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Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas Debuts on ZEE5 to Strong Leads and Questions Over Originality

The crime thriller pairs Arshad Warsi with Jitendra Kumar in a darker turn rooted in a real-life case.

Overview

  • The feature began streaming on ZEE5 on October 17, directed by Akshay Shere and produced by Jio Studios with Baweja Studios and Dog n Bone Pictures.
  • Set in a small Uttar Pradesh town, the story follows Inspector Vishwas Bhagwat investigating multiple disappearances alongside a parallel track involving a college professor named Sameer.
  • Reviews from Scroll.in, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times and Rediff commend the central performances as the film’s key strength.
  • Critics fault the writing for predictability, uneven pacing and heavy echoes of recent streaming crime dramas, frequently drawing comparisons to Dahaad.
  • Jitendra Kumar described the role as a step outside his comfort zone in a PTI interview, and the 127-minute film credits Bhavini Bheda and Sumit Saxena for the writing, with the title positioning it as an opening chapter.