Gaalivaana Review: A fairly gripping thriller that comes with a shocking twist 

Cast: Sai Kumar, Radhika Sarathkumar and others

Director: Sharan Koppisetty

Streaming On: ZEE5 

Format: Web Series (Season 1 running into 7 episodes)

Rating: 3/5

First things first. This Telugu-language web series is an adaptation of the BBC miniseries 'One Of Us' (2016). The original was written by Harry and Jack Williams, who get their due in the opening credits of the 7-episode adaptation. What makes this adaptation interesting is that it's not a typical crime thriller where the identity of the offender is hidden till the first half or even the climax. It's not a cliched murder mystery where misleading elements are introduced in an attempt to cheapen the suspense.

Ajay and Geetha, who just got married, get murdered in cold blood in their apartment. The killer Srinu scoots and rushes to Komarraju Lanka, the sparsely-populated hamlet where the families of the murdered couple live in a farmhouse-like neighbourhood. By then, the families of Ajay and Geetha are in total disarray after learning about the murders. Ajay's mother (Radhika Sarathkumar as Saraswathi) and other family members try to save Srinu by tendering first-aid. In the process, they get to know that Srinu is there in the village after running away after murdering their son and daughter-in-law. They inform Geetha's father (Sai Kumar as Komarraju) about the same. 

The two shell-shocked families now gather and most of them are convinced that Srinu must be killed instead of being saved. Shravani (Chandini Chowdhary), Ajay's sister, dissuades them from making an impulsive decision. However, much to the two families' shock, Srinu is found murdered in their barn the next day. 

'Gaalivaana' is a rare offering in the Telugu OTT space in the sense that it doesn't blight the story with contrivances and low-hanging fruit. Right from the second episode, the series sets out on a roller-coaster ride, keeping the viewer guessing about who might have killed the killer. Questions like morality vs humanity, moral policing, and making peace with deviance are raised much later in the story. The viewer is not spoon-fed, she is not told who should be cursed and who should be sympathized with. 

When Saraswathi says that she is ready to be jailed for Srinu's murder despite her innocence (because that would give her the perverted satisfaction of being labelled the killer of her son), we find 'Gaalivaana' immensely emotional. Komarraju is saddled with a potentially estranged teenage son who threatens to go rogue. At a time when the two families are struggling to stay afloat amid a sea of uncertainty, Nandini (Nandini Rai as an immoral police officer who won't forgive the transgressions of the Komarraju and Saraswathi families) propels herself into the crisis in unexpected ways.

A couple of flaws make their entry in the middle portions of 'Gaalivaana'. Why do the characters discuss Srinu's murder and the attempt at a cover-up in places like outside a police station? So many individuals are involved in the cover-up but none of them has the basic intelligence to cook up a well-rehearsed answer for what happened to Srinu's vehicle? Hari Gowra's background score doesn't quite register the plot turns effectively. The staging of inflections in the story could have been more tension-inducing. Sri Lakshmi's entry in the final act is purposive but the casting is funny. 

But then, this is not a true-blue murder mystery for us to nitpick. It's about hidden secrets, simmering discontent, inhibited selves, and unspoken fears. 

ALSO READ: KGF Chapter 2 Movie Review: An engrossing saga illuminated by explosive narration