The city of Mumbai is under threat from a dangerous virus and two cops are leading the fight against this invisible enemy. That in a nutshell is the plot of SonyLIV’s latest original Shrikant Bashir. A slick, fast-paced and action-packed thriller punctuated with just the right amount of humour, this series makes for a highly engaging and entertaining watch.
Directed by Santosh Shetty, Shrikant Bashir is totally recommended and here are 5 reasons why we feel the show should top your must-watch list.
#1 The A-Team
At the forefront of the fight against the virus in Shrikant Bashir is the Surgical Operations Team (SOT). From tracking down terrorists to foiling their devious plans, this team leaves no stone unturned when it comes to performing their duties towards the nation. This team takes you into the inner workings of high-profile cops and investigators and shows you how they do what they do.
Some of the best moments of the show are when you see the SOT in action led by Shrikant and Bashir.
#2 Terrific chemistry between the leads
The show tremendously benefits from the brilliant chemistry shared by the titular leads. Bashir Khan (Yudhishthir Singh) is an upright cop in the Surgical Operations Team who always plays by the rules, while Shrikant Mhatre (Gashmeer Mahajani), a suspended officer belonging to the same team, is his perfect foil. Between them, they bicker, exchange banter and have ideological differences, but when it comes to joining forces to save their country from the virus, there’s no stopping them. While both actors ace at their individual parts, it’s when they’re together that you witness firecrackers.
Somewhere along the course of the show, you begin rooting for this unlikely on-screen partnership and want them to succeed at any cost. It’s quite rare for a show to have this effect on you and that’s where the biggest success of Shrikant Bashir lies.
#3 Stupendously shot action scenes
A major part of Shrikant Bashir is a race against time to stop the spread of the deadly virus. In a show such as this, the action sequences are not just ornamental, but they are pivotal to the narrative. And this is where Shrikant Bashir wins hands down. The show boasts of some excellently filmed action sequences. Along with Gashmeer and Bashir, a hat-tip to Pooja Gor pulling off the stunts so effortlessly. Pooja plays Raveena Sahni, an IT expert who’s part of the Surgical Operations Team.
It’s in a long time that we’ve seen such breathtaking stunts in any show across OTT platforms.
Fire sequence, jumping off a building, bike chase - they are all there and each one is better than the other.
#4 High on thrill
Shrikant Bashir is one of those rare shows that has all the ingredients of a nail-biting thriller. The plot, drama, action and suspense all come together in a heady mix to give you a riveting show.
There’s a constant find-out-what-happens-next factor that runs throughout the show.
This compels you to instantly hit the Skip End Credits button and move to the next episode without wasting any time. There are several sequences that keep you on the edge of your seat and much of the credit for this goes to director Santosh Shetty. He makes sure that as a viewer you are invested throughout.
#5 Perfectly-sized episodes
Shrikant Bashir is spread over 26 episodes and each episode is anywhere between 30 to 35 minutes. Once you start watching, you realise that the episodes are just perfectly sized and neatly packaged. The show moves at a steady pace and each episode has just the right amount of thrill and tension to hold the viewer’s attention. Every episode plays out like a perfectly crafted recipe that takes you a step closer to the season finale.
There comes a point when you become with the show and are low-key cheering Shrikant and Bashir in their almost superheroic battle against the virus.
We don’t think you need any more convincing. So go ahead and update your weekend watch list with Shrikant Bashir. The show is streaming on SonyLIV.
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