Brown Review: Karisma Kapoor’s Crime Thriller Is More Exhausting Than Engaging!
Karisma Kapoor starrer Brown is a crime thriller directed by Abhinay Deo. Read our review here.
2.5 / 5
A new crime thriller starring Karisma Kapoor as the lead has been released on Zee5. Directed by Abhinay Rao, the 7-episode series stars Jisshu Sengupta, Helen, Surya Sharma, and Soni Razdan, among others. Titled Brown, the show explores a series of chilling crimes against women, woven into the gripping story of a serial killer. However, the writing has major flaws, but the performances are noteworthy. Here’s a quick review if you are planning to watch it.
Plot
Rita Brown (Karisma Kapoor) is assigned a high-profile murder case involving a woman in her 30s who is brutally killed at her house. Rita Brown takes up the case after staying away from Homicide cases for 2 years. We learn about her alcohol addiction over the next few episodes and the personal traumas of the character. The case takes a drastic turn when a woman is killed in a similar pattern again. Surya Sharma also plays a cop. Jisshu Sengupta is the psychiatrist, Soni Razdan is seen as Rita Brown’s mother, and Helen plays the role of Bartha, a neighbour. The 7-episode series is all about the cases, and it gets disturbing as Rita dives deep into the investigation. The show simultaneously deals with the emotional struggles of Karisma Kapoor and Surya Sharma’s characters.
The Weak Points
Writing, Screenplay
The narrative is stretched out over the span of 7 episodes. This could very well have been a crisper series with fewer episodes. Each episode is approximately 40-50 minutes long, but this run time is not used to its highest potential. The story moves very slowly, and every episode has very little to reveal, which starts to feel frustrating after the 3rd episode. There are a lot of fillers in the story through scenes and characters, but after such a tiring watch, the finale is not well-connected to give us a satisfactory end. There are various loopholes. While the show picks up various themes and tropes like a disturbing crime against women, an emotionally broken woman and a man working in an equally challenging profession as cops, and a serial killer, the story does not commit to or engage in depth, despite taking up so much of our time.
Predictibility
The narrative had potential, but only if it had more clarity for the central motif. The case and investigation in question are not smart writing; instead, it’s very predictable in nature. The characters are so black and white, and we are given so much time to solve the cases ourselves, that it’s easy to have a bleak or, in some cases, a clear idea about the killer. In short, there is too much beating around the bush. When the narrative shifts to the personal life struggles of the two characters, Rita Brown and Inspector Arjun Sinha (Surya Sharma), their stories feel undercooked and are not emotionally immersive.
Characters
We yet again see a broken and traumatised woman in the role of a cop, a male-dominated profession. The character is nothing extraordinary in terms of writing, nor does it particularly have any female gaze to it. There lies a similar problem in the characterisation of the antagonist, or Rita Brown’s mother, played by Soni Razdan. Helen’s character, Bertha, was also left underutilised, and it was limited to just reiterating that women of her age can go back to dating life too. But only if it was done better! The characters of the show are not memorable!
Also Read: They Will Kill You Review: Zazie Beetz’ Starrer Horror-Thriller Is All Gore And Nothing More!
The Strong Points
Performances
All the actors have done a good job. Karisma Kapoor, as the brave, yet emotionally unstable Rita Brown, has done justice to her character. Jisshu Sengupta has also nailed his grey character. He makes sure we feel uncomfortable every time he is on-screen! Surya Sharma has also done a commendable job.
Real World Setting
It was quite a relief to see that the show was shot in the real locations of Kolkata. There is a certain sense of depth and character that automatically gets added to the show’s narrative. The narrow lanes, the hustle-bustle of the city, and the city’s architecture elevated the watching experience!
Verdict
Brown will stream on Zee5 on June 5. Just make sure you have a lot of patience!
First Published: June 05, 2026 1:10 PM
