Available On: Voot Select
Language: Hindi
Duration: 30-40 minutes / 8 episodes
Story: Crackdown follows RAW agents and a group of covert operations wing who try to crack through multiple smaller decoys, to uncover a larger conspiracy that threatens national security.
Review: Crackdown starring Saqib Saleem, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Iqbal Khan in leading roles, follows a group of agents who uncover high-level threats to national security. As they hunt down a group of terrorists, they soon find out there is a mole among them and an extremist group has something bigger and more dangerous planned out. RAW Chief played by Rajesh Tailang has a group of covert operations wing (called DO) directly under him, which doesn't have to follow the rules to get the job done. Meanwhile, Zorawar is hell-bent on making sure the group is shut down. The reason behind his suspicion is agent RP, Riyaaz Pathan played by Saqib Saleem. The highly-abled agent once returned from enemy camp alive and well, after being tortured for months (mention by enemies or RAW), it has Zorawar convinced he is no more loyal to the country. Meanwhile, Riyaaz Pathan is busy taking down the nation's enemies one by one. To infiltrate the terrorist group, Riyaaz is asked to hire a back ally girl from Mumbai and train her to do their bidding. However, even after risking her life, Riyaaz finds out that they were following a decoy lead while the real threat is somewhere else. Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, Crackdown is one of the many thriller and suspense shows on the digital platform currently. However, the Voot Select show sets itself apart with a good lead cast and a story full of twists and high stakes. Shot in different locations and heavy action scenes, Crackdown improves the viewing experience, and yet the slow pace makes it harder to get hooked early on. The story takes more than three episodes to involve the actual threat to the country. We instead see Riyaaz train Divya played by Shriya Pilgaonkar, who in later episodes hardly plays an important role. On the other hand, all the other agents and characters the audience is introduced to and has made a connection are quickly forgotten and set aside as the story takes a turn. While the leading cast Saqib Saleem, Iqbal Khan, Waluscha, and Rajesh Tailang, look perfect for their aggressive parts, the supportive cast including the villains lacks the means to keep the audience on edge. Several subplots of the story have been given too much screen time. While the big twist does come as a surprise, it also undermines the character's identity, which the show tried so hard to establish in the first few episodes. Overall, Crackdown is a fun action series which has enough twists to keep you engaged, but not enough to get you attached to the characters. Riyaaz Pathan Played By Saqib Saleem
Zorawar Played by Iqbal Khan
Divya Played By Shriya Pilgaonkar