Gyaarah Gyaarah Season1 :

An intense time-travel thriller with superb performances

Story: The drama follows the local police department as they race against time to seek justice for the town's unsolved cases.

Review: The Indian adaptation of the Korean masterpiece 'Signal,' 'Gyaarah Gyaarah' successfully captures the essence of its predecessor. The premise is unique—two police officers communicating through time via a walkie-talkie that springs to life at 11:11 PM for a fleeting 60 seconds, solving past and present crimes together. Another highlight of the drama is its amazing cast—Raghav Juyal, Kritika Kamra, Dhairya Karwa—who did pretty well. The show had its ups and downs with inconsistent pacing, but it remains an intense and gripping watch until the end.

Set in the mystical hills of Uttarakhand, the story begins 15 years ago when Aditi (Azaya Seth), a young girl, is kidnapped from a fair, and a young Yug (Yug Pandya) witnesses the crime. A few days later, the girl is found dead, and the police are unable to find the culprit. Aditi's mother, Sanjana Tiwari (Gautami Kapoor), fights for justice as time passes. Fifteen years later, Yug (Raghav Juyal) is now a police officer and tries to seek justice for Aditi, but things don't turn in his favour until one day, he finds a walkie-talkie that allows him to contact Shaurya Anthwal (Dhairya Karwa), who is in the past. Meanwhile, Inspector Vamika Rawat (Kritika Kamra) takes charge of solving Aditi's murder before the government decides to close all unsolved cases that are older than 15 years. Will they be able to solve the case together?

Soon after this case, a cold case unit is set up, headed by Vamika and her team of Yug, Balwant Singh (late Nitesh Pandey), and forensic expert Deepali (Preshah Bharti), who are all set on a journey to solve all unresolved cases from the past.

'Gyaarah Gyaarah' has an extremely interesting beginning—a cop from the present time (2016) finds a walkie-talkie and discovers that the person on the other side is also a cop from the past (1990). It is intriguing right from the start to connect the dots and find out what happened in the past and what will happen now in the present, too. These two characters are also the drama's highlight—you'll get attached to them quickly and root for them to solve the cases and their own mysteries, too. The plot is solid, splitting into many instances while focusing on the major one involving the leading trio.

Raghav Juyal is fantastic as an impulsive and determined cop who never misses the point, even when judging someone's body language. His character, Yug, instantly forms a connection with the viewers and keeps you involved in his struggle to seek justice.

Kritika Kamra's Vamika's past, her connection with Anthwal, was quite all over the place initially, as she appeared as a puppy-eyed new officer joining the police department. But as the story progresses, she emerges as an independent, smart, and determined police officer who fights to solve the case and supports her colleagues. Kamra does well in portraying both emotions.

Dhairya Karwa is convincing as the dedicated cop Anthwal, who is at par with Yug. The rest of the supporting cast, including Gautami Kapoor, Harsh Chhaya, Purnendu Bhattacharya, and Mukti Mohan, helps take the narrative forward.

In this eight-episode crime thriller, which will have its next season to unveil many facts from the past and present, the story is full of flashbacks tampering with the drama's pace. However, director Umesh Bist skillfully handles the multiple timelines and maintains a consistent tone throughout the series. The storytelling is impressive, with each era distinctly portrayed, immersing the viewers in the respective timelines. The plot does drag in bits and pieces, but still, it's a solid drama for those who love this time travel genre.