'The Freelancer-The Conclusion' web series review: Anupam Kher and Mohit Raina make the show somewhat gripping

Cast: Mohit Raina, Sushant Singh, Anupam Kher, Kashmira Pardeshi, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Navneet Malik Director: Bhav Dhulia Language: Hindi Freelancing is usually a term associated with people tired of their corporate jobs and toxic bosses, or people who need more money and don’t mind sailing on multiple boats. A cop-turned-mercenary is the last person on the planet you want to associate this term with. Neeraj Pandey does that with the show The Freelancer. Directed by Bhav Dhulia, this show that’s based on the book A Ticket To Syria has all the staples you’d expect from a Neeraj Pandey offering, a stoic hero and a semi-comical Anupam Kher. What’s the show about? The trigger point is a mysterious suicide that compels the protagonist Mohit Raina to come back to India and dig deeper into the matter. When he does, he realises the friend’s daughter has been duped into getting married, thrown away in Syria and being forced to join ISIS. This is basically The Kerala Story but on a grander scale. Stoicism and heroism Almost all of the characters that we have seen in Neeraj Pandey ’s universe have bruised souls even if their bodies are absolutely fine. Naseeruddin Shah in A Wednesday was an aging common man bogged down by terrorism and the crippling fear it creates. Akshay Kumar in Baby was so driven by his duty, he barely cracked a smile throughout. Sidharth Malhotra in Aiyaary was an officer gone rogue so bringing out different shades of a personality was out of the question. And now, Mohit Raina takes the baton and carries the character with equal sternness and mixes it with heroism. The inevitable Anupam Kher Neeraj Pandey has special fondness for Anupam Kher . And he does bring out some flesh and blood characters for the veteran. Here, he does what he did in Baby and Special 26. No matter how intense the narrative gets, he jumps to add comic relief by keeping his vintage straight face. Syria- The center of conflict After the atrocious Baaghi 3, Syria becomes the center of conflict again. This is nothing but Pandey’s fascination for places and his globetrotting adventures. And the series does boast off some neat cinematography and slick action. There are also some high-pitched confrontations obviously for dramatic effect, but it’s the restrained moments that stay longer. Actions have always spoken louder than words after all. The Freelancer is definitely not a perfect show but for all those beginning to tire of erotica and expletives on OTT, this comes as a breather. Who would’ve thought blood could act as a breath of fresh air? The Freelancer-The Conclusion is now streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar