Secret Stories Roslin review: Meena-Sanjana Dipu’s sturdy performances get undone by underwhelming climax

Secret Stories Roslin series story: Teenager Roslin, who is about to turn 18, is tormented by recurring nightmares of a stalker, who she claims has green eyes. Her nightmares literally turn into reality, when the stalker turns up at her home as a guest and wins over her unsuspecting parents, John and Shobha.

Secret Stories Roslin series review: The Malayalam web series space can still be called in its nascent stage, both in the number of shows getting made and the quality of the content. JioHotstar’s latest series Secret Stories: Roslin is definitely a step up when it comes to setting and casting, rising above the likes of Kamattam, but still falters with its plot. Billed as a psychological thriller, the series sets up its world and introduces its almost novel plot of a teenager’s nightmarish experiences, convincingly.

Helmed by Sumesh Nandakumar and penned by lyricist-turned-writer Vinayak Sasikumar, Roslin draws us into the Rose Valley with the first episode, which has the right amount of thrills and emotions. When a friend quizzes her on whether she has any scary memories, Roslin replies in the negative that she only has a sad memory of losing her brother Allen, that too when he was trying to save her.

The lush-green farm, the mini mansion-like house and the loving family are all portrayed well, and the stellar production values require special mention. But after introducing a cliffhanger with the entry of the mystery man Jerry (Hakim Shahjahan), the series loiters around in its second and third episodes where we are given repeated scenes of nightmares, with shadows lurking in the dark.

After the initial high, this leaves you wanting more, and the beautiful setting and the good performances cannot offset it. Though things get more interesting in the subsequent episodes, building suspense, all of that gets undone by a 'shocking' climax that flips the entire narrative. This was underwhelming and unfortunate, considering that the episode also had noteworthy performances.

But where the series gets bang on right is in casting, even when it comes to supporting characters. This was one of the problems ailing most of the Malayalam series, probably with the exception of Kerala Crime Files. We get Anishma Anilkumar, a lead actress in movies such as Basil Joseph’s Maranamass, as the friend of Roslin, along with other notable names of T G Ravi, and Shankar Ramakrishnan in supporting cast.

And among the leads, Sanjana Dipu is convincing as the teenager and writer Vinayak Sasikumar deserves credit for portraying her as one who is pissed off at her parents, like most adolescents are. As her mother, Shobha, Meena also gets quite a room to perform. There are traces of Drishyam here, but Meena gets a bigger chunk of the proceedings and makes the most of it. Generally, series tend to give more space to women, and actor Vineeth, who plays John, also lets Meena shine even as he, too, gives a controlled performance. Hakim Shahjahan plays the enigmatic Jerry, who is charming and sinister in equal measures.

Director Jeethu Joseph is the showrunner of Secret Stories: Roslin, which also has shades of what could be a ‘family thriller’, much like his Drishyam movies, but deserved a better plot and a clever climax. Roslin is technically sound and well-made, and is a pleasure on the eyes with its scenic setting. Vishnu Shyam's music, especially the background score, also elevates the lovely family moments and adds to building atmospheric tension. PM Unnikrishnan's frames also capture the beauty of the hillside setting, the cosy interiors and the green farm. Despite these positives, it is sad that Roslin falls short of being a noteworthy series in Malayalam.

Also read: Roslin actress Meena says even Jeethu Joseph was doubtful if she would accept the bold role 

Secret Stories Roslin series review: Roslin attempts to break new ground with an intriguing idea and some sincere performances, especially by Meena, but switches lanes and doesn't quite reach the desired destination.

Secret Stories: Roslin is streaming on JioHotstar via OTTplay Premium