In this review by Monojit Lahiri, a relentless Bengali crime thriller unfolds with raw performances, fearless direction, and a narrative that exposes power, corruption, and female resistance in a brutal system. A must-watch for genre lovers.

Anusandhan, a seven-episode Bengali crime thriller streaming on Hoichoi and produced by SVF Films, directed by Aditi Roy and led by a powerhouse performance from Subhashree Ganguly, is a dark, immersive exploration of corruption, power, women’s incarceration, and investigative journalism gone wrong. With its atmospheric storytelling, high-impact emotional graph, strong female protagonist, and tightly woven narrative, the series appeals to fans of intense thrillers, character-driven dramas, and Bengali web originals. This review examines the series’ thematic depth, cinematic craft, performances, and the director’s bold vision that makes Anusandhan a compelling addition to India’s growing OTT landscape.

A 7-Episode Descent Into Shadowlands

A seven-episode, Bengali-language web series produced by SVF Films and directed by Aditi Roy, Anusandhan dropped on Hoichoi on November 7 and, quite frankly, hit me like a sledgehammer. The great Marlon Brando was once reputed to have said that acting is ultimately “the lie that tells the truth.” He meant imaginative empathy — the craft of feeling rather than emulating. Subhashree Ganguly seems to have taken that credo straight to her bloodstream. In this dark, relentless crime thriller, she unleashes a catatonic, lived-in performance that not only affirms her versatility but also her creative hunger to always fly high, with or without a safety net, into new voyages of discovery.

Her arc is startlingly layered: a fiercely committed investigative journalist who stumbles upon terrifying irregularities inside a women’s jail — mysterious pregnancies, unexplained deaths, systemic rot. As she begins connecting the dots, she finds herself framed, incarcerated in the very same prison, tortured, brutalised, yet somehow never broken. The suffocating atmosphere, the tightening noose of corruption in high places, and the fearless fight for justice make this one of the most compulsively watchable Bengali web thrillers of recent times.

Power, Corruption, and a Woman’s Fight to Breathe

Critics may point to uneven pacing or writing loopholes, but I’ve always believed — after having observed and written about cinema for more than fifty years — that audiences don’t experience films the way critics, historians, or researchers do. They watch with their senses, not spreadsheets. They want engagement, absorption, a narrative that holds their attention. And when a serious, issue-based story arrives — well-packaged, emotionally invested, and energetically performed — they give it the respect it deserves.

What elevates Anusandhan further is its uneasy but compelling mix of realism and nightmare. The narrative plunges into the maddening bureaucracy of the carceral system, the murky alliances of those in power, and the way women’s bodies become battlegrounds for corruption.

Subhashree’s performance oscillates between rage, vulnerability, disbelief, and resilience. She could easily have slipped into melodrama, but she chooses internal fire over external frenzy. The result is magnetic.

  

Aditi Roy’s Vision and a Stellar Cast

One of the most remarkable aspects of the series is that this gritty, emotionally violent story is helmed by a gifted young woman director, Aditi Roy. Passion, purpose, and perspective are evident in every frame. There are no shortcuts, no cosmetic detours — she punches straight and hard, letting the ugliness of the system speak for itself. For someone still carving her space in the industry, this is a bold, unflinching calling card.

The ensemble is uniformly strong. Sohini Sengupta, with her deceptively cheerful exterior masking a lethal core, deserves special mention — a female Bob Biswas in spirit and subtlety. The supporting cast holds the narrative with admirable discipline, never allowing the tension to sag.

Anusandhan is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys dark thrillers where atmosphere, performance, and storytelling collide to leave you shaken and stirred.