Web Series Review: Informer – The Story of a Spy, Season 1
The story of ‘Informer’ revolves around the life of detective Kamran Baksh (Jain Khan Durrani). He is an ordinary man who is recruited by SKS Murthy (Prakash Raj), Ramkishore Negi (Adil Hussain) and Jaideep Burman (Sunil Shanbagh) in the Intelligence Bureau team. He is sent on a secret mission to Pakistan and now his identity there is Harfan Bukhari. From the day Kamran accepts this mission, his life changes completely. How he gathers intelligence, and how he keeps himself alive in the neighboring country, is shown in this 8-episode series. The length of each episode is around 40 minutes.
‘Informant’ trailer
Review of ‘Informer’
‘Informant’ creator Shivam Nair has earlier made headlines by directing the spy thriller ‘Special Ops’. He has co-directed this series with Jaiprad Desai. Concept-wise, ‘Informant’ is a bit tricky and emphasizes how spies are willing to lay down their lives for their country. The series has a plot of the sixties, then the work of communication was also difficult. Especially when you are in enemy country, this task becomes even more difficult. The result is that this spy thriller has a lot of punch and it keeps you hooked as a spectator.
Due to many funny characters and deep research, ‘Informer’ seems to be a series made on a real canvas. Thanks to the art direction and production design, the story feels alive on screen. Every frame of the series has been carefully crafted. Especially the dialogues between the characters are not only powerful, but also leave an impact.
However, there are some action sequences involving firing and chasing from both sides, which seem a bit dramatic. They don’t seem to have the excitement that was needed. But it is also true to the real goal of this series, as it is not a war drama by any means. The prime focus of this series is the mission of the spy and his survival. Arshad Syed, Vaibhav Modi and Karan Oberoi have penned the screenplay and it keeps the audience hooked. The one thing that binds you the most in ‘Informer’ is a man’s own struggle between his duty and his heart. The one drawback that is lacking is the pace of the storyline of the series, which picks up pace only in the last three episodes, when most of the action is shown.
The real strength of the web series is the strong acting of its actors. You start liking the characters of Prakash Raj and Adil Hussain right from the beginning of the series. Zain Khan Durrani as Kamran Baksh has left a mark by debuting on OTT. But it takes time for him to fit perfectly into the character of Harfan Bukhari, an Indian spy. Jain looks impressive in the scenes training him to be a spy. Zoya Afroz has a different shine in the character of Jameela Ahmed. The on-screen chemistry between Durrani and Afroz is very sweet.
Harsh Chhaya in the role of Major General Aga Khan and Atul Kumar as Brigadier Habibullah have done a great job. But there is one character who dominates your heart and mind throughout the show, and that is Dilip Shankar. He plays a cruel and ruthless Colonel Zaidi. Barkha Bisht has done a great job as Begum Anar. She talks through her expressions rather than words. However, his scenes with Harfan also give the show a little disorientation.
Why watch: Thanks to the stellar acting and an impressive script, ‘Informer: The Story of a Spy’ is a scintillating tribute to the unsung heroes who lay down their lives to protect the nation. However, if the speed of this spy thriller was a little faster, then the fun of watching it would have doubled.
