Daldal Review: Bhumi Pednekar’s Crime Drama Is The Ultimate Test Of Your Patience!
Here's our review of Daldal starring Bhumi Pednekar, Samara Tijori, and others.
2 / 5
The trailer for Bhumi Pednekar’s Daldal left a positive mark on a lot of people. We were excited to see her back on screen, and our expectations climbed way too high. Now, after finishing all seven episodes of this Prime Video series directed by Amrit Raj Gupta, co-starring Aditya Rawal, Samara Tijori, and Jaya Bhattacharya, here’s my honest take on it. So, read on!
Plot
Based on Vish Dhamija’s book Bhendi Bazaar, the series follows DCP Rita Ferreira, played by Bhumi Pednekkar. She’s this quiet, tough woman who’s carrying a lot of guilt from her past and has to track down a brutal serial killer. As the death toll keeps on increasing, she gets slammed with pressure from an old-school, male-dominated police system. On top of that, her own inner struggles and traumas keep pulling her down and messing with her head and work. Will she be able to track down the killer through all the twists and turns? You’ll have to watch to find out, as I’m keeping this review spoiler-free!
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Performances
The acting in this series has some strong points and a few weak ones. Bhumi Pednekar’s portrayal of Rita Ferreira is uneven, often flat and repetitive, and makes the character feel monotonous. With minimal dialogue, her work depends on facial expressions and subtle gestures, which don’t always feel convincing. The real issue lies in the script. It keeps Rita so emotionally guarded that she rarely shows depth or range.
Special mention to Geeta Agrawal Sharma, who plays Indu Mhatre, a sub-inspector. She does a solid job and adds a gentle and caring touch that balances the dark tone of the series.
Verdict: This Serial Killer Chase Could Have Been Summed Up In A Movie, But It’d Still Put You To Sleep!
If you read about this plot on paper, it feels like it could really keep you on the edge. A traumatised female lead going after a serial killer while battling s*xism and her inner demons. It totally had the chance to be raw and powerful. The first episodes kept me interested, and I thought something intense was going to happen. But honestly, it loses steam pretty fast. The episodes kept on getting dragged in a manner that made it start feeling like a hassle to keep watching. Sure, it tries to speed up toward the end in the last two episodes, but by that point, a lot of the excitement and patience is lost.
On the other hand, everything feels kind of half-done. The show wants to talk about big things like how trauma connects the cop and the killer and the fight to break through in a rough, male-dominated space. Unfortunately, it never goes deep enough, and packing them into one story makes it messy.
Even the action scenes feel a bit weird. They try hard to link Rita and the villain through their shared pain, but it does not connect well, and the emotional punch gets lost. Plus, it leans heavily on things we’ve seen a million times before, like the burnt-out cop, the s*xist boss, and twists you can spot from a mile away. It just feels like a collection of clichés rather than a fresh take on the genre.
The production value is decent but nothing that will blow you away. The background score tries its best to elevate the suspense and mood, and I genuinely liked it. Overall, it could have been something more, but it settles for being just “okay” and forgettable. If you don’t mind the wait, you can give it a try. Otherwise, you might finish it feeling a bit underwhelmed.
It’s currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
First Published: January 30, 2026 7:41 AM
