The fourth season of Undekhi attempts to conclude the saga of the powerful Atwal family but struggles with an overcomplicated plot and a multitude of characters, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Key Points
- Undekhi 4, directed by Ashish R Shukla, is set five years after the third season and focuses on the Atwals’ misdeeds being whitewashed amidst a new human trafficking ring.
- The season features an overabundance of characters, random killings and convoluted subplots, leading to a chaotic narrative.
- The original protagonist, honest cop Barun Ghosh, is uncharacteristically subdued, while Papaji’s character becomes a comic parody.
- Suraj Sharma, playing Rinku, delivers a consistently calibrated performance, standing out amidst the narrative’s shortcomings.
- Despite the tagline ‘The Final Battle’, the season leaves an opening for a potential fifth season with a new antagonist introduced.
When the first season of Undekhi came out in 2020, the show was sure that the drug-dealing Atwals, practically ruling over Himachal Pradesh, were the bad guys. The patriarch, Surinder ‘Papaji’ Atwal (Harsh Chhaya), always with a glass of alcohol in his hand and a swear word on his lips, had shot dead a dancer, and used his power to scuttle the investigation.
An honest cop, Barun Ghosh (Dibyendu Bhattacharya) was the only one who had the courage to stand up to the Atwals and their ring of corruption and violence. Papaji’s adopted son, Rinku (Suraj Sharma) and son Daman (Ankur Rathee) are part of his narcotics empire, and the former has a frighteningly ruthless streak.
The Evolving Atwal Saga
Over the next two seasons, the Atwals sought to expand their business with foreign alliances.
The third season picked up with new twists — Rinku’s real father and Surinder’s embittered brother Mahinder (Varun Badola) arrived as a rival and lured away Rinku.
Papaji went to jail for the murder of Rinku’s wife. Daman’s wife, Teji, who tried to help the cops to destroy the Atwals’ business, was killed in an accident, leaving behind a daughter (the supercute Samaira Pawar).
A New Chapter and New Challenges
By the fourth season, directed by Ashish R Shukla, set five years after the last, the Atwals’ misdeeds are being whitewashed.
Ghosh, now an SP, is still flapping around trying to clean up the area of drug crime, when a new human trafficking ring pops up.
As the two Atwal factions snap and snarl, the body count steadily rises. The Himachal cops are conspicuous by their absence, while Ghosh and his two deputies chase their tails, as if they have nothing else to do.
Character Arcs and Narrative Flaws
All the Atwals are venal and amoral, so whoever the viewer roots for is equally evil — the impact of their drug trade is not even mentioned, as both sides torture or kill anybody who comes in their way, whether it is a famous rap singer, a female associate of Rinku, an undercover cop, or a girl who escaped the flesh trade.
Playing the two sides is a hotelier, Vikram (Gautam Rode) and his glamorous niece, Natasha (Shivjyoti Rajput). Papaji is released and jumps right in, gnashing his teeth against the vileness of his brother and the loss of his beloved Rinku to the other side.
Floating around the drama is a grinning sword-wielding psycho called DJ (Saqib Ayub), while Rinku’s close associate Lucky (Vaarun Bhagat) is around, oblivious to the cruelty he was subjected to in earlier seasons.
The Final Verdict
Instead of cops versus gangsters, the plot has more family scandals spilling out, and illegitimate sons demanding their share.
This time round, there are too many characters, too much random killing and subplots that tie the eight episodes into knots.
Barun, who was a thorn in the side of the Atwals is uncharacteristically subdued, ruefully admitting that Rinku is always two steps ahead of him.
The foul-mouthed Papaji (who drinks so much, it’s a surprise he doesn’t die of alcohol poisoning!) is now a comic parody of himself. If there’s someone who comes out the series with a proper character graph and consistently calibrated performance, it is Suraj Sharma.
The tagline is The Final Battle, but a keyhole has been left for the possibility of a new season, with Rinku at the helm. A new and dangerous antagonist has already been introduced.
Undekhi 4 streams on SonyLIV.
Undekhi 4 Review Rediff Rating:
