Byadh (ব্যাধ) is a mystery-thriller TV series directed by Abhirup Ghosh and stars Rajatava Dutta, Anirban Chakrabarti, Souman Bose, and Kharaj Mukherjee, alongside other cast members. The series is 6 episodes long and each episode has a runtime of around 20-30 minutes. The series is based on Chorai Hotya Rohoshyo by Rajarshi Das Bhowmik.
Hoichoi describes the series as:
The department of unusual cases at Lalbazar deals with bizarre crimes. When the case of the brutal beheading of sparrows in rural Bengal lands up there, veteran inspector Kanaichoron and newcomer Souvik start their hunt for the killer. On the investigative trail, the duo discovers shocking secrets entrenched in the history of Bengal.
– Byadh review does not contain spoilers –
I am confused. The first thing that Byadh does, even before showing our protagonists, is that it shows our antagonist. So then, what are we going against? I already know who these people have to catch. Now, yes, sure, we are left to see how Kanai Charan and Shouvik nab the culprit, but right off the bat, we lose a lot of steam and mystery thanks to this odd decision. I am also continuously impressed at how shows always show the senior officer of the duo as this quirky and eccentric, yet smart and insightful person. It’s honestly annoying.
Byadh isn’t a complicated series and it doesn’t try to be either. It’s a story that kids and adults will enjoy, the latter more so to have some light fun. Since the murderer is described very well since the first minute, there isn’t a lot of tension in the series and you don’t sit there and wonder who it could’ve been.
That being said, the central mystery of Byadh series, sparrow killing, is a unique concept. Killing hundreds of birds, as in committing cold-blooded murder, is scary more so when done with such precision. Although most of the mystery is out in the open, the path that the killer takes to commit crimes and mask his identity is pretty smart and will interest you thoroughly. The biggest positive of the series is that the episodes are short enough for you to breeze through them. This isn’t meant to be a cerebral watch – it’s supposed to be mildly twisted and wholeheartedly entertaining.
Which it is. I thoroughly enjoyed Byadh. It’s nice to sometimes watch a simple mystery thriller – there’s a charm to it that’s quite infectious. The series feels a tad bit rushed and I would’ve liked to mull things over a bit more instead of watching cops trying to nab a killer, but whatever. Plus, precious time is given to mundane things instead of assigning them to more important moments. The characters, unfortunately, don’t have much weight. Most of the characters fill a particular type of person and unfortunately, the female cast suffers the most. It feels like poor Mrinalini is only there to remind us that Aminia makes good biryani.
Byadh is a reminder that killing animals still counts as murder. It has a very distinct lesson to teach us – be kind to animals. Just because they don’t have a voice doesn’t mean that they should be murdered to bring about change. It’s nice to watch it since not a lot of shows focus in this aspect.
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As the series comes to an end, I am left a bit confused again. Is our killer a calm, calculated sparrow murderer or a knife-wielding maniac? Or is it both? The last episode is a mixture of a weird action sequence and an information dump. Of course, our killer has some deep-seated issues that need a lot of therapy. The way the series ends is interesting and will make leave you with a lot of thoughts. A bit intellectual, sure, but interesting nonetheless.
Rajatava Dutta, Souman Bose and Anirban Chakrabarti deliver great performances throughout. Dutta and Bose as the mentor-mentee duo vibe off each other really well and do a great job individually as well. Chakrabarti, too, is great as the “patriotic” serial killer. Although his character does not bring forth many scares in our hearts, his performance is still praiseworthy.
Summing up: Byadh
Byadh is sadly average. The story is interesting and there are several thought-provoking points that will make you rethink your relationship with the birds and animals around you. However, the story’s execution takes away all the mystery from the first instance. There are several loopholes that make no sense and a very badly-made action sequence that will make you cringe. If you’re in the mood for an easy-breezy mystery that doesn’t make you think much, then this might be great to pass the time. However, this isn’t going to be a cerebral experience in any sense.
Byadh is streaming on Hoichoi.
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so why was he killing the birds
sorry dont speak bengali
and there were no sub titles available