36 Days Review: Mystery Series is Surprising But Unimpressive

The official Indian adaptation of the UK show 35 Days, this Sony LIV series is produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India. The series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 35-40 minutes.

When a mysterious woman moves into an affluent community, she starts to wreak havoc in their lives. Filled to the brim with their own individual issues and problems, the series explores their personal stories as we try to understand how this new woman gets murdered 36 days after she arrives in the community.

I like the concept of 36 Days – where we know a heinous crime is about to take place and we go back to a point in time when this mess started. Giving us a thorough look into the lives of the inhabitants of this affluent community, the series gives us an in-depth look into the fragmented and complicated lives of these people, none of whom can be called good or moral in any way. The series’ concept is its biggest winner because you know that Farah is going to die in the end but who among these neighbours has reason enough to commit murder? That question keeps us all guessing till the end as things get more and more complicated.

The series holds on to a good pace, making us slowly know (and hate) these characters as they go from bad to worse. Even the “good” ones have skeletons in their closets, making us suspect everyone. As we move through the incidents that will result in Farah’s death, the murkiness gets to us because of the dark and gritty cinematography that helps to paint that picture perfectly. Apart from that, there are a lot of moments that will leave us fearful of what these people are capable of, considering the circumstances in which they find themselves.

That being said, 36 Days tries to do a lot in its short runtime. With only 35 minutes to give per episode, we look at many things – from mental health issues to gender identity and transphobia. The sheer number of things bog the runtime down significantly and I feel like we don’t give these topics enough time to shine. That leaves many plot holes for us to jump over, resulting in a tiring and confusing experience. The ending feels rushed and comes out all of a sudden while Sharib Hashmi and Amruta Khanvilkar’s storyline gets a little too much time for no reason.

The last two episodes drop one new twist after another and feel really stuffed with exposition. Some of them don’t make a lot of sense because they are not given time to be explored and are just dumped on us suddenly. I think the twist would’ve made sense if we had given it enough time but considering how it stands, I think it was very odd. Plus, there were other storylines that felt so out of left field that they were hilariously dumb, especially the Shernaz Patel and Kenneth Desai storyline. Similarly, the series leaves us with many unanswered questions because it focuses too much on unnecessary moments instead of answering the important ones.

With a talented ensemble cast, 36 Days features some great performances. Although I did feel Neha Sharma to be a bit lacking sometimes, I found everyone else to be so good that it made me want to know about their family issues more! Sharma’s character, at first, is showcased such that it sometimes makes you wonder whether she is a spirit or not, however, Farah’s end, which is hyped over so many episodes, becomes a rather unimpressive conclusion that cuts off suddenly.

36 Days Review: Final Thoughts

36 Days has its moments that will arrest you thoroughly, especially as you try to decipher who could’ve murdered Farah. However, the series isn’t able to balance its many storylines, ending in the last episode becoming sort of an exposition dump rushing towards concluding everything quickly. A bit more balance would’ve made for a grittier watch but the series does take you by surprise regardless.

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