Brinda starts with a young girl searching for her brother. They live amidst a forest, and are connected with Mother Nature. However, an unknown disease strikes the village. But what really proves to be the village’s undoing is superstition, and the young girl escapes from the clutches of menacing villagers who want to sacrifice her to appease a God. No points for guessing who this girl grows up to be. However, director Surya Manoj Vangala, who has written Brinda along with Padmavathi Malladi, isn’t just invested in the travails of the titular character. And that proves to be both the advantage, and more than just a slight disadvantage to the series.
Despite a rather explosive start, the series doesn’t push things too fast, and allows the narrative to breathe. We see Brinda (Trisha) making tender steps into the police station where she is stationed only because the Government mandated the station to have a woman Sub-Inspector. There is a misogynistic senior cop who is corrupt and a credit-stealer. There are other officers who are more interested in appeasing their seniors, and have no time to understand Brinda and her predicament. In the same police station, there is Sarathi (Ravindra Vijay), who is a mix of both, but is also sensitive to Brinda. Now, again, you might think there is the possibility of this relationship going you-know-where, but the arc it takes is even more special. The writing takes time to establish these players, and it is completely worth it because the situation allows Brinda to be a competent sleuth. When a body surfaces in a river, and everyone wants to write it off as a suicide, Brinda nonchalantly points out that it was a murder. And from here, starts a cat-and-mouse game that encompasses eight long episodes.
Trisha plays Brinda in director Manoj Surya Vangala’s debut series.
The highlight of Brinda is definitely how the investigation happens organically. It is a lot of grunt work, a bit of coincidence, and a thirst for uncovering truth. It is a welcome detour from series and films where the protagonist finds a clue just because they are the protagonist. Here, Brinda walks in and out of libraries, talks to a lot of people, tracks their movements, and uses her forensic knowledge to get to the bottom of things. It is this thorough investigation that introduces Anand (Indrajith Sukumaran), who becomes a confidant of sorts after a while. Soon enough, we also see the killer (Anandsami) preying on his next victim. Just like how Brinda isn’t just about Trisha’s character coming to terms with her past, the series isn’t about ‘who’ the killer is. It is all about the ‘why’ and we will get back to that in some time. Another subversion in the writing is when this intelligence isn’t just relegated to Brinda but also extended to Sarathi. Despite the name, Sarathi isn’t just the charioteer to Brinda, but an equal partner. This lends the series a lot of credibility, and enough heft as Brinda pieces together information to come to a conclusion that it is a serial killer on the loose. Once again, Surya Manoj Vangala sets the right premise, and goes one step further with the next revelation, and piques our intrigue.
This facet of Brinda is what makes the series tick. There is always something else under the sleeve of the makers, and this game of hide and seek with the audience works for the longest time… till the cards crumble under the weight of making this series into 8 episodes. Brinda’s familial issues with her adoptive parents and step-sister act, and the entire narrative surrounding them is testing and disengaging. The multiple flashbacks to understand what drives the various characters become one too many too. Even when the series builds up to an emotional crescendo, it doesn’t really connect well because none of the relationships are allowed to develop in the series. There are a lot of relationships explored in the series, but barring a pivotal one based on companionship, nothing else is really fleshed out. This lack of connection converts into a lack of sympathy, and it takes away from the latter part of the series where multiple plot points are unraveled.
But one aspect that truly connects us to Brinda is the wonderful performances of its principal cast. Trisha stands tall in Brinda, and it is one of her finest performances to date. Almost every aspect of her performance feels refreshing, and it is wonderful to see Trisha deliver the goods in an author-backed role. The same holds good for Ravindra Vijay, Anandsami, and Rakendu Mouli, who all are perfectly cast in roles that offer enough meat. While Indrajith does have a prominent role to play, the writing doesn’t allow him to flourish enough, and we are, unfortunately, left wanting for more. Another important takeaway from Brinda is undoubtedly the visuals of the series, and the trippy title score by Shakthikanth Karthik.
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Brinda goes into dangerous areas, especially when it enters the realm of religion and superstition. While the series does point out flaws in multiple religions, it blames people trying to make a quick buck out of religion and not the religion itself. Further, it does a good job of showing a mirror to society about the dangers of fanaticism. But there are aspects that needed to be spelled out more or explored further to not leave any stone unturned when it comes to such conversations. Criticising blind faith is a good thing, and of course, the series does tie together everything, and puts a neat bow on top. But yeah… Brinda is bound to create conversations, and hopefully, constructive ones.
Brinda cast: Trisha, Ravindra Vijay, Indrajith Sukumaran, Anandsami
Brinda director: Surya Manoj Vangala
Brinda rating: 3 stars
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