Shoorveer is an action thriller series created by Samar Khan and directed by Kanishka Varma. The Hindi-language drama is produced by Juggernaut Productions.
It features an ensemble cast that includes Regina Cassandra as Avantika Rao, Armaan Ralhan as Viraj Sehgal, Manish Chaudhari as Ranjan Malik, Aadil Khan as Squadron Leader Salim Kamali, Shivya Pathania as Preeti, Arif Zakaria as Faiz Khan, Harman Singha as Dev, Jiten Lalwani as Shekhar Sen, Preeti Gupta as Roma, Kashmira Irani as Sarah, Anjali Barot as Manju Thapliyal, Makarand Deshpande as Milind, Kuldeep Sareen as Jaspreet Bhatti amongst others. The series consists of eight episodes in all. The runtime for each episode is 30-40 minutes.
– Disney+ Hotstar’s Shoorveer Review (2022) Does Not Contain Any Spoilers –
Shoorveer: Top Gun Meets Baby
It’s been just a few months since Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick and, we already have an Indian twist to the same storyline with some inspiration from Neeraj Pandey’s Baby. Shoorveer is just the kind of series you will enjoy if you are a fan of these two movies in specific or, action thrillers, in general. It has its own moments of cringefest and loopholes but, towards the end, the narrative really pulls through.
Shoorveer essentially revolves around the formation of HAWKS- India’s first respondent team that has the best of the best from the army, navy and air force. The creation of HAWKS introduces us to our major characters- Avantika Rao, Viraj Sehgal, Salim Kamali, Manju Thapliyal, Perry Mehta and Soham Banerjee, all belonging to different defence backgrounds but, ultimately become a part of this in-the-making elite task force.
As India faces one of its most imminent threats, the government takes lead in gathering as much intel as possible to stop the attack as the HAWKS train, learn and grow to move from standby to action at the drop of a hat.
Shoorveer throws a long shot when it comes to being an action thriller and, it does succeed to a level. The series holds witness to some decent to good quality air combat scenes and also takes us on a ride of some risky yet gripping rescue missions. It also helps us pass through the jargon of sleeper cells and terrorism but, those sections never really engage us. This is where Shoorveer loses its charm.
The training of the HAWKS, their interpersonal relationships and personal struggles are dramatic and winsome. The little subplots of romance, pain, and family issues, though explored briefly, add charisma to the show. But, every time the scene switches to the potential threat the Indian government is facing, the over-accomplished spy or the main villain- an ex-ISIS member, it becomes lethargic in creating a sense of panic or rush to let us really connect to the ultimate mission or goal. It is the first time an actor as phenomenal as Arif Zakaria felt underutilized in a piece where he essentially runs all the evil.
But, fortunately enough, there are other actors who do get some edge and enough screen time to flesh out their characters. Regina Cassandra, for one, really delivers. Going from Mrinalini in Rocket Boys to Avantika Rao in Shoorveer, the actor has quite the versatility to play any part with grace. Armaan Ralhan and Aadil Khan are at times a hit and, at other times, a complete miss. The chemistry and relationship of these two actors on-screen are often confusing. It feels like a Goose-Hangman rapport but, is it really?
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Manish Chaudhari, Kuldeep Sareen and Makarand Deshpande are crushingly good and bring seriousness and gravity to the narrative. Faisal Rashid really did his best but, it is definitely the screenplay that stopped him from being the villain we needed. In fact, it has to be Kashmira Irani’s Sarah who has a better shot at keeping us guessing about her next move.
Shoorveer: Final Verdict
Is it a show that you should watch? Yes! It has drama, action and suspense, all of what we love. But, is it memorable? Well, sometimes yes and, sometimes not so much. The dialogues are predictable and cringy, the romance is often dull and there are certain loopholes that will be hard to miss (Like, if the task force is made up of army, navy and airforce, then why do we only get to see the army and airforce in action? What are the navy recruits accomplishing?).
Nonetheless, it is enjoyable. If you can stick with the first three episodes, you are in for some stirring action and extraction scenes. But, it can go two ways- you will either like it or, completely hate it.
Shoorveer is slated to release on Disney+ Hotstar on July 15, 2022. Watch the series, here.
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