This review contains mild spoilers for the ZEE5 Global series “Murshid”
This past 30 August “Murshid” was released on ZEE5 Global. Written and directed by Shravan Tiwari and starring Kay Kay Menon in the titular role, “Murshid” is a gritty crime drama following a retired mafia don in Mumbai. Despite having giving up his position in Mumbai’s underworld, Murshid is drawn back to his past life of gangs and crime as he must fight to protect his family.
Right from the opening scene, the audience is immersed in Murshid’s world: tense and violent. The first thing we see of Murshid is him killing his enemies; he is not someone to be messed with. Flash forward to the present and though he’s no longer the mafia don he once was, the underworld is still continuing without him. A new leader has emerged: Farid. There are drugs, double crossings and seedy characters abound. No one is trustworthy as from the get go characters are double crossing each other, making us question who the real villain is. This is the world that Tiwari has created, and him and his team have successfully carried this on throughout the series. The Mumbai we see on screen is is unfiltered in its depection of violence. The characters kill and maim without remorse.
Each episode also opens with a scene, that though might seem out of place, by the end of the series is revealed to be a crucial puzzle piece for the larger story. The final plot twist was also well done. It was plausible without seeming too obvious and cleverly fit together the the story that was laid out in the previous episodes. The series tells a complete story and has an ending, yet it leaves a window open for potential further exploration of Murshid and his world.
Despite the good storytelling in terms of setting up plot points and resolving them, where the series falls flat is with its characters. At just 7 half hour episodes, this series is very short. Though often times brevity can work as an advantage, in “Murshid” it didn’t. Though it was interesting to see how Murshid was able to use his smarts to come out of the situation on top, I was left wondering: should I even be rooting for Murshid? It’s possible to create an anti-hero, or even villain, protagonist that you root for. But throughout the series what was missing was an effort to establish an emotional connection between the characters, and between the characters and the audience. Why should we care about Murshid? At the beginning of the series Murshid, who has retired from criminal life and dedicated himself to charitable work after the death of his oldest son, is dragged back into the underworld because his youngest son is in a life threatening situation. And yet we barely see Murshid’s youngest son. For a man who has supposedly been brought back into the underworld due to his dedication to protect his family, a greater emphasis should have been placed on said bond between father and son. This gap makes Murshid’s character devoid of depth, as we see what he does but lack the understanding of why he does it. This is especially true in regards to the ending. He has succeeded in protecting himself and his family, why does he want to return to a life of crime?
Part of this problem is due to how information is delivered throughout the series. The audience is most times told rather than shown why Murshid is the way he is. We see Murshid using violence and manipulation to achieve his goals, but we had already been told beforehand that he is “the greatest mafia don in Mumbai” and almost untouchable in his power, so that nuance is lost. This is also true of Murshid’s connection with his adopted son, the police inspector. We know there is a history there and are shown brief glimpses of the past, yet the most important information is blatantly told to the audience without leaving it to deeply impact the events of the series. The story is so focused on arriving to the end that it lacks the time to delve deeper into what makes these characters tick, making the ending feel less rewarding. This problem extends beyond Murshid to the other characters of the series as well.
“Murshid” had an interesting premise, yet unfortunately failed to deliver anything standout.
Written by Dafne Mistrangelo
