Jhansi review: Amateurish screenplay leaves this action thriller half-baked

After scoring decent hits on the silver screen, Anjali made her OTT debut with the latest web series, Jhansi. The show is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar since 27 October.

The trailer of the web series garnered good buzz and created huge expectations. Let’s see how it fared:

The series is about an amnesiac woman, Jhansi (Anjali), who forgets her past due to unexpected situations.

One day, she saves the life of Meha, Sankeeth’s (Aadarsh Balakrishna) daughter, which eventually makes him take Jhansi along with him to his house.

Sankeeth and Jhansi fall in love and live a happy life. Meanwhile, flashbacks start haunting Jhansi. She visits a psychiatrist to recollect her past.

What happened to her in the past? How Barbie (Chandini Chowdary) is related to Jhansi? How would Jhansi unfold the mysteries about her past? The answers to these questions form the crux of the series.

Anjali is the surprise package

Anjali is the heart and soul of the series. She takes a U-turn from her regular glam roles and aces the role of Jhansi. Be it her looks or the way she showcases tension, love and action, she was too good at everything.

She essays the role effortlessly and is impressive throughout the show. She carries the entire series on her shoulders. She even performs the action sequences with ease and confidence.

Aadarsh Balakrishna does a good job in his limited screen space. Chandini Chowdhary performed quite well. Raj Arun and Samyukta Hornad are adequate in their roles.

Coming to the technical aspects, though director Thiru picked a gripping plot, his execution has not been good enough as the show lags thrilling elements. Also, a few episodes look convoluted and test the human brain.

The production values are top-notch. The music by Sricharan Pakala is good. In a way, it could be said that the show has the best BGM.

Arvi’s cinematography is decent, but the editing is average.

Bad screenplay kills the joy

Director Thiru establishes the basic story and narrates it in a multi-layered format. The basic plot and twists in the show keep the audience engaged for the most part.

The show has a solid story but the director fails to establish enough gripping scenes. The screenplay is bad.

Any commoner can easily help the director chop the unnecessary scenes. The slow pace is also a burden.

As it is a web show, the director went all out and narrated the show in too much detail, which was unnecessary.

Season 1 has only six episodes and the story is yet to be revealed. This means we have to wait for season 2.

Verdict

Jhansi is an action thriller. To bring the audience to the edge of the seat, the story needs to be solid and so does the screenplay. Let us hope that at least season 2 will be far better than season 1!