Mumbai, January 30, 2026
The web series ‘Daldal’ begins with the promise of a gripping crime thriller but gradually sinks into its own narrative swamp. While the trailer hinted at sharp suspense, the series ultimately focuses more on emotional trauma than on maintaining mystery.
📖 Story Overview
Set in Mumbai, Daldal revolves around DCP Rita Ferreira (Bhumi Pednekar) of the Mumbai Crime Branch and her first major case. Rita spends eight weeks undercover as a school teacher in a red-light area, uncovering a child trafficking racket. The successful operation earns her a promotion, but her colleague Vikram Sathe (Chinmay Mandlekar) is overlooked, breeding resentment.
Rita herself is dealing with unresolved childhood trauma, an unstable personal life, and a failing relationship. As she attempts to move on emotionally, Mumbai is shaken by a series of murders. Rita is tasked with solving the serial killing case, seeing it as a chance to prove herself once again.
Running parallel is the story of Sajid (Aditya Rawal), a drug addict, and his partner Anita aka Anant (Samara Tijori). Whether Rita can catch the killer, save her relationship, and how Sajid and Anita fit into the larger puzzle forms the core of the narrative.
🧩 A Confused Narrative
The biggest issue with Daldal is its unclear thematic focus. The series shifts from child trafficking to serial killings and finally turns into a story about trauma survivors. By the end, viewers are left unsure about what the show truly wants to say.
Adding to the problem, the makers reveal major secrets as early as the second episode, draining the suspense from the remaining five episodes. What follows feels like an emotional drag rather than a gripping crime investigation.
🎭 Performances
Bhumi Pednekar portrays Rita with restraint and internalized pain, and her commitment to such a subdued role deserves appreciation. However, due to the way the character is written, she appears emotionally similar throughout the series.
Samara Tijori is effective in a few scenes but tends to be overdramatic elsewhere. Aditya Rawal spends most of the series portraying an intoxicated character, which unfortunately fails to leave a strong impact.
Chinmay Mandlekar plays an intentionally irritating role convincingly. Geeta Agrawal stands out as Indu Mahatre, Rita’s colleague. Supporting actors including Ananth Mahadevan, Rahul Bhatt, Saurabh Goyal, and Vijay Krishna deliver decent performances in limited screen time.
🎥 Direction & Technical Aspects
Director Amrit Raj Gupta struggles to manage multiple storylines, resulting in a scattered narrative. Attempted misdirection about the killer’s identity fails to surprise a modern audience.
Visually, several episodes suffer from poor lighting, making faces difficult to see. Repeated flashbacks become irritating rather than impactful, and the last two episodes feel unnecessarily stretched. The background score remains repetitive, offering little emotional variation.
⭐ What Works & What Doesn’t
Positives:
Some crime scenes effectively create mild tension
A few emotionally grounded characters
Flashback sequences are well-produced
Negatives:
Weak suspense despite a crime-thriller setup
Predictable twists revealed too early
Overextended runtime across seven episodes
⭐ Rating
⭐ 3.5 / 5
🧾 Final Verdict
Daldal works best in isolated crime sequences but falters as a suspense-driven web series. While Bhumi Pednekar’s performance and select characters hold attention, the lack of mystery and overemphasis on emotional suffering dilute the impact.
If you’re looking for a tightly packed crime thriller, even a single-episode crime show may offer a better experience. Daldal is watchable only if you’re curious about Bhumi Pednekar in a different role or have nothing new lined up for the weekend.
