In this Zee5 crime-thriller series, crime journalist Abhishek finds himself in the midst of a perilous game of power and greed when he gets entangled in a dangerous gangster’s misdeeds. Desperate to prove his mettle, what will he give up in order to rise up the ranks?
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Crime Beat Series Cast
Saqib Saleem, Saba Azad, Sai Tamhankar, Rahul Bhat, Adianth Kothare, Danish Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Ranvir Shorey, Addinath Kothare
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Crime Beat Zee5 Directors
Sudhir Mishra, Sanjeev Kaul
The series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 35 minutes and is based on The Price You Pay by Somnath Batabyal.
Crime Beat Review
The problem with Saqib Saleem’s Crime Beat is that it’s the most basic and unimpressive showcase of journalism and crime in a TV show. In recent times, we have seen both in a very impressive light taking us through the grimy underbelly of crime most dramatically and thrillingly. Rahul Bhat’s previous release, Black Warrant, a crime thriller, is a testament to how good storytelling can elevate an ordinary tale into the most extraordinary adventure. And yes, I am aware that these two are different genres of shows, the thing is Crime Beat is not even ordinary — it’s a below-mediocre watch.
The series is neither funny nor thrilling. It meanders from one thing to another, trying to scare us with gangster Binny whose story isn’t remotely interesting. Saleem’s Abhishek tries to be quirky and showcases a character who thirsts to be recognised for his talents and prove something to the world but his character has nothing that sets him apart from the 10 other journalists we see on-screen almost every week. Binny and Abhishek are the two pillars of the series and both are just so unimpressive that neither invoke a sense of interest or enthusiasm from the first episode. I think Sai Tamhankar’s Heroine is somewhat of an interesting character, but honestly, she sometimes gets lost in the midst of these two men. I am yet to understand the point of Saba Azad’s character.
As mentioned above, the storyline is a basic affair — Abhishek is trying to impress his boss and his father (and possibly himself) with the biggest scoop of his career as a journalist and of course, Binny Chaudhury gets served up on a platter to him. He goes on a chase to get to the bottom of the gangster’s crime empire while the latter does what gangsters do – look threatening and do some scary stuff. However, there is hardly any depth to these characters and their motivations are so tried and tested that it’s become an expected part of these stories at this point.
It constantly feels like the story is moving at a glacial pace, with nothing truly happening that sets it apart from others. There’s Binny planning some attack and there’s Iran in the mix somewhere unnecessarily. The creators try to make it this very political shindig thing full of lies and secrets and a lot of planning but it’s just a rudimentary tale that doesn’t have anything new to offer. I think Saleem plays Abhishek with honesty and you feel for the guy but there have been too many characters like him over the years and at some point, you want something more.
Final Thoughts
Crime Beat is unimpressive and unimaginative, bringing forth nothing that sets itself apart from similar shows in the genre. We have watched this in different ways in other shows. It’s not the worst show on air right now and has bursts of action and entertainment that will coast you along, but that’s about it.