Introduction –
The brother Sister duo ( Sanket & Sarla ) set out to solve the mystery surrounding Mala Coutinho’s murder, owner of a vintage villa in Agonda. The film revolves around finding the murderer and also Sarla’s fight against an incident, a bad choice in the past which has come back to haunt her.
Synopsis –
Murder in Agonda is about brother sister duo and their parallel stories. While Sanket aka Sanku ( Aasif Khan ) is a sub inspector in a nondescript place called Agonda ( Goa ), Sarla ( Shriya Pilgaonkar ) is a retired forensic professional, an expert at cracking murder cases with her uncanny abilities and intelligence.
Sanku is waiting for that big case which will fetch him the title of a police Inspector in the true sense. The much aspired break comes with a bang when Mala Coutinho ( Lillete Dubey ) the owner of vintage Vera Villa is murdered in her house. Sanku narrows down the main culprit, Vishwas (Abhishek Sharma ), a writer and a photographer staying with the Coutinho family ( Husband – Ignatius ( Nasir Abdullah ) and Daughter Shalini ( Chrisanne Periera ) ).
Sanku nabs Vishwas who pleads innocence. Sanku then requests his sister Sarla to help him find the real murderer who herself is reeling from her past love affair with Waheeda ( Kubbra Sait ). Yes, Sarla is a lesbian. Thus begins the roller coaster ride of interrogating Shalini, the rebellious and temperamental daughter, the drunkard husband who cannot walk and the neighbor ( Menezes ) who appears to be hiding behind his chirpy nature and gentleman demeanor.
The series is divided into 5 Episodes –
Episode 1 ( The Dead Never Lie ) – begins with Sanku’s wish of a big break coming true. Mala’s murder provides him that span to reach his goal. However, that is short lived as sister Sarla tells him that Vishwas is not the killer.
Episode 2 ( To be a Daughter ) – offers little progress except for the murder weapon which is found hidden in the bushes. It is a small progress but Sarla consoles her brother. She asks him to keep patience and proceed with some forensic tests.
Episode 3 ( Echoes from the Past ) – points the finger at Shalini, Mala’s troubled daughter. When confronted she blames Vishwas for the tragedy and the fight in the family. However, the murder weapon still remains elusive.
Episode 4 ( All That Glitters ) – opens up more secrets, especially about Mala and Vishwas, and their sexual relationship. A couple of new suspects are also introduced in the form of Nirmala ( Swati Das ), the maid and the caretaker of the villa, and Menezes the neighbor. While Nirmala is brought to the station for interrogation regarding a pricey necklace which goes missing, Sarla questions old Menezes in the adjoining villa.
Episode 5 ( The Thin Line – Finale ) – the finale discloses individual secrets and aspirations of all the characters. It also exposes some of the hidden truths, secret but lethal medicines, plants and assorted pressure tactics. Of course the real murderer is also exposed. However, Sarla’s past also catches up at that very moment.
Check out the series to know the killer and Sarla’s past and how it changed the plot, its meaning, surprising us with an unexpected twist.
Analysis –
First the peeves! The combination of dumb cop ( Sanku ) and smart forensic expert ( Sarla ) fails to impress us. The idea is excellent but the execution lacks intensity. Both appear mediocre in their actions. They perpetually carry an expression of defeat, of failure, of boredom. The second peeve concerns Mala’s death itself. However, discussing the same would giveaway crucial information. Finally, the absence of Nirmala is simply a mystery in itself; she is one of the suspects but remains out of the frame for almost the entire series. In normal circumstances she would have been the number one suspect.
On the technical front, direction could have been much better. Vikram Rai has kept the ideas and expositions to the minimum. Most of the characters offer the same set of expressions and frustrations. There are little variations between these personalities. A pinch of comedy, a dash of satire and some outdoor scenes could have made a big difference. Even the lesbian relationship between Sarla and Waheeda seemed too muffled, too restrained as if they are forced into it.
Deeptak Das and Croc Tales could have improved the story arc and dialogs with punches and intelligent quips instead of just focusing on forensic education. Cinematography is cool, at times excellent, but then it also fails in some places. Except for Menezes ( Asif Ali Beg ) and Chrisanne Periera none of the characters impressed us with their performances.
2022 Vikram Rai Deeptak Das 5 Episodes Amazon Prime