The desi adaptation of  Korean fantasy thriller series ‘Signal’ gets a ‘cold’ treatment.” – Beyond Bollywood

After a promising start, director Umesh Bist and his writers lose their grip from the third episode. Kritika Kamra is competent in her maiden cop avatar, while Raghav Juyal and Dhairya are subpar.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ( 2 / 5)

By Mayur Lookhar

Time is a great enigma, weaving the mystical threads of past and future into the present moment’s tapestry. Something like this occurs at 11:11 PM in the Zee5 fantasy thriller Gyaarah Gyaarah (2024). The title is befitting for the fantasy, as numbers like 111 and 222 are deemed angelic.

So, who’s the angel here? Inspector Yug Arya (Raghav Juyal) and SI Shaurya Anthwal are each other’s angels. The fantasy originates from a walkie-talkie last used in 2001 when Anthwal called his station seeking help. The one who answered via a defunct walkie-talkie is new recruit Inspector Yug Arya (Raghav Juyal). Where’s the fantasy? Anthwal’s world is still in 2001, while Arya is answering the SOS call in 2016. Anthwal had gone missing since that day in 2001.

The intertwining of timelines, though not refreshing, always piques the viewer’s interest. A cop in the present day uses a defunct walkie-talkie to communicate with a cop from the past. Naturally, they have a case to solve. As the series progresses, we are privy to other unsolved cases too. In the present day, Yug Arya faces a race against time to solve the mysterious kidnapping and death of a child (Aditi Tiwari) in 2001. The government has passed a controversial bill whereby all 15 plus year cold cases predating 2016 will be closed. Just when things seem lost, a miracle occurs at 11:11 PM one night. The information shared by Inspector Shaurya goes a long way in helping Arya and his reporting officer Vamika Rawat (Kritika Kamra) solve the Aditi Tiwari murder mystery.

We expected this cold case to occupy a sizable chunk of the series, but it concludes in the early minutes of the third episode, leaving viewers craving more. Besides, the closing drama of this case felt cold. Although not abrupt, it seems the murder mystery didn’t get its due screen time. Does this align with the original Korean series Signal? A viewer who has watched the original mentioned that it covered different cases. In an earlier chat, director Umesh Bist said that they stayed close to the original.

The Korean series has been adapted into Gyaarah Gyaarah by Puja Banerji and Sunjoy Shekhar. The writing is fine, but the series loses momentum from the third episode, partly due to weak cold cases, particularly the poorly titled and dramatized Tie and Dye case. The series also explores a few cases from the 90s, when Uttaranchal (now Uttarakhand) was part of Uttar Pradesh until November 8, 2000.

The controversial government bill is withdrawn, with the Supreme Court now ordering states to establish Cold Case units. Senior Inspector Vamika Rawat now leads the division at her station in Dehradun. The reinvestigation of different cases might be part of the original plot, but for desi viewers accustomed to shows like Crime Patrol, Savdhaan India, and CID, Gyaarah Gyaarah plays out more like an episodic series. After the closure of the first case, the subsequent episodes aren’t binge-worthy. By the time the series regains momentum, we’re already into the seventh episode. The final episode of Season 1, however, delivers edge-of-the-seat excitement.

A fantasy thriller thrives on divine intervention. A miracle can happen once, twice, or even thrice, but the frequency with which Yug Arya and Shaurya Anthwal communicate with each other makes these one-minute SOS calls at 11:11 PM seem flimsy. Let’s just say, Yug and Shaurya are chosen by the time gods for these miraculous conversations. Often diving into the past can alter the present and change the future, but Yug Arya must also return the favor. So, this isn’t a one-way SOS call.

Just a month ago, he terrorized viewers with a tour de force performance as the cold-blooded bandit Fanni in Dharma Productions and Sikhya Entertainment’s Kill—India’s most violent film. Gyaarah Gyaarah is a co-production between Sikhya and Dharmatic Entertainment, a low-cost wing of Dharma Productions. Though impressive, as Umesh Bist mentioned in a chat, Juyal’s mother was left embarrassed by her son’s violent, monstrous role in Kill. The actor hasn’t taken time for atonement.

Given its plot, Bist’s leading characters are all given timely names—Yug, Shaurya, and Vamika. Initially, there is confusion around this Yug Arya. It took a while to believe that Arya is indeed a cop. This stems more from the fact that Vamika, Balwant (Nitesh Pandey) too are bewildered by his presence.  Though newly recruited, we felt Yug Arya’s impetuosity was a little out of the place. Kill and now Gyaarah Gyaarah, it’s fair to say that this quality comes naturally to Juyal. He is convincing in the early part, but as the screenplay gets dull, Juyal, too, lacks the same intensity.  

Kritika Kamra is a television find. TV, particularly Balaji Telefilms’ soap operas, is often not a true measure of an actor’s prowess. The luxury of web series provides the time and space to fully express oneself. Kamra steps into the role of a cop for the first time and doesn’t disappoint. With a name like Vamika, the character was bound to go Virat, sorry viral. Jokes aside, Kamra holds her own in this senior cop role, commanding respect from her colleagues not through authority but through her conduct. As a colleague of the missing Shaurya Anthwal, she has risen to her position in 2016 through hard work and integrity. Vamika is well-versed with the system and its challenges. She shows great intellect by interrupting IG Sameer Bhatia’s (Harsh Chhaya) press conference to reveal the true killer in the Aditi Tiwari murder case. You might think a headstrong figure like Bhatia would fire Vamika, but she uses her wit to remind him that everyone would have been embarrassed had they proceeded with the earlier conclusion.

As a young officer, it is apparent that she had feelings for Shaurya but never expressed them. Director Umesh Bist ensures Kamra appears younger in the early 2000s. Over time, Kamra has grown into the character—both physically and mentally. Even though the screenplay loses its sting, she remains more than competent in her maiden cop role.

Dhairya Karwa (pronounced Kadva) is a man of few words. Inspector Shaurya Anthwal is typically composed, but lie to him, and he turns into a raging bull. Dhairya lives up to his name (patience) early on, but when it comes to portraying Shaurya’s frustrations, he falls short. Shaurya is not your rough-and-tough cop; he’s emotional and vulnerable. However, Karwa’s performance is subpar for the role.

Harsh Chhaya plays a nightmare boss. It’s no secret that he is full of himself, and the corrupt Inspector General Sameer Bhatia isn’t afraid to show his frustrations, often expressing them through desi cuss words. Chhaya’s portrayal of an angry Sameer Bhatia is intimidating. Cops deal with various pressures, but for an Inspector General to repeatedly use profane language is unpleasant. In this series, Uttarakhand has a long history of cold cases, and given their incompetence, it’s hard to believe how Sameer Bhatia and his deputy have remained in their top positions for so long.

It was a surprise to see the late actor, Nitesh Pandey. Initially, we thought he might appear in only a few episodes, but we were pleased to see him in the season-ending episode. Balwant (Pandey) also mutters a few cuss words and has a bitter relationship with the young Yug Arya. Remarkably, Arya doesn’t flinch in telling Balwant to his face that he is corrupt to the core. If Gyaarah Gyaarah was his last released work, then the affable actor has left a fine impression.

Umesh Bist’s cast members all try hard to drive the series, but the inconsistent screenplay and average direction hold it back. We noticed similar weaknesses in Bist’s previous directorial, Pagglait (2021).  An opportunity to direct the Hindi adaptation of the Korean series Signal isn’t to be missed but Bist ends up giving it a cold treatment. This reviewer is frustrated because Gyaarah Gyaarah had the potential to be a gripping thriller. However, Bist will now be hoping that Gyaarah Gyaarah has the blessings of the angelic viewers of Zee5.

Gyaarah Gyaarah will stream on Zee5 from 9 August. 

Watch the video review below.