Overview
Dahaad (Hindi: दहाड़, meaning "roar") is an Indian Hindi-language crime drama streaming television series created by Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar. Produced by Tiger Baby Films and Excel Entertainment, the eight-episode series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 12 May 2023. It is directed by Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi, with the writing credited to Kagti, Akhtar, Sufiyan Khan and Ritesh Shah.
Key facts
| Title | Dahaad |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama, thriller |
| Created by | Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar |
| Directed by | Reema Kagti, Ruchika Oberoi |
| Written by | Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar, Sufiyan Khan, Ritesh Shah |
| Starring | Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma, Gulshan Devaiah, Sohum Shah |
| Episodes | 8 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Original release | 12 May 2023 |
| Production companies | Tiger Baby Films, Excel Entertainment |
| Distributor | Amazon Prime Video |
| Setting | Mandawa and surrounding areas, Rajasthan |
Plot
Set in a small town in Rajasthan, the series follows Sub-Inspector Anjali Bhaati, a determined police officer from a marginalised background, as she investigates a string of unexplained disappearances of young women. The cases initially appear unrelated and routinely dismissed by local police, but Bhaati's persistence uncovers a pattern of serial murders carried out by a seemingly respectable Hindi-language college lecturer. The narrative interweaves the police procedural with social commentary on caste, gender, communal tensions, and patriarchal violence in small-town India.
Cast
- Sonakshi Sinha as Sub-Inspector Anjali Bhaati
- Vijay Varma as Anand Swarnakar, the antagonist
- Gulshan Devaiah as SHO Devilal Singh
- Sohum Shah as Sub-Inspector Kailash Parghi
Production
The series was produced under the banners of Tiger Baby Films, founded by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, and Excel Entertainment, co-founded by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. Filming took place largely in Rajasthan, including Mandawa in the Shekhawati region, with the local landscape and architecture forming an integral part of the show's atmosphere. The cinematography is credited to Tanay Satam and Saumyananda Sahi, with music composed by Gaurav Raina and Tarana Marwah.
The premise drew comparisons in the press to real-world serial-killing investigations in India, though the makers presented the show as a fictional work. The character of Anjali Bhaati was conceived to highlight the experience of a Dalit woman officer navigating both institutional bias and field policing.
Release and reception
Following a global launch at the Berlin International Film Festival's Berlinale Series section in February 2023, Dahaad began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on 12 May 2023 in India and select international markets. The series received generally positive reviews from Indian critics, who praised the performances of Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma and Gulshan Devaiah, the atmospheric direction, and the show's engagement with caste and gender themes. It marked Sonakshi Sinha's debut in a streaming series in a lead role.
Themes
The show foregrounds questions of caste discrimination, the social vulnerability of women from less-privileged backgrounds, the misuse of marriage promises and inter-faith anxieties, and the everyday workings of a district police station. The serial-killer track is used to examine how disappearances of women from marginalised families are often deprioritised by both authorities and the wider community.