Indian Police Force

Indian Police Force plays to the gallery. The story lacks newness and feels hollow. The writing is unabashedly prejudiced, stereotypical and preachy. The characters are not well-arched and thus they feel very basic and uni-dimensional. The visual effects in portions get jarring and for a show as ambitious as IPF, this is something that could have easily been avoided. While the show has maintained a very realistic approach through its proceedings, the climax episode gets very unrealistic, diluting the feel of the show to an extent. Sidharth Malhotra as Inspector Kabir Malik delivers a very credible performance and his body language syncs with the personality of a confident police inspector.

Club me with Singham, Simmba, Sooryavanshi,

But it has to be said that Vivek Oberoi should have been given more play. And that Sidharth Malhotra’s good-boy mien is at odds with the violence he has to unleash on suspects. And also that Shilpa Shetty seems to be having the maximum fun: first off, I like that she is badass enough to be called by her surname, and that she gets a chance to jump into some action, kicking and lashing out at the baddies. Here’s hoping she’ll have more of that in the second season, because a show with such a slap-dash spirit, so unbothered about detail, giving us for free what we’d have to pay a cinema ticket for, will surely get another round.

While Rohit Shetty's ambitious portrayal of heroes with good intentions is a double-edged sword, the series still succeeds in delivering an entertaining and engaging viewing experience. Now, if only they had seasoned the execution with a pinch of innovation and committed to avoiding clichs like one avoids a self-help book at a party, this series could have been the shining star in the crime thriller galaxy. But, it's still a worthy addition, like a quirky sidekick in a detective duo - not perfect, but charming.