Brinda review: Trisha shines in a taut investigative thriller

When a major movie star makes their debut in the streaming space with a long-format series, you expect good things out of it. ‘Brinda’, an eight-episode long series which has just started streaming on Sony LIV, marks Trisha Krishnan’s arrival in the digital streaming space. Brinda is also the first project directed by Surya Manoj Vangala, who has worked as an assistant director on a few Telugu films in the past. Vangala has also co-written the series with Padmavathi Malladi and Jay Krishna.

The show opens with visuals of a little girl walking through a forest. A village in the ‘90s which is driven by superstition and misplaced faith. The villagers believe the Goddess is angry and to ensure wrath does not fall on them, they decide to sacrifice the little girl. With the help of her mother, the girl manages to escape. The girl is found by a senior police officer who raises her like his own daughter. Inspired by her foster father, Brinda (Trisha) grows up to become a police officer. A few days after Brinda joins the station as a sub-inspector, a dead body is found in a river. While her seniors dismiss it as a case of suicide, Brinda comes to the conclusion that it is a murder. With the help of Brinda’s theories and sharp mind, the department tries to hunt down the culprit.

The biggest strength of ‘Brinda’ is that it seldom offers a dull moment. Even when things get a little predictable, you remain on the edge of your seat. That is primarily because the narrative moves at a fast pace. The only time things get a little slow is when you see an important character’s life in flashback in the seventh episode. The proceedings in this particular episode should have been trimmed down for better impact. Also, the backstory of the character does not generate as much interest as the writers might have expected it to. The track involving Brinda’s sister, too, barely leaves an impact.

What also makes the show interesting is the fact that the protagonist is shown to be going through several steps before she discovers a clue or stumbles upon something that helps her move forward. The fact that Brinda has a very sharp mind has been established well right from the beginning. Even after a wrongdoer is revealed, one still looks forward to seeing how Brinda will trace them. The way she connects the dots and gets closer to the culprit makes for an interesting watch.

The biggest highlight of ‘Brinda’, without a shadow of doubt, is Trisha’s superlative performance. Even when the narrative dips for a while, her solid performance keeps you invested in the show as a viewer. Trisha breathes life into Brinda and brings her strength and vulnerabilities to the fore equally well. As Sarathi, Ravindra Vijay delivers a wonderful performance. Indrajith Sukumaran does well but the character he plays should have been written much more effectively. Rakendu Mouli leaves a mark as Satya. Anand Sami does very well as Thakur.

As an investigative thriller, ‘Brinda’ makes for a highly satisfying watch. Driven by Trisha’s powerful performance, the show lands pretty well. One looks forward to the next case Brinda takes up.