'Raakh' Review Round-Up: Ali Fazal Anchors a Haunting 1978-Set Crime Thriller Inspired by the Ranga-Billa Case

Some crimes never fully fade from a nation's memory, and the 1978 abduction that inspired the new web series Raakh remains among the most haunting in India's modern history. Streaming from mid-June, the series revisits that dark chapter through a fictionalised lens, anchored by a measured central performance from Ali Fazal and helmed by director Prosit Roy, who approaches the grim material with notable restraint rather than sensationalism.

Set in the late 1970s and inspired by the infamous case involving the kidnapping and murder of two young siblings in Delhi, Raakh arrives at a moment when the appetite for true-crime-adjacent storytelling on Indian streaming platforms is at an all-time high. What distinguishes it, according to early reviews, is its refusal to exploit the horror at its core, choosing instead to dwell on the trauma, fear and aftermath that ripple outward from a single atrocity.

A story rooted in real tragedy

The series draws from a case that gripped and horrified the country, following the kidnapping of a brother and sister and the nationwide manhunt that ensued. Rather than confining itself to the perpetrators, the narrative widens its lens to encompass the victims and their families, the lead police investigator, and the murderers themselves, complete with a backstory that attempts to understand without ever excusing.

Ali Fazal portrays a sub-inspector at the heart of the investigation, and reviewers have credited him with anchoring the drama through its bleakest passages. The supporting cast, which includes Sonali Bendre, Aamir Bashir, Rakesh Bedi, Divyendu Bhattacharya and others, fleshes out a world in which institutional procedure collides with raw human grief.

Restraint as a creative choice

Among the most frequently praised aspects of Raakh is its handling of the most disturbing elements of the source material. Critics have singled out the decision to depict a crime involving sexual violence without ever showing the act itself, a choice that reflects a creative and ethical discipline not always evident in the genre. The series instead foregrounds the psychological imprint of the crime, the lingering fear and the trauma that outlast the headlines.

One review described the show as not an easy watch but a worthwhile one, congratulating the creative team for engaging with such harrowing subject matter responsibly. The emphasis on emotional and psychological consequence over graphic spectacle has been framed as the series' defining strength, allowing it to linger in the viewer's mind long after the final episode.

Pacing as the central debate

Not every assessment has been unreserved. Some reviewers found the series to be a competent but somewhat distant procedural, noting that its slow-burn approach, while effective in building atmosphere, occasionally tips into sluggishness. Several episodes were said to stretch individual scenes longer than necessary, testing the patience of viewers accustomed to brisker storytelling.

This tension, between the deliberate pacing that lends the show its weight and the risk of that same pacing dampening momentum, has emerged as the central point of critical debate. For some, the unhurried rhythm is precisely what allows the dread to accumulate; for others, it occasionally undercuts the gripping potential of the material.

• Set in the late 1970s, inspired by a notorious Delhi kidnapping case
• Directed by Prosit Roy; Ali Fazal plays the lead investigator
• Cast includes Sonali Bendre, Aamir Bashir and Rakesh Bedi
• Praised for depicting violence without graphic on-screen exploitation
• Common criticism centres on uneven, sometimes sluggish pacing

Taken together, the early reception positions Raakh as a serious, sober addition to the streaming landscape, a series more interested in consequence than in shock. In an era where crime dramas often compete on the intensity of their violence, its willingness to look away from the act and towards the wound it leaves behind feels like a deliberate, even principled, statement. Whether audiences embrace its measured tempo or chafe against it, the series has already secured its place among the most talked-about streaming releases of the month.

The NE Times View

Drawing on the Ranga-Billa case is delicate work, and the praise for restraint suggests Prosit Roy resisted the lurid temptations of true crime. Ali Fazal anchoring a slow-burn period thriller is exactly the kind of patient, performance-led storytelling Indian streaming too rarely backs. Pacing flags are fair, but a series willing to unsettle rather than sensationalise a real tragedy deserves the benefit of the doubt.

This article is original commentary and analysis by The NE Times. Background facts were referenced from Free Press Journal, Hollywood Reporter India, WION.