Indian Police Force follows Delhi Police officer Kabir Malik as he chases after a terrorist responsible for hundreds of deaths, including his dear friend and superior, Vikram. The series is currently streaming on Prime Video.
Story
Indian Police Force revolves around a series of bomb blasts in Delhi, orchestrated by a terrorist group called IM.
This prompts a high-stakes investigation led by police officers Vikram and Kabir.
The initial episodes focus on their efforts to defuse bombs and track down suspects, including a pivotal character, Zarar.
Despite internal conflicts and personal struggles, including Kabir’s troubled past and his tense relationship with ATS chief Tara Shetty, the team manages to make some headway.
The story progresses with further bombings in Jaipur and moves to Goa, where Zarar and his team plan additional attacks.
Kabir and Tara, along with their team, work tirelessly to thwart these plans, leading to several confrontations, arrests, and the eventual escape of Zarar to Bangladesh.
In a gripping climax set in Bangladesh, Kabir and his team, in a covert operation, successfully apprehend Zarar despite challenges from local intelligence.
Throughout this high-octane narrative, the personal lives and backgrounds of the characters, especially Zarar’s tragic past and his indoctrination into terrorism, add depth to the story.
Despite Zarar’s capture, the threat of terrorism looms, with key figures still at large, setting the stage for ongoing challenges and missions.
Performances
Shilpa Shetty as Tara Shetty and Siddharth Malhotra as Kabir Malik are both believable in the action scenes more than they are in the dramatic ones.
Whereas Shilpa fares better even with the more janky and cringeworthy dialogues, Siddharth appears more stiff and awkward.
Overall, however, he manages to do a decent job with the material he’s working with. Vivek Oberoi is confident and believable as IPS Vikram.
Mayyank Taandon as Zarar delivers one of the best performances in the show.
The same goes for Vaidehi Parshurami as Nafeesa, who shines through even with the limited material.
Positives
The action scenes feel kinetic and are choreographed well.
The locations and set designs manage to imbue a sense of scale that feels authentic.
Shilpa is convincing in the fight scenes. So are Siddharth and Vivek, as well as most other characters.
Negatives
The writing lacks nuance, and using Siddharth’s Kabir as an example of a “good Muslim” comes across as loudly obvious.
There are other Muslim characters who are not antagonists, but their portrayals are largely one-dimensional, and not much of their lives and grievances are given time or a more mature treatment.
Indian Police Force’s unabashed glorification of Delhi Police is especially problematic, as it has been steeped in controversies in recent years.
It becomes worse when the nature of such controversies has to do with communal riots.
This makes the jingoistic and glorified elements making Delhi Police officers such larger-than-life heroes all the more distasteful.
Bangladeshi government and intelligence are vilified in an unnecessary sequence that adds little to the narrative but does add to the runtime.
The dialogues are really awful. The jokes don’t work either and moments of levity are rendered cringeworthy.
Despite the big production budget, the lighting, color palette, and certain sets and locations reflect the worst parts of modern filmmaking, where colored lighting and sterile sets make it all look rather artificial.
The banter between Kabir and Tara is groan-worthy. References to Rohit Shetty’s own filmography come across as particularly cringe-worthy.
The fight choreography is impressive, but the shaky camera and weird yellow flashes added in for dramatic effect ruin some of the scenes.
Cars, and this time even a bus, fly and flip in classic Rohit Shetty style, but rarely do they add weight or jolts to the action scene.
The foot chases manage to be more thrilling than the car chases in the Indian Police Force.
The CGI in the bomb blast scenes is generally poor and the the sequences being stylized add to the tastelessness of it all.
The first episode goes a bit too heavy on the drone shots, zooming out every chance the filmmakers get, to the point it becomes unintentionally hilarious.
Verdict
Indian Police Force is a high-octane action affair with high-speed chases, fights, gunfire, and explosions galore. While the action is more or less alright, the dramatic elements of the show hold it back.
A weak narrative that’s rife with poor dialogues and an insensitive time-framing of events results in a jingoistic mess.
It also unabashedly glorifies authorities without much room for a nuanced treatment or portrayal of familiar real-world politics and events.
Indian Police Force
Director: Rohit Shetty, Sushwanth Prakash
Date Created: 2024-01-19 00:00
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