Murder in Mahim, JioCinema’s new authentic sequence based mostly on Jerry Pinto’s novel of the identical identify, is against the law thriller that tells the story of a brutal homicide of a homosexual intercourse employee in a public rest room at Mumbai’s Mahim railway station. Starring fashionable character actions Vijay Raaz and Ashutosh Rana, the sequence blends standard crime thriller narrative with social commentary, placing its performances entrance and centre of the unfolding investigation.

All via eight episodes, Raaz’s police inspector and Rana’s former journalist – each of whom at the moment are estranged mates – attempt to remedy the ugly case in their very own distinct methods. By means of the course of the investigation, we’re taken to homosexual golf equipment, queer events, rallies, and the forbidden bylanes of Mumbai, the place the grim and alarming world of homosexual prostitution exists after darkish. The sequence dives into the lives of intercourse staff, depicting their plight and persistence with discernible care.

Whereas Homicide in Mahim appears a bit overstretched and predictable with overwhelmed plots, acquainted loopholes and the heavy-handed social commentary at first, it quickly grows into an unmissable piece of artwork with highly effective performances. In case you’ll be a little bit affected person with the sequence, no less than until the third episode, you’re in for a cinematic delight that takes up complicated themes effortlessly.

Shivaji Satam in a nonetheless from Homicide in Mahim

The present unfolds the varied layers of homophobia and abuse, from offensive name-calling and outright prejudice-driven cruelty to honey-trapping crimes the place queer individuals, who’re being blackmailed, have nowhere to show to for assist, together with the police. Homicide in Mahim covers the engulfing impression of homophobia throughout courses; from penniless queers being compelled into prostitution to even these positioned at highly effective ranks, petrified of popping out of the closet, the sequence seems to be on the issues of the LGBTQ group with a large lens. Depiction of queer lives can be accomplished with a pure tone and doesn’t come off as compelled, overly dramatic, or pompous.

There’s a specific scene displaying two lesbian lovers in a room panic when their mother and father, who nonetheless do not find out about their sexuality, come over unannounced. The response of all of the characters is fortunately measured and harmless and the scene normalises queer lives.

Nevertheless, Homicide in Mahim additionally makes an attempt to play it secure at some factors, particularly when Rana’s Peter Fernandes and his spouse are proven to be uncomfortable with the potential for their son being homosexual. Clueless as to what is perhaps the “treatment” to this “situation,” in some scenes the couple comes off as a dummy mannequin of what is perhaps unsuitable with a dad or mum of a queer youngster, solely to develop into what an excellent dad or mum needs to be like later.

Nevertheless, the present is not nearly homosexuality. Homicide in Mahim additionally subtly takes on the conflicts and complexities of a father-son relationship. What a fantastic portrayal! It’s so uncommon for the Indian movie and tv business to select up on this theme and do justice to it. Whether or not it’s the estranged relationship between Vijay Raaz’s Shiva and his grumpy father, performed by Shivaji Satam (of ACP Pradyuman fame from C.I.D) or Shiva and his teenage son, who’re slowly drifting aside, the sequence handles the dynamic with tenderness. I might discover myself smiling at so many scenes within the second half of the present, a few of which evoked the amusing relationship between Amitabh Bachchan’s grumbling father and Deepika Padukone’s headstrong daughter in Piku.

There’s a scene, which maybe will sit with me for a very long time, the place a junior police constable finds his teenage son’s soiled magazines. One would count on admonition to observe, however the in any other case comical character sensibly handles the state of affairs with out pushing his son right into a pit of guilt and disgrace. It is a easy but highly effective scene that depicts the unsaid tenderness between a father and a son.

Vijay Raaz and Shivani Raghuvanshi in a nonetheless from Homicide in Mahim

Homicide in Mahim additionally takes a satirical stance in opposition to sensationalism-driven media and detached police officers, who conveniently distort information earlier than chewing away “sensible information writeups” or “official statements” sans any dependable supply of data, including gas to the already raging fireplace of homophobia. There’s a scene the place the press is seen accusing an outdated man of being a pedophilic, homophobic monster on flimsy floor. Because the media inquisition piles on, the character helplessly observes indignant protesters exterior his home. The fictionalised scene is not too removed from truth, underscoring a number of comparable real-life incidents the place information reporters conveniently disregarded ethics for clicks and views.

Despite the fact that Homicide in Mahim has loads of intense sequences that choose up on the smallest nuances of the human psyche and feelings, the makers have completely struck a stability with frequent comedian reduction to interrupt the strain — usually essential for a movie or present with a stark social message to enchantment to the lots, who would not in any other case flip to and even have entry to pick cinema accepted by the critics. The makers have made a good try at conveying complicated and necessary points in an accessible and palatable method, with out compromising on the intricacies of the topic at hand.

Homicide in Mahim does drag within the first few episodes, however with its shifting storyline, highly effective performances and sensible cinematography, the sequence shines slowly however certainly.