Vijay Raaz and Ashutosh Rana in ‘Murder in Mahim’

Jerry Pinto’s famous crime novel, murder in mahim, was published in 2017, a year before the Supreme Court finally read down Section 377 and decriminalized homosexuality. The book – a noir murder mystery – took a serious but sympathetic look at gay life in Mumbai. Seven years later, it has been turned into a web series on JioCinema. The series, directed by Raj Acharya and adapted by Mustafa Neemuchwala and Uday Singh Pawar, has the benefit of foresight, and it shows. Pinto patiently tries to portray the oppression, ignorance and homophobia that formed the basis of a draconian provision like Section 377. The series, when released in a little free time, can seem religious, even preachy.

murder in mahim It has the most literal beginning – indicative of the bland and commercial filmmaking that Acharya would mostly rely on. A mutilated body has been found in the male public urinal of Mahim station. It was discovered that the victim was a young lesbian sex worker; Soon, another sex worker turns up dead. Both murders are linked by one horrific detail: the victims’ kidneys were forcefully removed. What’s even more disturbing is that the killer – a masked, unidentified man – is leaving clear clues to his next target. This requires the expertise of Shiva Jende (Vijay Raaz), who along with Assistant Sub-Inspector Firdaus (Shivani Raghuvanshi) exhausts themselves in the case.

The official investigation is closely linked to a private investigation: that of retired journalist Peter Fernandes (Ashutosh Rana). Shiva and Peter were friends in their heyday (these characters first appeared in Pinto’s anthology of short stories) mumbai noir, When Peter is informed that his son, activist-y college-goer Sunil (Rohan Verma), is on the police radar – his phone number came up in the victims’ call records – Peter sets out to demand some answers. All the while, we see her nervously speculating about her son’s sexual preferences.

As Peter carefully investigates, he gets a close-up view of the city’s underground gay scene, a world of masseuses and “personal trainers”, with young boys drawn into prostitution due to a mixture of poverty, prejudice and police corruption. . The series depicts the fragility of gay rights in India and the problems of class and social exclusion that attend gay existence in a city like Mumbai. The show is set in 2013 when the Supreme Court – overturning an earlier decision of the Delhi High Court – upheld Section 377 and continued to do so for the next five years. The legal stigma is reflected in common everyday behavior: Peter and his wife, Mila (Divya Jagdale), although educated, sympathetic parents, react with typical heterosexual discomfort at the possibility that their son might be gay.

The author follows Pinto’s novel closely, faithfully reproducing its vast range of resolutions and characters. The lines are quoted almost verbatim, although I missed the colloquialisms and street-speak – including a crude but entirely common slur for gay sex – which Pinto features in her prose (the show’s proposed The alternative is not as stingy). Some secondary characters do not come alive as vividly as they do in the book. For example, colorful socialite Leslie Sequeira (here played by Rajesh Khattar) is largely sidelined. Furthermore, Firdaus – who is not in the novel – represents a weak attempt to introduce an author-supported queer protagonist.

Vijay Raaz as Shivajirao Zende in ‘Murder in Mahim’

In a clever twist that deviates from the book, Peter and Shiva are introduced to us as separate friends: twenty years earlier, the journalist had reported on a story that resulted in Shiva’s father losing his job. . It not only gives a dramatic picture to their reunion – the beach drinking scene is playfully captured, Raaz’s exaggerated hand gestures bouncing off Rana’s reserve – but also gives us a glimpse into Shiva’s personal life. Also give. A tired police officer suffering from anger issues is shown juggling his multiple roles – as son, parent, husband. It underlines a central theme: the burden of perceived ‘masculinity’ in Indian households.

murder in mahim lacks the subtlety and craft of roar Or underworld -Strong crime dramas that relentlessly probe deep malaise. The opening of minds and changing of hearts in the final episode feels rushed; Even though Peter’s development during his encounters is believable, is Shiva’s too? Characters are locked into neat black and white boxes as enemies or allies. This ignores the fascinating grayness and humanity of Pinto’s book, which reminds Raskolnikov: “What if man is not really a scoundrel, man in general, I mean, the whole race of mankind – then the rest is prejudice, just artificial fear and no barriers and it is all as it should be Needed.”

Murder in Mahim is currently streaming on JioCinema