Daldal (2026, Hindi) is a female-dominated crime drama set in Mumbai (India), the proverbial city of dreams. However, both the protagonist and the antagonist are plagued by childhood nightmares in this intense tale.
Samara & Geeta Are Terrific, meanwhile Bhumi & Aditya Are Good In ‘Daldal’ Series
Daldal (दलदल) means Swamp, Quagmire
Series Review [Almost Spoiler-Free]: “Daldal” (Season 1, India, 2026) Hindi
Series Synopsis
Burdened by the weight of her traumatic mistakes, Mumbai’s newly-appointed DCP* of the Crime Branch, Rita Ferreira (Bhumi Pednekar), is required to launch a murder investigation that places her in direct opposition to a merciless killer. As she embarks on a homicide investigation that brings her face-to-face with a cold-blooded killer. Moreover, Rita must contend with a patriarchal mindset in her workplace and her own feelings of impostor syndrome**. In short, she is also faced with the challenge of preventing her life from falling apart.
[*DCP - Deputy Commissioner of Police in Mumbai, India]
[**Imposter syndrome is a psychological condition characterised by individuals doubting their own skills and achievements, feeling like impostors who do not merit their success, despite clear evidence of their abilities. This phenomenon is not classified as a mental illness, but rather a widespread experience that includes self-doubt, anxiety, and the attribution of success to luck or outside influences rather than personal talent. Individuals suffering from this syndrome may either overwork themselves or procrastinate, believing they must compensate excessively to avoid being unmasked.]
Tragic Tale of 2 Orphans
This seven-part psychological crime drama series delves into the childhood trauma that afflicts the protagonist, Rita Ferreira (Bhumi Pednekar), as well as the antagonist, online journalist Anita Acharya (Samara Tijori). Incidentally, both the main characters in this Hindi show had gone through immeasurable childhood traumas. Well, one can debate as to who was the worse off between Rita and Anita in their respective lives.
Still, both of them carry a lot of anger and resentment within themselves. And, it really shows in their bad-tempered behaviour towards others. However, one aspect is abundantly clear that one of them became a police officer, while the other unconsciously and inadvertently became a serial killer. Furthermore, evidently, this crime drama is not a whodunnit because we know the identity of the killer in the first episode itself. The remaining six episodes are spent explaining the motivation and reasons behind the serial killing. And the ultimate fate of 2 orphan ladies.
Series Poster
What’s Good & What’s Bad?
This detailed crime drama is explored in seven episodes, along with its flashbacks, in this 4-plus-hour-long series. Yet, it fails to maintain a steady and suspenseful storytelling.
❌ We do not get to see enough backstory and flashbacks about the protagonist, Rita Ferreira (Bhumi Pednekar), in the first season. As to how she became a top cop despite being an orphan with a tragic past.
✔️ On the other hand, it was good to see a much deeper and thorough flashback about the antagonist, Anita Acharya (Samara Tijori). The writers painstakingly explained the reasons behind her killing spree.
✔️ Also, the supporting characters of Sajid (Aditya Rawal) and Indu Mhatre (Geeta Agrawal Sharma) have been emphatically crafted by the writers. They are a real friend and a true colleague.
❌ The first half of the show is relatively weaker and slower-moving than the second half. One needs a lot of patience to get through the initial part of the series to understand the psychological reasons behind the murders.
We have mentioned a couple of mistakes that stop it from becoming an engrossing Indian police procedural drama.
Good Performances
We were impressed by the fascinating performances of the two actresses in this show.
✅️ First is Samara Tijori, who plays the antagonist Anita Acharya. She is a smart, emotional, cruel and cold-blooded serial killer in the show. In this author-backed, meaty role, she displayed an impressive range of acting prowess.
She was really outstanding (as the above-featured image shows) in the ensemble cast.
✅️Second is Geeta Agrawal Sharma, who portrays a loving mother and a Mumbai lady cop, Indu Mhatre. Her character added an emotional human touch to this crime drama, and she had a good screen presence.
In contrast, the following performers did not get a chance to show their range of emotions.
☑️Third is Bhumi Pednekar, who plays the protagonist DCP Rita Ferreira. In the show, she has a khadoos*** lady cop personality, and she has unfriendly behaviour towards everyone. Her one facial expression is not endearing.
[***Khadoos, this slang word, originating from Marathi, is used to refer to an individual who is exceptionally rude, grumpy, obstinate, or unfriendly. It describes someone who seldom smiles, displays an ill-tempered demeanour, is difficult to satisfy, and tends to keep to themselves.]
☑️Fourth is Aditya Rawal, who plays the challenging role of Sajid. He is a drug addict and a partner in crime of the antagonist. One of the positive aspects of Sajid is that, despite being a drug addict, his moral compass is intact.
Perhaps, while portraying their respective characters, both Bhumi and Aditya were compelled by the script to carry the entire series with only a few expressions, only. And, in that they performed their roles in a satisfactory manner.
In fact, the rest of the ensemble cast also played their characters quite well.
Series Rating
| Focus Magazine (FM) Rating | 3.25/5 |
Conclusion
This weekend, in case you wish to binge-watch a fresh crime drama from India, “Daldal” is certainly a good option. It is all right for one time view. So, go ahead and watch this gritty and unapologetic tale from India. You might like it. And, mind you, it is not the end of the Daldal series. Actually, it seems it is a beginning. We have learnt that we are going to see more of DCP Rita Ferreira in the near future. As she is trapped in the quagmire of sins and crimes.
Daldal series is an official adaptation of Bhendi Bazaar, a 2015 crime novel by author Vish Dhamija.
Also, we are going to see further screen adaptations of his other crime novels like "Doosra: The Other One" (2016) and "Lipstick" (2019) in the near future.
Key Details
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Suspense |
| Original Language | Hindi (India) |
| Season | First (1st) Season |
| Episodes | Seven (7) Episodes |
| Show Creator | Suresh Triveni |
| Writers | Suresh Triveni, Sreekanth Agneeaswaran, Rohan D’Souza, Priya Saggi, & Hussain Haidry, |
| Director | Amrit Raj Gupta |
| Cinematographer | Rakesh Haridas |
| Editor | Shivkumar V. Panicker |
| Main Cast (Characters) | Bhumi Pednekar (Rita Ferreira), Samara Tijori (Anita Acharya), Geeta Agrawal Sharma (Indu Mhatre), Aditya Rawal (Sajid), Sandesh Kulkarni (Sanjay Deshpande), Chinmay Mandlekar (Vikram Sathe), Prateek Pachauri (Doctor Peddler), etc. |
| Network | Prime Video |
Series Trailer
[Also, check out the YouTube Video Clip Link - Bhumi Pednekar SLAPS Prateek Pachauri in Daldal - Prime Video]
First Spoiler Alert: Episode Summary (I)
Summary of Episodes 1 to 4 – First Half
Gunaah (S1 E1) | 41 minutes
Promoted as the youngest DCP of the Mumbai Crime Branch, Rita Ferreira must battle a patriarchal mindset at work, her own impostor syndrome, and a returning addiction, all while she gets drawn to a murder investigation that hits far too close to home.
Gunaah (गुनाह) means Sin, Crime
Raaz (S1, E2) | 32 minutes
Succeeding in covering her secret, Rita begins making headway in the case, uncovering an unsettling trail of killings that are connected by a pattern that’s hard to ignore.
Raaz (राज़) means Secret, Mystery
Janm (S1, E3) | 35 minutes
Her relationship with Aditya in tatters, Rita gets mired in her investigation with the discovery of another murder bearing the same signature, guilt now blurring the line between duty and conscience.
Janm (जन्म) means Birth, Life-origin
Daga (S1, E4) | 25 minutes
As the city grapples with two murders within a week, Vikram zeroes in on a suspect, but Rita refuses to follow his lead and pushes her investigation into overdrive, turning the case into a race against time.
Daga (दगा) means Betrayal, Treachery
Info. Source: Prime Video
Second Spoiler Alert: Episode Summary (II)
Summary of Episodes 5 to 7 – Second Half
Talaash (S1, E5) | 33 minutes
Eager to close the case early, Deshpande backs Vikram’s theory and lets him jump the gun – sidelining Rita, whose grip on the case slips even as her instincts pull her toward astounding new clues.
Talaash (तलाश) means Seek, Search
Jad (S1, E6) | 38 minutes
Another murder comes to light, leaving the department humiliated. Before Deshpande can lean on Rita again, her substance addiction is exposed to the world, pushing her to the brink of suspension.
Jad (जड़) means Root, Foundation
Yaad (S1, E7) | 50 minutes
A tantalising chase brings DCP Rita Ferreira and the killer on a head-on collision course, but to defeat the killer, she must first confront the haunting memory she’s long buried.
Yaad (याद) means Memory, Flashback
Info. Source: Prime Video
Third Spoiler Alert: Story Progression
Indian crime drama – Season 1 of the Daldal series & its layers
| Episodes | Flow of the crime drama storyline |
|---|---|
| 1 | The identity of the killer is revealed to the viewers, but the police are still clueless. |
| 2 | It is not about solving a single murder case. Instead, the focus shifts to catching a deadly serial killer. |
| 3 | Meanwhile, the murder continues unabated, and the police are still unable to solve the crime. |
| 4 | Mumbai cop DSP Rita is under tremendous pressure, as the cops continue to chase the killer. |
| 5 | But the bitter rivalry among cops comes to the fore, and the murder investigation goes bad. |
| 6 | It seems both the antagonist and the protagonist had a tragic childhood. And is that a root cause of their problems? |
| 7 | Finally, the DSP Rita catches up with the remorseless serial killer. |
Lastly, check the Series Review of “Mrs Deshpande” (2025) series in our Focus Magazine. This show is about a lady serial killer and the setting is Mumbai city.
Poster & Featured Image of “Daldal” (Season 1, India, 2026) Hindi Series | Pictures Credit: Amazon Prime
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