Just Watched- GanoShotru

By
Recently, I have watched a few newly released shows and movies on OTT. A very few of those truly made a mark. However, the most memorable one has to be Ganoshotru.



What is Ganoshotru?

" Ganoshotru" means the enemy of the public. This Bengali show consists of just five episodes, each featuring five different stories. What the stories are about is the most interesting part. All the stories are about some of the most prolific criminal cases in Bengal. The period spans from the late 19th century to the 2015s

Starting from the 19th century's most horrific serial killing cases, to that of a dreaded gangster of the 2010s, Ganoshotru has covered some remarkable criminals of Bengal and the massacres by them.

Troilokya Tarini, a prostitute from the late 19th century, is often considered the first serial killer in India- the show has presented her story with various research by journalists, researchers and police. The role of Troilokya is played impeccably by Paoli Dam. Whether it be her undeniable sensuous appeal, which could even distract the ace investigative officer Priyanath Mukherji, or her cruel, murderous side, or finally, her most vulnerable side as a mother, the actress has played the role with perfection. Kinjal Nanda, as detective-author Priyanath has done a good job. The most interesting part is the conversation between both, an illiterate prostitute with a razor-sharp mind and mind-twisting wit, and a highly educated writer cum detective.

Another noteworthy story is about a serial killer, Chainman, who was active during the period of 2015 to 2019. He has raped, robbed and murdered 9 women during this period. His story, as shown in the show, brought shivers. Debopriya Mukherji plays the lead role in this chilling, murderous spree of The Chainman. He has done an astonishing job in bringing the monster out of a rather timid person. 

The last episode is about Gangster Hubba Shyamal, once considered the dread of the Hooghly district. His signature style of murder was that he used to laugh while stabbing his victims multiple times. Actor Rudranil Ghosh has brought the character to life so realistically that one can find an uncanny resemblance to the real-life gangster Shyamal. 


The other two episodes are about notorious teenage killer Sajal Barui and 1990s gangster Rashid Khan.

The Style
The show is presented in a docudrama format. During runtime, the opinions of several experts who have researched and written about the cases have been presented. This gives it an extra edge in avoiding the typical thriller show trap. Each episode is directed by a different director, and kudos to them for casting excellent actors for the roles. Overall, it has a no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point narrative, top-notch performance, and the true crime docudrama style. Ganoshotru is a must-watch show, currently streaming on Zee5

Comments

  1. SaadiqueNovember 6, 2025 at 7:45 AM

    I haven’t watched Ganoshotru yet, but your review has me intrigued. As a big fan of crime thrillers, I’m adding it to my watchlist right away!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

That Same Forest, That Same Fire #BlogchatterBloghop

By
Image
Marc was looking at the remnants of what used to be his vast villa once. He could see clouds of smoke forming in certain places. It was still hot out there, with fire fragments flowing all over. In front of the gate was a huge pile of broken items- some turned to ashes and some half-broken. He could see something shining through the pile. He approached near to find a partially broken framed photograph. He picked it up to find one half of a picture of a beautiful 25-year-old woman with wavy blond hair and dreamy hazel eyes- his Lucy.  Fire - devastating, damaging & destructive! It has taken away all he has lived with for the last 5 years. Every object, every article, and every piece had been restoring Lucy's touch, her memories, and the feeling of her presence that brought life to all things inanimate. The garden where she grew her roses, the pool where she used to swim like a swan, all gulped by the deadly hunger of the forest fire!!  Tears rolled down the 55-year-old's ag...
Read more

Mushy Mushrooms, Mini Macaroons & 5 Whodunnit Murder Mysteries to Watch on My Breakfast Plate

By
Image
As the mother of a fourth-grade student, my mornings start at 5:30 a.m. daily. Making breakfast and setting up lunchboxes keep me occupied during those hours and since I like to keep it simple for breakfasts, they generally get quite boring, with either bread toasts or chapattis. (common story of a lot of moms). Sometimes our wishes can go to an extravaganza and the longing for a due break with a lavish breakfast consisting of some creamy- buttery mushy mushrooms sprinkled with roasted garlic, some berry-flavoured mini macaroons and to top it all a thrilling, chilling old-fashioned Whodunnit Murder Mystery Movie playing on TV just makes things perfect. Sounds like quite a plateful right? Since we have already made a grand plan of how my breakfast plate is going to look, let's narrow down the list of Murder Mystery movies that can be included in my watchlist. 1. Knives Out (2019): Imagine digging your fork into a plateful of yummy creamy mushrooms, tuning into Daniel...
Read more

Self-Reflection and Realization

By
Image
Every year, before the onset of Durga Puja, readers of Bengali literature receive some precious gifts in the form of the Sharadiya Pujabarshiki (Yearly Literary Magazine). For the past 70 years or so, we have seen some outstanding works from the Creme' of Bengali literature like Samaresh Basu, Sunil Ganguly, Shirshendu Mukherjee, Ashapurna Devi and many others being published in these magazines for the first time. This trend continues; this year, too, my husband gifted me a few such magazines before Durga Puja. Kishore Bharati is one of the magazines I got and today I picked a story called "Vaijayantimala"  from that. for November's #TBRChallenge . About the Author: The author Bhaswar Chatterjee is a popular Film and Television actor who works predominantly in the Bengali Film Industry. He started his career as an actor in 1998 from television serials and later worked in Rajkumar Santoshi's The Legend of Bhagat Singh. In his elaborate career, spanning almost 30 y...
Read more