GAL PALS TACKLE CRIME
THE WEEK India|June 11, 2023
Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's latest heroine is a police officer as feisty as themselves
POOJA BIRAIA JAISWAL
GAL PALS TACKLE CRIME

A plucky lady cop, Anjali Bhaati (Sonakshi Sinha), leads an investigation into the murders of 27 young women across Rajasthan in Amazon Prime Video’s latest crime drama, Dahaad. Back home, her mother regularly presses her to get married. One night, when she brings photographs of prospective grooms, Bhaati, in turn, shows her horrific images of the battered women whose deaths she is investigating. That puts an end to all discussions of marriage.

At work, she faces constant jibes about her caste. Once, she is prevented from entering a minister’s house because he thinks her caste is a bad omen. She barges in and shames the minister in front of her full force. Tasked with leading the investigation, Bhaati observes a pattern: the women are all dressed in bridal wear and found dead inside public toilets, foaming at the mouth. It appears that a serial killer lures poor and emotionally vulnerable girls into marriage and then makes them consume a contraceptive pill laced with cyanide in a hotel room.

This forms the central narrative of Dahaad, created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, in which the duo once again pulls off what they do best: flesh out a story around a strong-willed, feisty and rebellious woman who knows her mind and makes her own rules. Take the previous films which they co-wrote— the light-hearted Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), the neo-noir Talaash (2012) or the disruptive Gully Boy (2019). All of them feature strong and fiery leading ladies, be it Katrina Kaif as an underwater diver, Rani Mukerji as the wife who established an identity for herself outside marriage, or Alia Bhatt as the young and possessive girlfriend.

This story is from the June 11, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the June 11, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE WEEK INDIAView All
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
THE WEEK India

What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?

IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
THE WEEK India

Trump and the crisis of liberalism

Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Men eye the woman's purse
THE WEEK India

Men eye the woman's purse

A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024
When trees hold hands
THE WEEK India

When trees hold hands

A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges

time-read
3 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Ms Gee & Gen Z
THE WEEK India

Ms Gee & Gen Z

The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing

time-read
5 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
THE WEEK India

Vikram Seth-a suitable man

Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Superman bites the dust
THE WEEK India

Superman bites the dust

When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 08, 2024
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
THE WEEK India

OLD MAN AND THE SEA

Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port

time-read
4 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE WEEK India

Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets

THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
THE WEEK India

Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay

AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024