In the latest web series about a dysfunctional family, a young woman begins to suspect that her father has killed her mother. Sana (Samara Tijori) is the troubled daughter of the doctors Gunwant (Upasana Singh) and Balraj (Boman Irani). When Sana hears that Gunwant has fallen off the bed and died, she declares that Balraj is responsible.
Sana has reasons to believe Balraj’s guilt without any proof. Of imposing bulk and menacing manner, Balraj’s bedside manner isn’t exactly comforting. The father and daughter have a back story that dances back into view as Sana starts digging around for evidence.
Sana’s sister Sanjana (Manjari Fadnis) sides with Balwant, while her brother Sanjeev (Veer Rajwant Singh) is ambivalent. With the help of a friendly policeman (Manu Rishi Chaddha) and a friend (Akashdeep Arora), Sana unleashes her inner Sherlock Holmes, even if it means jeopardising her father’s reputation.
Masoom, which is out on Disney+ Hotstar, is an official remake of the British show Blood. The Indian adaptation has been written by Satyam Tripathy and directed by Mihir Desai.
There’s no shortage of web series about families with dark secrets, for whom a crime sets off a maelstrom of suspicion, repressed memories and guilt. Masoom, which is stacked with both over-stewed and half-cooked scenes, adds little to this type of show.
Even as a suspense thriller, the show barely does the hard work needed to justify Sana’s agonised quest for the truth. The question of whether Sana is justified in accusing Balraj or is being gaslit by her family soon loses its potency, as does the casting of Boman Irani in his first web series.
Irani has previously played a man with a nasty side to far greater effect in the films Everybody Says I’m Fine! and Don. In Masoom, Irani’s permanently hulking-and-sulking Balraj is too unitonal to be anything but the baddie of Sana’s nightmares.
Samara Tijori has a suitably nervy presence, while Manjari Fadnis has some bright moments as Sana’s equally troubled sister. Manu Rishi Chaddha would have been in a shoo-in as Balraj, but is saddled with tackling a crime that may not be one as well as a criminal lack of screen time.
