Mohanagar review: Well-written characters, excellent performances make this series an entertaining watch

The Hoichoi series Mohanagar by Ashfaque Nipun revolves around occurrences that take place over seven hours inside a Dhaka police station one night. The nail-biting eight-episode show not only successfully recreates a real-time unfolding of these events but also keeps the audience glued to the screen thanks to strong performances, puzzling twists and well-written and entertaining dialogue.

As the series begins, the audience is introduced to OC Harun (Mosharraf Karim), a police officer who smoothly manipulates crime scenes in order to further his own interests, while sub-inspector Moloy Kumar (Mostafizur Noor Imran), Harun’s dutiful albeit simple-minded junior, is baffled by his superior’s methods, especially in the case of a person who has been accused of trespassing.

As the series slowly begins to expose the flaws in the system, Afnan Chowdhury (Shamol Mawla), the son of a powerful influential industrialist, gets picked up by the police in a hit-and-run case. Whether it was truly an accident or a homicide remains a mystery as the crime scene is presented from different perspectives at various points while keeping the audience in the dark right until the end.

Afnan’s father soon makes arrangements to ensure that Harun handles the case without Afnan having to seek the help of a lawyer. However, Harun is not content with simply complying with the diktats of the powerful. Nipun has written Harun’s character with the objective of not only baffling the other characters but also the viewers.

The series' plot doesn’t progress linearly. While Afnan’s sub-plot is the primary one, Mohanagar also follows Abir Hassan (Khairul Bashar), an unfortunate individual who gets detained by Harun for no apparent reason and Kaiser (Nasir Uddin Khan) a regular visitor to the jail.

Nipun deserves credit for introducing truly grey and psychologically deep characters.

While Nipun knows how to give each of the actors ample space, it is Mosharraf Karim who commands attention every second he's on the screen. His eyes do all the talking and his swift dramatic change in voice modulation and body language make for a thoroughly entertaining viewing experience.

Both Harun and Kaiser use some stock phrases and expressions, but they never come across as repetitive or boring. Nasir Uddin Khan is another strong actor, who makes his presence felt in a relatively minor role while Shamol Mawla does justice to his character of a privileged spoilt brat who doesn't think twice before taking every individual around him for granted. Imran very naturalistically transforms from a timid sub-inspector into a law enforcer determined to save an innocent who is on the verge of being sacrificed in order to save a powerful criminal.

Both Zakia Bari Mamo, as the assistant commissioner of the police station, as well as Basar give consistent performances.

Barkat Hossain Polash’s camerawork entirely transports us inside the mysterious environs of the police station, which is a character unto itself. His cinematography also captures the characters in their element, continuously waging inner battles and carrying out deceptions.

HM Sohel’s editing sometimes appears a bit rushed, not allowing the audience to fully savour the sudden twists, especially in the end.

Jahid Nirob’s background score amplifies the underlying suspense of the series.

Until the last episode, the series keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat; and after a certain revelation, it creates anticipation with the promise of a season. Nipun's had delivered a serious yet entertaining drama that is rooted in reality and scathing in its denouncement of power politics and the loophole-ridden system.

Mohanagar is being streamed on Hoichoi.