Premiering on November 3rd, 2022, an official trailer was released on the Netflix YouTube channel that showcased an upcoming Indian crime drama show titledKhakee: The Bihar Chapter. Even though the actual preview for the limited series only lasted for a little over two minutes and the premise could very well be boiled down to that of a typicalcat-and-mouse type of chase, the characters of super cop Amit Lodha and hardened criminal Chandan Mahto easily show that from within the walls of the world created through the show, there is so much more at stake than just the satisfiable hunger of a small animal.
Through Mahto’s actions, entire districts of India can wound up on the wrong side of the law, devoured by corrupt politicians and immoral gangsters. With over fifty-seven million views and counting, the small online preview did a better-than-perfect job of grabbing the audience’s attention.
One Cop Against One Criminal
Spanning seven episodes of around forty-five minutes each and set in the early 2000s,Khakee: The Bihar Chapterwas officially released on the streaming platform to worldwide audiences on November 25th, 2022. This show was adapted originally from a nonfiction novel released in 2018 calledBihar Diaries: The True Story of How Bihar’s Most Dangerous Criminal Was Caught. Written byIndian Police Services officer Amit Lodhawho was at the center of the real-life face-off, he goes through the day-by-day experience of trying to catch one of the most puzzling and evasive Bihar-based criminals of his time who goes by the name of Samant Pratap.
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While Lodha continued to rise in rank and become an honorable member of the IPS (Indian Police Services), the menacing Pratap was doing the same, spreading his criminal empire to over four different districts in Bihar, where he made a fortune in extortion and was responsible for the deaths of over forty people through his planned massacres. When the police force started to become an actual threat to his rule, thanks to officer Lodha, the fugitive who spreads fear across the land goes after the officer’s family.
This, along with many other twists and turns (one of which is very shocking, to say the least) covered throughoutThe Bihar Chapter,helps to keep the episodes more entertaining and the emotional tone heightened throughout the entire series.
The Cast and Crew Behind Khakee
Even through multiple surges of the pandemic in India,Khakee: The Bihar Chapterstayed true to the book and filmed in the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Not only that, but the casting choices helped bring more life to the already robust and animated shooting locations. Some of these highlightsinclude Karan Tacker, who steps into Amit Lodha’s shoes. He is a highly diversified actor who has participated in the country’s version ofAmerica’s Got Talentand hosted India’s rendition ofThe Voice.
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Akin to afranchise likeNCIS, which contains multiple spin-offs, he was also in bothSpecial OpsandSpecial Ops 1.5, an espionage-based story about a team of five agents tracking down a terrorist mastermind.
Opposite Tacker, Chandan Mahto’s despicable ruthlessness is embodied by Avinash Tiwary, a 37-year-old actor who, in 2020, was on The Times' Most Desirable Men list. Tiwary has had prominent roles in 2021’sThe Girl On The Train, a mystery thriller,and 2020’sBulbbul, a supernatural suspense film, both of them now streaming on Netflix. Becoming Chandan Mahto’s right-hand man through an early prison bond and quickly becoming a very pivotal part of the entire story, the loyal Chyawanprash Sahu is given life by Jatin Sarna. The actor has been in countless theater plays, includingHamlet, and had a part in the 2020’sChhalaang, among other film features.
This intoxicating saga of good against evil was brought from paper to screen by a production company called Friday Storytellers, LLP, based in Mumbai, India. Stepping into the right direction by exclusively distributing digital content, founders Neeraj Pandey and Shital Bhatia and the rest of the amazing crew there have brought such works to life likeSecrets of the Koh-i-noor, which explores the real-life story of how a deadly kind of desire brought multiple Indian leaders closer towards finding a special type of diamond and streams currently on Discovery Plus. Also coming soon to the same platform isSecrets of Sinauli: Discovery Of The Century, an adventure into India’s most recent archeological findings.
Besides that, Friday Storytellers has plenty of other exciting shows available for international versions of Disney Plus and Netflix, likeOperation Romeo,which shows how relationships must be formed around India’s current social construct, andBandon Mein Tha Dum!, the latter being a documentary about India’s cricket team in 2020-2021.
Not only is the action-packed drama easy to follow, but the show has also been provided with English voice-overs and English subtitles for American audiences, so it’savailable for crime fansfrom around the world to enjoy. Whatever you watch, do not miss out onKhakee: The Bihar Chapter.
