top. He was equally surprised to see me dressed like a man all set for the North Pole expedition. As I loaded all my luggage on to the trunk and sat at the backseat, the driver laughingly said "Let me guess! You were told it would be snowing crazy in Rochester. Hahaha". The car hadn't covered a mile and I was sweating profusely. I brought down both the windows and yet couldn't save myself from getting soaked in my sweat. It was so bright outside that I could barely open my eyes. For almost a month before landing at Rochester, I had not seen the sunlight due to the rainy season back in Bengaluru (India), because of which it used to be gloomy most of the time. By the time I reached my apartment, all my woolen layers were gone and I looked like a marathon runner who had just touched the finish line with sweat dripping from all over my face. So yeah! That was how I met Rochester's Summer the first time.
While I was enjoying the heat and the greenery of the summer, within no time, the winds turned cool and a variety of colors of the leaves started popping out. These colors got more vibrant and brighter every day. Having come from a place with temperate weather conditions, I was not used to seeing such drastic seasonal transitions. Nor had I ever seen leaves exhibiting colors like this before. Leaves with such intense colors? Seriously? I mean I've seen flowers with such colors. But leaves? Never. They looked so beautiful that it almost seemed artificial. Wandering in and around the RIT campus was a treat for the eyes. So this what Fall looks like? This is insane! I was kicking myself for not having googled Fall images while applying to RIT. But then I felt that I did the right thing as I wouldn't be as surprised as I am now.
After a short period of this beautiful explosion of colors came my most waited season. The season that everyone in my family was so afraid of. Winter is finally here! I still remember the first time it snowed. I was sitting in my class attending the lecture on OOP with Java and there was a big window right behind where the professor was standing. I could see that snow had just begun and I badly wanted to go out and play in the snow. As soon as the professor left, I along with my friends were out in the snow for a campus tour. I know it sounds a little childish! But I've always been a nature enthusiast and I've always loved snow.
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