Regai series review: Makes little impression despite a potential plot at hand

Regai series plot:

Police official Vetri has his own issues regarding his cop girlfriend Santhiya to deal with, when he learns the death of a young man Amudhan, he had known for some time. The cause of death appears to be natural, but Vetri suspects something dangerous lurking around the corner, before he comes to know of a dangerous network of happenings behind that has caused four more deaths.

Regai series review:

Every individual aspect of Regai has something interesting going on. Five bodies with same fingerprints, a kickstart into the series with a planned murder that comes across as natural death, and a police duo who share a complicated romantic relationship. But despite much dense in its raw material, not to forget the source coming from celebrated crime writer Rajesh Kumar, Regai results in becoming an underwhelming watch that doesn't do justice to the deft the content demands. At times when there is plethora of crime thriller films, Regai had a fine edge over the others, given it could explore the series format as well as rely on a written content. Yet, the series takes up being a severely underutilized result that despite its decent performances and execution, it becomes an exhausting watch.

Also read: Regai out on OTT: Where to stream Tamil crime drama series based on Rajesh Kumar's novel right now

Regai begins with a cold-blooded murder of Amudhan and it is not the usual blood-splattering, gory scene that the genre of crime thrillers is accustomed too. Vetri, who is quick to deduce that it could be beyond an open-and-shut case, digs a little deeper. It is at this time a severed hand found at an ice-vending machine leads him to the next step of the case. Regai with its quick runtime that does not exceed an average movie, packs in a lot of details and stages of probe that it fails to create a holistic mark. For example, it is very much later into the series we are brought in the perspective of medical trials and the corruption behind it. Not that this is a spoiler, had Regai brought in the larger picture beforehand before delving into the little nuances that go unnoticed, the series would have befitted much to be called an engrossing watch.

Also read: Most-awaited Tamil OTT releases in December 2025 on JioHotstar, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Sony LIV, Aha, ZEE5

For a series that has a lot to unpack, Regai dissolves into being nothing. Vetri who is personally affected by the death of Amudhan understands that there is more than what meets the eye. But it takes a lot for this to get translated to the audience. The series dabbles between its want to be genre specific whodunit, and an expose, that Regai fails to utilise both the techniques. At one point, the crisp runtime of each episodes becomes a bane, barely making you move from one episode to the other with some excitement. Instead, it becomes a series that you would not mind running the background.

It takes a while for Regai to get into the groove, to understand the motives behind the killings, and revelations of red-herrings. But by then, the series is at its fag end, and only rushed storytelling can highlight its noble intentions.

Regai series verdict:

Regai is boosted with its decent performances and making, but nothing really stands out. The deft of the source material does not reflect in the series, and Regai only becomes a staple add-on to the long-format storytelling. Much like the many crime thrillers that see the light of day every Friday, Regai too becomes one, with nothing exciting to offer.