Commander Karan Saxena Review: This Gurmeet Choudhary Thriller Has More Romance Than Thrill!
Commander Karan Saxena starring Gurmeet Choudhary, Hruta Durgule and Iqbal Khan is streaming on Disney+Hotstar, but is it worth watching?
1.5 / 5
Well, who doesn’t get excited with the Indo-Pak plot? Nothing can go wrong while showing the intense clash between the two countries. However, it takes a lot to ruin this much-loved and exciting plot. And, when it gets messy, it’s too much to handle. That’s exactly what happened in the Jatin Wagle directorial, Commander Karan Saxena. This “thriller” series features Gurmeet Choudhary, Hruta Durgule, and Iqbal Khan in the lead roles. Hruta Durgule made her Hindi debut with this much-anticipated series. Moreover, this series is adapted from Amit Khan’s novel of the same name. It has 20 episodes but still couldn’t fulfil the thrill factor. So, if you were planning to watch this series, here’s our review to help you make a wise decision.
The Plot Of Commander Karan Saxena
Commander Karan Saxena, a spy from RAW is on a mission to solve a big mystery involving politics and betrayal. Nasir and Javed are trying to gain an advantage by starting the Black Day plan. In Mumbai, a dead RAW agent is discovered, and the tables take a turn when Commander Karan Saxena steps up to investigate. At the same time, ISI agent Javed begins activating sleeper cells, indicating a potential danger ahead. Commander Karan Saxena must navigate through this complex web of lies and danger to uncover the truth and protect his country. However, amidst all the tension, love blooms between Karan and Rachna Mhatre. Rachna Mhatre is a police officer who’s been assigned to help the commander complete his mission. What happens to their love story? Will they be able to save the nation from ISI agent Javed? As the stakes rise and tensions escalate, his skills and courage will be put to the ultimate test in this high-stakes mission filled with twists and turns.
Performances
Gurmeet Choudhary As Karan Saxena: Gurmeet Choudhary’s performance as Karan Saxena, felt like I was watching a broken record on repeat. It was totally a loop of the same old expressions throughout the 20 episodes. Also, couldn’t see the heroism and powerful aura of the commanders in him. The performance was average and didn’t add any flavour to the series. Needless to say, his portrayal of the character failed to leave a mark.
Hruta Durgule As Rachna Mhatre: Hruta played the role of high spirited and confident cop. She did a good job portraying her character however, sometimes it felt like a raita phail gaya moment as her timing seemed a bit off. Otherwise, her on-screen presence was impressive and her facial expressions were apt! Rachna and Karan’s chemistry also fell short and looked forced and cringe TBH!
Iqbal Khan As Nasir Khan: Well, the villain didn’t seem like a villain to me at all. Although his voice played a good role in showcasing his character, it didn’t create a sense of terror or shock as negative characters are supposed to do. Having said that his onscreen presence wasn’t very impressive and looked bland and mediocre to me.
Verdict: Commander Karan Saxena Fails To Create Thrill And Serves Mediocre Acting
Honestly, how could you go wrong with such an impressive plot? India-Pakistan’s clash is one of the most loved storylines and always produces moments which give the viewers a thrill and goosebumps! The entire series was like a first-year college student’s failed short film. Starting with the unnecessary zoom-in camera shots of the actor’s biceps and arms. As a viewer, I want to focus on the storyline, and characters and not these unwanted zoom-in shots. The angles were so off and made you question, were the makers interested in creating the series. The cinematography fell flat and couldn’t create an intense situation as anticipated. Next, the storyline seemed so messy and the episodes couldn’t connect the dots with the previous ones. From mediocre acting to boring dialogues, the series was as boring as it could get.
Romance is indeed a must in our lives, however, it’s better to keep it as far as possible from such spy thrillers. Concluding their journey with the pair getting together and the cliche happy ending was an immediate turnoff! Also, the duration of the episodes felt way too short. Starting with the intro and ending with the next episode’s information, the makers gave hardly 15 minutes to the storylines. Am I supposed to watch a short film? Moreover, the action sequences looked unnatural and weren’t exciting to watch. Apart from the lead actor, even the supporting cast’s dialogue delivery was weird. It felt like they were forced to act and deliver. Well, the only positive thing about the series was the background music which tried to uplift its messy storylines and bad acting. And, the last few episodes did bring a sense of intrigue and created a bit of anticipation. However, even though the soundtrack tried to create an intense atmosphere it was terribly ruined by the cringe dialogues and expressionless acting. So, if you were looking forward to an intense thriller Indo-Pak story, you might have to skip this one!
First Published: August 07, 2024 1:10 PM
