Themountains are always mysterious and there are several folklores surrounding themystic valleys in India. Playing upon one of the conspiracy theories, directorAshish R Shukla comes up with Candy, a murder mystery in the Himalayas setagainst the backdrop of drugs, corruption, redemption, monsters, cops, mastersand the students. The premise is about how a murder impacts the ones in powerand brings them all under the radar of law.
Theseries is split into 8 episodes with an approximate run time of 5 hours plus.However, the story telling is gripping from the word go and the directormanages to hold the attention for a major chunk of the narrative.
Thereare a couple of loose ends in the fourth and fifth episode, however, the twistsand turns grips you into the narrative from the sixth episode onwards. Whilethe unfolding of core conflict is a little predictable, the finale is somethingthat comes across as a shocking surprise. The cinematography takes us throughthe beautiful locales and also brings in the requisite darkness to thenarrative on screen as demanded by the script.
Thedialogues are solid as the team has managed to crack the right balance betweenkeeping them real and bringing a larger-than-life touch. Much like Undekhi(Ashish’s earlier digital venture), there is a unique multi-dimensionalstorytelling template that’s at the display here, switching from the story ofone character to the other.
Thecosy arrangement is shaken up by the gruesome death of a student, which isblamed on a masked forest-dwelling serial killer called Masaan. School teacherJayant (Ronit Roy) is deeply affected by the teenager’s demise. Jayant hasn’tyet overcome his daughter’s suicide, and he leaps into the investigation whenthe student’s girlfriend Kalki (Riddhi Kumar) says that she has been attackedby Masaan. It is suggested that she isn’t the only one.
IsMasaan a figment of the imagination, a result of Candy’s effect on the brain?Or is the creature a creation of Ranaut, who will go to any lengths to maintaincontrol of his fiefdom? The show’s creators cast the net of suspicion far andwide.
Candyis a well-made murder mystery that rides on the towering performances of RonitRoy and Richa Chadha with an element of unpredictability towards the end.