13 Mussoorie : Small town murder mysteries and thrillers have always been able to capture the audience's interest. Viu comes up with its original, 13 Mussoorie, which stars Shriya Pilgaonkar, Viraf Patel, Naved Aslam and others. The concept is interesting
Small town murder mysteries and thrillers have always been able to capture the audience’s interest. Viu comes up with its original, 13 Mussoorie, which stars Shriya Pilgaonkar, Viraf Patel, Naved Aslam and others. The concept is interesting. Shriya plays Aditi, the daughter of a celebrated police officer, Ajay Bisht, and wife of cop Rishi Pant (Patel). Ajay was the police officer investigating a serial murderer, known only as Aks, but could never find out the truth. Many years later, as Ajay dies, Aditi comes across a secret that doesn’t just place her father too close to the serial killer but people start dying as she tries to unravel the mystery.
The streaming networks need a good murder mystery and Viu completes this requirement. The script and the concept are very different from the usual trope that we see, so that should interest the audience. Thankfully, the series is not as self-aware or bound with clichés like the other Indian murder mysteries are. The screen play is fast paced and doesn’t lag anywhere through the episodes.
13 Mussoorie is one of the few web series that are reminiscent of the old school of detection, where the character goes about rough and tumbling until he or she gets clues which reveal to them the truth. Bringing that to screen is a forgotten art, and 13 Mussoorie does it well.
What’s Wow: Shriya Pilgaonkar gives a good, understated performance. Viraf Patel does a good job. Naved Aslam’s character stays with the audiences. Director Abhijeet Das does a good job of bringing the small town aspect of the thriller series. It’s no wonder that Abhijeet has been roped in to direct one short film from an anthology of horror short films that will release soon.
What’s Blah: While the basic concept is a good one, the premise seems a bit off. Hardcore mystery aficionados will dig out loopholes in the story, and some might call out the convenient writing.
Cast: Shriya Pilgaonkar, Viraf Patel, Naved Aslam
Director: Abhijeet Das
Parting Shot: A good addition to the thriller playlists
13 Mussoorie will soon stream on Viu