'Hunkkaar' review: Aneet Padda stands tall in a compelling courtroom drama

A 17-year-old schoolgirl taking on a powerful godman is the premise of 'Hunkkaar: The Roar', a courtroom drama that gets its strongest moments from the girl at its centre. Meenu, played by Aneet Padda, accuses Baapji, a revered godman played by Raghubir Yadav, of rape. The accusation sets off an investigation and a legal battle that brings together a rookie police officer, a lawyer and a journalist, each approaching the case from a different angle.

Directed by Karan D Kapadia, Heeraz Marfatia and Nitya Mehra, the series has the makings of a gripping legal drama. For Malayalam viewers, Jeethu Joseph's 'Neru' is perhaps the closest reference point. Both deal with sexual assault through the courtroom drama format, but 'Hunkkaar' spends considerably more time examining the investigation and its effect on the survivor.

One of the details that stays with you comes when Meenu tells the court that she has already had to recount the incident 11 times. For a 17-year-old, having to repeatedly describe the same traumatic experience becomes another painful part of the process. The series uses her account to underline how difficult it is for a survivor to navigate an investigation where the burden of repeatedly explaining what happened falls on her.

Padda handles these scenes particularly well. Meenu is not constantly overwhelmed by grief, nor is she written as an exceptionally composed teenager who always knows what to say. She gets angry, breaks down and has moments when she simply wants everything to be over. There is a natural awkwardness to the performance that suits the character's age. Padda is the strongest performer in the series and gives Meenu enough personality outside the case for us to see her as a teenager rather than merely as the victim at the centre of a legal battle.

The series also makes an interesting choice by not presenting Meenu as a faultless character. She has consumed alcohol and, with her father's help, forged a driving licence. These details become part of the questions surrounding her credibility. The show, however, is clear that none of them determine the facts of the assault case. It is a distinction the writing handles well for the most part.

Fatima Sana Shaikh plays ACP Jasleen, a young police officer handling her first major case. Jasleen is competent but inexperienced, and the character is allowed to make mistakes. That gives Sana Shaikh room to play a police officer who is still finding her feet rather than the familiar, all-knowing investigator seen in many crime dramas. Her performance is understated and fits the show's generally restrained approach.

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is convincing as Meenu's lawyer, bringing the necessary intensity to the courtroom portions. Arjun Mathur plays Amitabh Sinha, a journalist determined to pursue the case and ask questions that others are unwilling to ask. His character provides the series with its journalism track, although some of that storyline could have been developed further.

Yadav, meanwhile, is excellent as Baapji. He does not resort to exaggerated villainy. Baapji's influence comes through his calm confidence and the way people around him treat him. Yadav makes him charming when he needs to be and deeply uncomfortable to watch in other scenes. His performance is one of the show's major strengths.

The series does, however, become uneven when it moves away from its central case. Kashyap, Baapji's son, gets a subplot that feels disconnected from the main narrative and does little to strengthen it. There are a few other threads that are introduced with some importance but are not developed sufficiently. These diversions slow the pace, particularly in the middle portions.

The writing can also be too direct at times. Some observations about the justice system and the treatment of survivors are repeated or explained when the events themselves have already conveyed the point. The series is considerably stronger when it lets the characters and the investigation carry the story.

What keeps 'Hunkkaar' engaging is its refusal to make Meenu's journey easy. She is dealing with the investigation while also trying to understand what has happened to her and whether life can return to anything resembling normal. The series gives enough attention to that aftermath without turning every scene into an emotional set piece.

It is not a flawless courtroom drama. Some of its subplots could have been cut altogether, and the narrative loses some momentum whenever it moves away from Meenu's case. But the central performances, particularly Padda and Yadav, hold the series together.

'Hunkkaar: The Roar' works best when it stays focused on its central case and allows the characters to do the talking. It is a serious, often uncomfortable watch, but its strongest scenes come not from dramatic courtroom confrontations, but from the quieter, more difficult moments surrounding Meenu's attempt to move forward.
The series is available to stream on JioHotstar.