Set in the backdrop of the mystical city of Varanasi, Asur follows Nikhil Nair, a forensic-expert-turned-teacher, who returns to his roots at the CBI (central bureau of Investigation), and along with his former mentor Dhananjay Rajpoot, finds himself caught in a cat-and-mouse game with a brutal serial killer. The story is blend of suspense, mythology and solving the murders of some people totally unrelated.
Asur, a voot original, is according to me, one of the best Indian television or web based series. One of the classiest series ever to be made in India and it is the perfect answer from India to those big studios in the west.
A great series with stunning performances by Barun Sobti and Arshad Warsi, amey wagh and vishesh Bansal.
The series is laced with a lot of mythological undertones especially about the bhagawad Geeta
Shubh Joshi is abused as a child by his father. He is an exceptionally gifted genius with an unparalled intelligence. His father calls him Asur. Since his father is a Priest , all the religion’s texts and scriptures are readily available to him and he start’s developing a keen interest in them. He began to associate himself with the Asur of the Asur mentioned in the Texts. He is jailed for poisoning his father by a CBI officer where he preches his ideology to fellow prisoners who became his followers. So basically he without any proper guidance misinterprets scriptures and envisions that his actions will incite Lord Vishnu for Avatar ( Incarnation ). Which is the core of the series in my personal opinion. There are a lot of references to the bhagawad Geeta and especially the 15 and 16th chapter.
According to me, Asur is a great psychological thriller series which is unique in its own way as it shows heavy usage of forensic science and Hindu mythology. The pacing is right and so is the thrill. The villain is good with a decent build up back story. The performances by the lead cast – Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobti and Ridhi Dogra are also good. The opening theme and ending theme are still echoing in my mind.
It’s a gem in the Indian web series industry due to its unique take on how a genius kid under wrong upbringing can bring destruction.
One thing that I would like to address is that the series has many loopholes or plot holes which can offset some audiences. But this isn’t Nolan’s work and the inaccuracies can be ignored. And a little Bollywood melodrama is also present.
Ending note – If you want to watch a psychological thriller series based on Hindu mythology and forensic science, using a cat and mouse chase between CBI and a serial killer, then Asur is your pick. Also, no sex scenes or graphic scenes are there so it can be watched with family too.
If you hate Bollywood melodrama and can’t stand some ignorable loopholes then this can be passed. Climax is not up to the mark also but still good
In my opinion everyone should see Asur and you should answer the questions the series raises for all humanity in general .
Wordsmith1991 