Brinda review: Engaging web series in Telugu have been few and far in between. Some lack the sensitiveness to deal with current issues while others resort to taking the easy way out. Surya Manoj Vangala’s Brinda, though, will force you to reflect on the pitfalls of extremism - religious or otherwise - without resorting to sensationalism. Old superstitions, a rare bird, mysterious murders, a cult and spine drive this story. 

Brinda story

Brinda (Trisha Krishnan) is a newly-appointed SI who faces sexism at the police station she works at by day and is plagued by nightmares come evening. She has to put up with her younger sister’s smart mouth at home and pushback from superiors at work, there’s no respite. Despite being asked not to, she digs deeper into what seems like a unique case of killing on the surface, only for it to unravel into something far more sinister. Making it worse is the fact that she's finding answers she has sought for ages, but it's not what she hoped for.

Brinda review

Right from the get go, Surya makes it clear that this is not the kind of series you watch while snacking on popcorn with half your attention on the phone. When the first episode opens with an attempt at human sacrifice to satiate blind superstition, you know the director isn’t here to play. As the series progresses, everything seems as dark and twisted as the dead bodies Brinda comes across. Shakthi Kanth Karthick’s music deserves a special mention for the haunting opening score alone. The ending though, could've definitely been better.

Smart writing

Brinda is written by Surya, with Padmavathi Malladi assisting him on screenplay and Jay Krishna in dialogues. After you complete the 8 episodes, you get the sense that you could’ve predicted some of what’s happened. But when it’s all playing out, you’re too focused to play Sherlock. Major revelations about characters don’t annoy you even if they're unveiled late in the series. The way Brinda goes about solving the case almost feels like she’s picking at a scab she won’t let heal. Understandable, given her past.

Two sides of the same coin

The series also forces its players and the audience to look inward. When an essential character in the series tells two children they must leave the world a better place than how they inherited it, they interpret it differently. The series doesn’t hold back while taking a stance on the state of the world today. Inciting violence in God’s name is reprehensible, and so is justifying your dark deeds while opposing it - it’s two sides of the same coin. A scene where a case of arson is mistook as something holy just underlines it.

The drawbacks

Some plot points in the series don't work the way Surya intended them to. Brinda’s equation with her sister Chutki sticks out like a sore thumb. After a point, Chutki’s teenage rebellion begins to feel unnecessary to the overall story and borderline annoying, especially when Brinda’s relationship with her mother (Aamani) is much more layered. The ending also comes out of left field and is hastily wrapped up. Everything else leading up to it is far more interesting. The trope of how a central character stole someone else’s identity is also not convincing.

The heart of it all

Yes, the series is about solving a slew of murders, but Surya does a good job of bringing his characters to life. Brinda’s dark circles deepen as the show progresses, and it’s not surprising when her calm veneer cracks. Her colleague Sarathi (Ravindra Vijay) - the only person who treats her like a human at her workplace - also has office politics and familial pressures of his own to deal with. Inrajith Sukumaran is good at playing the standoffish and mysterious man. Special shoutout to Anand Sami, who’ll send a chill down your spine in some scenes and make you oddly empathise with him in others. His back story breaks your heart.

In conclusion

Brinda is the kind of series that keeps your attention and is relevant without being preachy. No good or evil exists in the tale for the sake of it. It’s uncomfortable when Surya finds a way to make you understand the motivations of some characters' horrendous actions, even if you might disagree with them. But the message it delivers is timely, and the way it deals with trauma is with sensitiveness. That makes it worth watching.

Brinda is now streaming on SonyLIV.

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