Chhal Kapat - The Deception Review: Shriya Pilgaonkar's investigation keeps you guessing till the end with poor execution and half-baked scenes

Chhal Kapat - The Deception Story: ZEE5's new crime thriller series, directed by Ajay Bhuyan, follows the story of a murder case amidst a wedding function. Set at a wedding in Burhanpur, where a social media influencer is found dead in a pool. The story explores themes of deception, betrayal, and the complexity of human relationships, where all the guests become potential suspects. The series is available for streaming on OTTplay Premium as well. 

Chhal Kapat - The Deception Review:

Investigative thrillers always excite me as each scene has a meaning behind it, and in case you miss one scene, you get lost. One such investigative thriller is Chhal Kapat: The Deception. Like Paresh Rawal's tweet, "It doesn't scream. It doesn't sell drama. It just tells the story" (not referring to the series), Chhal Kapat avoids the inclusion of background story. 

It is necessary to mention that, as it is an investigative thriller and has a lot of clues in it, so not much can be discussed and revealed as it will literally spoil the whole drama. Watch Chhal Kapat - The Deception on ZEE5 via OTTplay Premium to witness the case unfold. 

Chhal Kapat - The Deception is the story of childhood friends, including the social media influencer Shalu, who are reunited to attend their friend Alisha's wedding. The series opens with the death of Shalu, and then it goes back to the flashback while simultaneously showing the present. The celebration turns dark when Shalu is found dead under suspicious circumstances in the pool. 

Following this, Inspector Devika (Shriya Pilgaonkar) begins her investigation to uncover the tangled web of secrets and hidden conflicts among the guests. The important point is that every guest becomes a potential suspect in Shalu's death.

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The audience might find it very straightforward as the investigation begins as soon as the series starts, and it puzzles me to get a hang of what is actually happening and what the start of this drama is. The execution is indeed poor. The story centers around Shalu, a social media influencer, who is a friend of the bride-to-be Alisha and two other friends, Ira and Mehek. Notably, Mehek and her husband's relationship seems perfect from the outside, but inside, they are having a tough time. 

However, it seems that although they are friends, Shalu has a broken friendship with Mehek and Ira, as they frequently get into quarrels. But Shalu is a good friend of Alisha. 

The scene has some other key characters also, such as Alisha's would-be husband, Jugal, her ex-boyfriend, Rohan, Shalu's assistant, Sapan, who secretly loves her, and Mehek's husband, Vikram (Anuj Sachdeva). Every character plays an important role, which makes Devika's investigation complicated, and she faces a web of truths and lies. Amid the investigation, Mehek's husband seems to include himself a lot whenever Inspector Devika comes for the investigation.

Meanwhile, it is beautiful how every character in the thriller has an important role, including the housemaid, and even Ira's daughter. The inclusivity in the series is really one of the highlighted parts. Meanwhile, while investigating, Inspector Devika discloses one big secret about Shalu, which shocks the remaining friends and the other members of the house. On the other hand, Ira makes a big revelation. Meanwhile, Vikram, Mehek's husband, is hiding a huge secret, while Jugal does not seem innocent. Once you watch the series, you will know the moments I am talking about. 

While watching the series, some scenes indeed feel half-baked, and each episode has an abrupt ending. Amid the ongoing investigation, Ira escapes from the scene, making it more complicated. Each episode ends soon and makes you ponder 'Oops, it should have more scenes.' 

Speaking about the acting performances, Shriya Pilgaonkar's performance as Inspector Devika was praiseworthy. She smoothly handles the whole investigation, while some of the moments remind her of her past. I'm not going to lie; at times, her acting seems a bit off. 

The other cast includes Kamya Ahlawat, Ragini Dwivedi, Tuhina Das, Yahhve Sharma, Pranay Pachauri, Smaran Sahu, and Anuj Sachdeva. They also have done a good job, but their acting could have been more promising and dedicated. Meanwhile, towards the end, when the truth is finally out, it feels like the scene could have been more intense, but all in all, it keeps you engaged.

P.S. Inspector Devika also has a secret towards the end, which actually feels unnecessary. Watch the series to know it!

Chhal Kapat - The Deception Verdict:

Chhal Kapat - The Deception starts off well with the plot of the death of a friend amid a wedding event. However, as the investigation unfolds, the series loses its charm and fails to hook you to the plot due to poor execution and half-baked scenes. The series needed a proper background story, but it focuses only on the investigation. 

Directed by Ajay Bhuyan and produced by Juggernaut Productions, Chhal Kapat - The Deception is now streaming on ZEE5 via OTTplay Premium!