They say that the stories that click best with audiences are, oftener than not, “old wine in new bottles”. If that be the case, Mohrey is a shining example of excellent writing within a not-very-new template. The fresh color, nuance and twist make all the difference.
Bosco Salvador (Jaaved Jafferi) is a don, whose ‘front’ (legal) business is manufacturing coffins as well as medicines! He is a remorseless man and right in the beginning of the story, he has killed an ace kabaddi player, who was supposed to lose a rigged match, but won it.
Hounding the goon is dedicated young officer, Arjun Singh (Aashim Gulati), who knows all about his nefarious activities. When the Chief Minister (Shailesh Datar), who is a human bag of corruption, is shot at, Bosco becomes the chief suspect. But it turns out that Bosco had himself warned him about the impending attack and so the politician had worn a bullet-proof vest and saved his life. But the question remains: Did Bosco himself stage this murderous attack?
Such is the broad framework of this thriller that naturally, and with correct pacing, is set to go into a second season. The characters are indeed nuanced. Bosco is a typical Christian in his diction, does not known higher Hindi and has dollops of humor. The CM is a slinky, slimy man who can turn loyalties at the drop of a hat and so suspects everyone’s motives. Arjun is dedicated and yet cool and casual.
Other interesting characters come in: Suchitra Pillai as Sheryl gets to play a bakery owner who has lost her family in an orchestrated fire and attack on her husband and home. She is fearless and tough and even Bosco cannot intimidate her.
There is another ardent cop (Pulkit Marol) whose motives seem suspect, and arts and entertainment reporter-turned-scribe on politics, Asmi (Pradnya Motghare), who likes him. Rachel (Gayatri Bharadwaj) is a well-to-do lawyer who works occasionally for Bosco and earns his respect.
Finally, among the main people, we have Reza (Amitt K. Singh), Bosco’s key henchman, who turns against him. And why is that? Well, the CM brings back the eccentric, egoistic and morally gray cop, Jabbar Patel (Neeraj Kabi) to Mumbai to trace the missing kabaddi player and also get at Bosco, with whom Jabbar has an old score to settle. Somewhere in the process, Jabbar targets Arjun, who is framed, jailed and even beaten up. Freed legally by Rachel at Bosco’s instructions, Arjun joins him and Bosco demeans Reza frequently because of Arjun’s superior intellect and action. Rachel then starts liking Arjun, and Reza fumes as he has a fancy for Rachel.
As the stage is set for Season 2 (which I hope comes soon, a rare sentiment I have that is also sometimes belied!!), we see how opinions of an event can differ based on their personal experiences, and may not be the actual truth. What happens is real, but how anyone sees it is a perception based on observation, or even an observation influenced by mental perception!
And that justifies the title of the series, Mohrey, which here means “pawns on the chessboard of Life”—as moved by rival players.
A fantastic performance by Jaaved Jafferi headlines this series. He is the quintessential Christian inhabitant of urban Mumbai, with his inflections and mannerisms as well as physical attributes in perfect sync with such people who (though not being antisocial!) abound in the city. His humor and sarcasm lift his personality and his lines (basically written by Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal and no doubt part improvised by Jaaved himself!) are exceptional.
Aashim Gulati gets his most heroic character yet and does a splendid job. A masterful turn comes from the seasoned Shailesh Datar as the CM, while Neeraj Kabi sits pat in the groove of the vengeful cop who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Gayatri Bharadwaj has a pleasing persona and delivers well, but Pradnya Motghare as Asmi, almost a clone in looks of Alia Bhatt, is excellent. Pulkit Makol also does well as the deceptively simple Michael. Suchitra Pillai gets a rare substantial and lengthy role as Sheryl and is superb. Amitt K. Singh as Reza and Ashok Lokhande as Shetty Anna, Bosco’s goons, also impress. Ashok Lokhande as Joshi is alright.
The script (Mukul Abhyankar, who has also directed the series brilliantly, Charudatta Bhagwat and Aditya Parulekar) keeps us on toes, while Abbas Dalal and Hussain Dalal’s work is superlative, as are Sarthak Nakul’s background score, Anik Ram Verma’s cinematography and Sourabh Prabhudesai and Akshay Vaidya’s editing.
This is decidedly among the better series this year and is a must-watch. Additionally, the individual episodes are crisp and not lengthy, and that adds to the charm of this fast-moving thriller drama.
Rating: ****
Amazon MX Player presents Banijay Asia’s Mohrey Produced by: Rajesh Chadha & Deepak Dhar Directed by; Mukul Abhyankar Written by: Mukul Abhyankar, Charudatta Bhagwat, Aditya Parulekar, Abbas Dalal & Hussain Dalal Music: Sarthak Nakul Starring: Jaaved Jafferi, Neeraj Kabi, Aashim Gulati, Pradnya Motghare, Suchitra Pillai, Gayatri Bharadwaj, Shailesh Datar, Pulkit Makol, Amitt K. Singh & others
(Used with permission)
