Streaming On: Amazon Prime Video
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Nithya Menen, Amit Sadh, Ivana Kaur, Resham Shrivardhan, Saiyami Kher, Nizhalgal Ravi, Plabita Borthakur, Hrishikesh Joshi, Shrikant Verma, Shradha Kaul, Varin Rupani, Pawan Singh, Kuljeet Singh and Shruti Bapna.
Breathe: Into The Shadows takes forward the brand name of Breathe (2018). While Breathe: Into The Shadows takes forward the story of Breathe and keeps some of his old characters intact, it also introduces new characters. The narrative underlines the same concept i.e. “How far you can go for your family?” but this time it has new central characters. Abhishek Bachchan has replaced R. Madhavan and Nithya Menen has replaced Sapna Pabbi. Saiyami Kher is also new while Amit Sadh & Hrishikesh Joshi stay intact.
So the story is about Avinash Sabharwal, his wife Abha and daughter Siya. After Siya gets kidnapped, the kidnapper wants Avinash to kill some people for him. Now those who have seen Breathe (2018) understand how heavy and thrilling that show gets. R Madhavan and the concept of that show was totally killer and it was tough to watch it without taking multiple breaks. And let me tell you, Breathe: Into The Shadows takes you on a similar ride.
As you start watching the show, you’ll notice that the identity of the kidnapper is not the real suspense. There are some really big clues thrown by the writers right from the beginning which even make you feel like the drama is predictable. Once the identity of the kidnapper is revealed, the horizon of the story widens. Things start going deeper and the good part is that even when you think that you know where everything is going, it holds some genuine surprises. The layered and warped storyline holds some legit merits like it shares some important, fascinating, and even disturbing details about mental illness.
Abhishek Bachchan shines and surprises as he gives one of the topmost performances of his career. His layered and warped character discovers a new side of his talent which no one of us had seen earlier. Nithya Menen is excellent as Abha. She is so effortlessly amazing in this one. Amit Sadh plays his character efficiently. Saiyami Kher has a small role but it’s impactful.
Mayank Sharma‘s direction is very good. The Shadows is nothing extraordinary on the OTT but it has got its good share of chills and thrills which surely keep you entertained. The screenplay is that despite dealing with so many complexities, it’s easy to understand what’s going on and relate to the characters. The script has been written in a way to make both mass and critical cinema happy.
Rating: 7/10
