The “Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas” (2025/India) is the latest Hindi crime thriller that focuses on a smart criminal, who calls himself “the hawk” (Baaz/बाज़), the deadly hunter. The protagonist, Bhagwat (Arshad Warsi), is a Police Inspector, and the antagonist, Sameer (Jitendra Kumar), is a notorious killer, in this movie.
While watching it, we could feel a sense of deja vu. So, where we had seen a Hindi series with a similar storyline, with, of course, a few tweaks, twists and changes here and there. Moreover, the lead actor, Arshad Warsi, has played a similar character in a past show. We have shared the details in the spoilers alert below.
Can A Police Inspector Jail A (Raakshas) Monster Who Kills?
Spoiler-Free Movie Review of Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas
The synopsis
Inspector Bhagwat (Arshad Warsi) gets transferred to a small town in UP, where he takes up the case of a missing girl. Meanwhile, Sameer (Jitendra Kumar) is in love with Meera (Ayesha Kaduskar) and plans to elope. How do their lives intersect?
The storyline
The story of this crime drama takes us back to 2009 in the Roberts Ganj, Uttar Pradesh (UP). Apparently, a young woman has gone missing. And the communal-minded local politician blames the people from the other religious community for her disappearance. In fact, the politician and his fanatical followers have begun to create a ruckus, which might lead to further tension and might instigate religious riots in this small town in UP. However, the hero Inspector Bhagwat (Arshad Warsi), a tough and upright police officer, is posted in this city. So, after he meets the aggrieved family and the politician and brings down the temperature.
While investigating the complex case of the single missing young girls in Roberts Ganj, Inspector Bhagwat and his police team realise that many more cases of the missing young women in Uttar Pradesh. one more time. And, a thug (ठग/conman) named Sameer (Jitendra Kumar) is somehow involved in these criminal acts. It is the first time we have seen the actor Jitendra Kumar play a villainous psychopath on-screen. We have known him as the amiable and famous Sachiv Ji Abhishek Tripathi in the Panchayat series. Certainly, he is adding the versatile actor to his impressive resume.
The two main actors did their jobs admirably
Arshad Warsi portrays the protagonist, Police Inspector Vishwas Bhagwat. We have seen this kind of angry-man persona since its introduction in Hindi cinema of the 1970s. And more recently, Arshad portrayed a similar character in the Asur series. This kind of angry and intense role of the police official suits him. Maybe Bhagwat’s personal family tragedy still haunts him. Therefore, he is not only battling his anger issues, but he also becomes violently furious while confronting the criminal elements. And we watch him deal very smartly with the antagonist, Sameer (Jitendra Kumar), when he comes in contact with him.
Read the FM Series Review of the Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 1/2020) and Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 2/2023) shows in our Focus Magazine.
On the other hand, it is for the first time that we have watched the actor, Jitendra Kumar, portray an antagonist character. Fascinatingly, we have only seen him play positive roles in series like Panchayat. However, he plays a psychopathic killer who murders young girls without any remorse in this film, quite convincingly.
Also, read the FM Series Review of the recent Panchayat (Season 3/2024) Series and Panchayat (Season 4/2025) Series in our Focus Magazine.
Notably, Arshad and Jitendra work for the first time in a movie. In addition, we also saw one more familiar face in this film, actress Ayesha Kaduskar, whom we saw in the Bada Naam Karenge (2025) show. The rest of the ensemble cast did not have much screen time. Still, we liked the acting of all the police characters.
The conclusion
However, if you have seen the “Dahaad” show, then you might notice that both share a similar plotline. Also, their villain is based on a *real-life serial killer from Karnataka, who hunted young women of marriageable age. Despite its shortcomings, the “Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas” is a good (great) film to watch.
Rating of Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas
| FM Rating | 3.60/5 |
Poster of Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas
Key Details of Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas
| Genre | Crime, Thriller |
| Original Language | Hindi |
| Duration | 2 hours 7 minutes |
| Age-restrictions | U/A 16+ |
| Writers | Bhavini Bheda & Sumit Saxena |
| Director | Akshay Shere |
| Main Cast | Arshad Warsi (Bhagwat), Jitendra Kumar (Sameer), Ayesha Kaduskar (Meera), Rashmi Rajput (Janhavi), Coral Bhamra (Kavita), Akanksha Pandey (Lata Bansal), Yash Chaurashiya (PI Allahabad), Devas Dixit (SI Ashok Mahto), Praveen Arora (DIG Dilip Prajapati), etc |
| Production Co. | Jio Studios, Baweja Studios, Dog ‘n’ Bone Pictures |
| Network | Zee5 |
Trailer of Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas
Also, you can check the YouTube video link - Bhagwat Chapter 1: Raakshas | Official Trailer | A ZEE5 Original | Arshad W, Jitendra K | Jio Studios
The *real-life serial killer from India
Cyanide Mohan, whose real name is Mohan Kumar Vivekanand, is a serial killer who preyed on women desiring marriage.
A Mangalore fast-track court convicted him for the murder of 20 women in Karnataka during the years 2003 to 2009.
Poster and Featured Image of the Bhagwat Chapter One: Raakshas | Pictures Credited to: Zee5
