Brinda
examines
some
alarming
aspects
of
religious
fanaticism
through
the
narrative
engine
of
a
well-oiled
serial
killer
mystery,
observes
Arjun
Menon.
Brinda,
the
first
Web
series
to
feature
Trisha
Krishnan
in
the
lead
role,
is
the
perfect
bingeable
crime
series,
grounded
in
emotion.
The
show
revolves
around
a
reclusive
woman,
Brinda
(Trisha
Krishnan),
who
works
as
a
sub-inspector
of
police
in
a
largely
male-dominated
workplace.
When
we
first
meet
her,
we
are
shown
that
she
has
some
minor
issues
back
home,
with
a
complicated
flashback
giving
us
a
glimpse
into
her
slightly
stilted
personality.
We
learn
that
she
was
an
adopted
child
living
with
her
widowed
mother
and
despised
by
her
younger
sister.
The
show
opens
with
a
haunting
episode,
involving
her
long-lost
family
that
comes
back
to
tie
neatly
with
the
narrative
and
also
lends
credibility
to
her
slightly
impenetrable
persona.
On
the
work
front,
there
are
murmurs
amongst
her
colleagues
about
her
withdrawn
demeanour
and
quiet
ways,
not
helped
by
a
corrupt,
sleazy
inspector’s
taunting
jabs,
who
points
out
that
her
position
is
just
a
means
to
cover
the
mandatory
female
officer
quota
in
the
station.
But
between
the
judgemental
glares
and
suffocating
patronising
from
her
co-workers,
a
young
officer
Sarathi
(Ravindra
Vijay)
seems
to
take
kindly
to
Brinda’s
general
sense
of
aloofness
and
ends
up
becoming
her
only
ally
in
the
department.
He
tags
along
with
her
for
a
seemingly
random
murder
investigation
that
involves
a
recently
discovered
corpse.
The
series
is
basic
in
its
setup
and
Writer-Director
Surya
Manoja
Vangala
covers
the
routine
beats
of
the
personal
drama
upfront
and
efficiently
sets
up
the
script’s
procedural
parts
in
motion.
Brinda
devotes
herself
to
the
case
and
breaks
new
ground
in
the
investigation,
much
to
the
jealous
CI’s
chagrin.
Sarathi,
who
himself
is
on
the
lookout
for
a
long-denied
promotion,
is
also
unable
to
break
out
of
the
filthy
grip
of
his
demanding
superior,
who
treats
them
both
badly
for
trying
to
find
new
leads
in
the
case,
instead
of
following
his
lead
and
focusing
on
peddling
in
more
bribes.
Sarathi
is
also
struggling
with
a
childless
marriage
and
without
meaningful
growth
at
work,
we
can
see
how
these
two
form
a
friendship.
They
naturally
fit
together
and
form
a
good
team,
and
Brinda
starts
to
slowly
open
up
before
Sarathi.
But
the
show
is
not
that
interested
in
making
it
a
run-of-the-mill
murder
mystery
featuring
two
oddball
cops.
Surya
Manoja
Vangala
is
highly
skilled
at
drawing
out
the
troubling
power
dynamics
in
the
investigation
and
he
sets
the
tone
with
great
narrative
economy.
Brinda
delves
into
issues
of
the
occult
and
sticks
somewhere
between
an
affecting
drama
and
suspenseful
television,
with
personal
stakes
for
all
the
principal
characters
involved.
Brinda’s
tragic
past
is
recounted
through
flashbacks
involving
her
late
adoptive
father.
It
structurally
frames
itself
between
Brinda’s
loving
memories
of
her
father
and
her
finding
out
ways
to
crack
the
labyrinth
web
of
the
increasingly
volatile
case.
Anand
Sami
doesn’t
share
the
screen
with
the
other
cast
much
but
delivers
a
deceptively
controlled
performance
as
the
show’s
central
figure,
who
maintains
the
suspense
with
his
peculiar
performance.
Trisha
is
refreshing
as
the
titular
Brinda,
and
the
actress
gets
to
cherish
the
screen
time
to
delve
somewhat
deeply
into
the
numbing
psychology
of
a
loner,
tasked
with
taking
down
a
largely
inept
character
on
paper
and
making
her
work
on
screen
as
a
living
symbol
of
her
repressed
trauma.
The
show
shifts
places
in
the
fourth
and
fifth
episodes
to
become
much
more
than
a
predictable
cat-and-mouse
game
between
cops
and
a
psychotic
killer.
The
writing
keeps
introducing
new
obstacles
for
Brinda
and
we
are
fed
new
revelations
that
keep
things
moving.
Ravindra
Vijay
excels
as
the
promising,
yet
timid
officer,
who
projects
a
masterfully
judged
lack
of
confidence
in
the
character’s
actions
and
lends
some
levity
to
the
proceedings,
contrasting
well
with
Trisha’s
more
stoic
presence.
Cinematography
by
Dinesh
K
Babu
efficiently
uses
visual
consistency
and
maintains
the
narrative
momentum
of
the
show.
There
are
some
good
dramatic
reveals
and
character
details
that
feel
earned
but
sometimes
the
writing
seems
too
superficial
to
engage
with
the
real
issue
being
discussed.
The
soundtrack
by
Shaktikanth
Karthik
does
get
overbearing
in
parts
but
the
mystic,
synth-like
score
reminiscent
of
the
Goblin’s
theme
for
Dario
Argento’s
Suspiria
(1977),
that
propped
up
at
crucial
scenes
felt
haunting
and
disturbing
in
its
effect.
The
show,
however,
overstays
its
welcome
with
the
sister
subplot,
where
we
are
meant
to
follow
the
younger
sister
on
her
redemptive
arc
from
hating
her
sister
from
a
young
age,
to
finally
accepting
her
for
who
she
is.
The
writers
even
introduces
a
toxic
boyfriend
angle
and
an
oddly
staged
assault
scene
to
make
a
point
in
the
dynamic
between
the
dysfunctional
sisters.
Despite
these
setbacks,
Brinda
picks
up
steam
whenever
Jaya
Prakash
turns
up
in
the
well-written
flashbacks
that
offer
the
central
thesis
of
the
show
through
clever
vignettes
of
his
interactions
with
two
pivotal
characters.
His
convincing
performance
grounds
the
absurd
levels
to
which
the
climatic
revelations
unravel.
Indrajith
Sukumaran
gets
a
great
role
as
a
reputable
college
professor,
who
is
dragged
into
the
central
investigation.
He
elevates
a
template,
stock
character
into
a
highly
lived-in
figure.
Brinda
is
strongest
when
it
follows
the
procedural
part
of
its
subject
matter
and
the
eight-part
show
stops
abruptly
by
episodes
seven
and
eight
to
deliver
Theology
101
lessons
on
the
adverse
effects
of
religious
fundamentalism,
presents
some
outlandish
ideas,
and
suggests
some
illogical
strands
of
exposition
and
major
plot
revelations.
The
Manmohan
Desai-like
setup
of
the
estranged
siblings
and
the
fascination
with
superstition
is
balanced
by
the
makers
with
a
well-etched-out
flashback
sequence.
The
idea
of
equating
uneducation
with
collective
responsibility
for
religious
barbarism
seems
like
a
rather
simple
solution.
Brinda
positions
the
father
figure
as
the
guiding
light
of
all
things
good
in
the
world
and
tries
to
connect
the
idea
of
good
vs
evil
with
middling
effects.
The
show
is
not
a
deep,
troubling
anatomy
of
problems
facing
superstitious
beliefs
and
the
concept
of
religious
fundamentalism
but
holds
its
own
for
its
fascinating
pool
of
ideas.
Brinda
streams
on
SonyLIV.
Brinda
Review
Rediff
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