Garmi Review: It is the latest action thriller show on SonyLIV, which is created, written and directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and produced by Swaroop Sampat and Hemal Thakkar. While Shailesh Awasthi does the cinematography, there are 9 episodes in total with a runtime of about 40-45 minutes.
The ensemble cast of the series includes Vyom Yadav as Arvind Shukla, Puneet Singh as Bindu Singh, Disha Thakur as Surbhi, Pankaj Saraswat as Jaiswal, Mukesh Tiwari as Dilbag, Anurag Thakur as Govind Maurya, Vineet Kumar as Bairagi Baba, Anushka Kaushik as Ruchita, Dheerendra Gautam as Ajay, Jatin Goswami as Mrityunjay Singh and many more.
-Garmi Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-
The series starts off with a person named Arvind Shukla, take note of his complete name as this is something that matters a lot in the show. He aspires to clear the civil services exam so that he can get a stable government job and help his family. His father is a professor in college and despite being in the profession for years, his income isn’t all that much.
Where they live, Trivenipur University is best known for its alumni who were able to secure higher job opportunities. Thus his father is adamant about sending him there, despite his reluctance. The place is known for its notorious student elections and the politics that nobody can essentially escape from. Yet Arvind sets his foot there as MA political science student.
One would expect that he would gradually get an introduction to all the prominent student leaders and what they all stand for, instead, he finds himself standing right in front of the President of the college – Bindu Singh. From running all the affairs of the college, in his hands, even the Vice Chancellor is just a puppet on a chair, all thanks to his police & political connections. However, he doesn’t remain unrivalled, as his opponent Govind Maurya, comes from an equally backed background.
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Among all the politically charged people is Arvind, who doesn’t want to do anything with them or their business. However, being at the epicentre of it all, one can not stand on the sidelines at all times & eventually gets embroiled in the mess they have been trying to avoid.
As the title suggests, there’s definitely some heat in the lead protagonist which makes him quite an unpredictable character. On the surface, he is this naive, single-minded person who just wants to study & get a good job but at the same time, he has this curiosity to know about other things. Wander in the dangerous territories, not knowing what he can be capable of doing.
Among the series that I have watched recently, Garmi definitely tops the list, taking into account the story, pacing, music and incredible acting. Personally, each character felt like they live and breathe the on-screen character in real life. Both the characters of Bindu Singh & Govind Maurya are written and performed with such detail, even Jatin Goswami as Mrityunjay Singh captivates you completely.
The way the creators slowly build up the world around the protagonist and shows his journey that leads him to the highest point should be something that many should take a good look at. They don’t try to spoon-feed the audience with the events happening on and around the screen but you are able to get a sense of it all. The way they don’t use one tragic incident to throw the protagonist into the brutal world of politics and revenge, like we have seen many times before, but he gradually makes up his mind – looking at all the pros & cons is what I really liked.
The story is told through the perspective of a third person that is observing everything, which creates a kind of mystery around the lead as we are not always sure about what he might be thinking. Also, the subject of casteism and its apparent role in the world of the show is intriguing to watch and makes one wonder if they have seen such practices around them as well. There are a few comic elements here and there in the story, especially Mukesh Tiwari as Dilbag brings another energy towards the end of the series.
Garmi Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, it is a good watch that will thoroughly entertain you till the end. The ending though leaves you at a cliffhanger which I believe will be explored further in another season. Other than that, it is one of the best-written stories that have been released this year so far.
Garmi is currently available for streaming on SonyLIV.
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