I have a feeling that Hunkkaar: The Roar, created by Nitya Mehra and Karan D. Kapadia, was initially conceived as a film. The feeling comes from the ending of the third episode, at the exact halfway mark of the six-episode series, which I can imagine as a clean interval block in theatres. It might also explain why certain tracks in the show feel rigorous, while the rest feel like afterthoughts.I found myself increasingly impatient around Arjun Mathur’s primetime anchor, Amitabh Sinha – the rare ‘honest’ one left we’re told. Seeing him play a newsman with a marked irreverence for his channel’s business head (Mohan Kapur), revealed through their colourful banter, I chuckled when Mathur’s introductory scene sees him asking, “So, when do we break the story?” It felt like an impression from an Instagram reel mocking journalist portrayals in films.Hunkkaar reminded me of Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s Dahaad (2023), which co-incidentally also translates to “roar”. There might be a reason for it, since Mehra and Kapadia are products of the same studio and have assisted Akhtar and Kagti respectively. But there’s a glaring deficit in ability, which reveals itself in an early episode.A man, seemingly defeated by life, is seated in Baapji’s (Raghubir Yadav, as a godman) communal gathering. Baapji asks him what he does for work, and he says he “cleans toilets, does labour work.” When he’s offered to become a member of Baapji’s family, his eyes fill to the brim and we see his gratitude crystallise into a dangerous, fanatical loyalty. It happens too quickly here, as against a similar scene in Dahaad – where a man searching for his missing sister gets recruited by Hindutva forces fanning the flames of the ‘love jihad’ conspiracy theory. Compared to Mehra and Kapadia’s show, it felt more organic and intuitive in Dahaad.Hunkkaar begins with 17-year-old Meenu Rawat (Aneet Kaur Padda) alleging she has been sexually assaulted by Baapji. Living in a fictitious town in Madhya Pradesh, where Baapji is essentially god, there couldn’t be a more blasphemous claim in the eyes of the town. But, Meenu, escorted by parents Dharampal (an excellent Rajesh Sharma) and Vaishali (Charu Shankar), help file a first information report against the godman. A young ACP Jasleen Singh Soin (Fatima Sana Sheikh) is handed this as her life’s first case, with the hope that she might fumble.Screengrab from Hunkkaar: The Roar’s trailer. Photo: YouTube/JioHotstar.From hereon, it’s a David vs Goliath courtroom drama, where bureaucracy initially shields Baapji, the courts drag their feet, Meenu is humiliated dozens of times, witnesses turn hostile, key investigation leads disappear into thin air and witnesses are bumped off. Will Meenu get justice, or will Baapji’s cruel reign prevail? Most of us watching the show might already know the answer. The skill with such shows usually come in the twists and turns, before we reach the intended destination.It’s been an interesting trend to see the rise of evil godmen on our screens. In the last five years, we’ve seen the likes of Prakash Jha’s Ashram (2020-24), Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023), YRF’s Maharaj (2024) and Saif Ali Khan-starrer Kartavya from earlier this year, all of which depict self-styled godmen sexually exploiting women. In a time, when critiquing religion might be a tall task, this is the closest, one imagines, to commentary on dogmatism. If not a religious leader or a political leader, then a cult leader, at least. Especially in the aftermath of the real-life convictions of Asaram Bapu, Ram Rahim Singh, Nithyananda, et cetera.A lot of the show’s gravitas depends on the show’s two principal characters.Padda, who became an overnight heartthrob after her debut in last year’s Saiyaara, is believably fragile as a young girl who was preyed upon, but who also stows a surprising amount of courage when the time comes.I was surprised to find out that Raghubir Yadav has never been earlier trusted with such an over-the-top villain, considering he’s such an excellent (and obvious) choice. With his mesmerising way with words, his affinity for music (in real life) and his ability to dig deep into his character’s twisted unpleasantness, it’s a shame Yadav hasn’t played a godman sooner. In Baapji, there’s enough scenery-chewing potential for Yadav, who is even more effective when he expresses through body language in the courtroom or when he’s marked his next prey.Screengrab from Hunkkaar: The Roar’s trailer. Photo: YouTube/JioHotstar.The supporting parts have some hits and misses. Zoya Hussain, playing Baapji’s composed right-hand sevak (attendant), has potential for a campy villain. However, the makers seem unaware of it, given how the character disappears from the last few episodes. As the cop investigating the case, Sheikh is perfunctory. A good actor on most days, she isn’t challenged very much.As Meenu’s father, Rajesh Sharma, is superb in two scenes. The first one where he’s lost for words, as he wants to comfort his daughter after she’s been violated, but also readying her for the uphill battle it’s going to be. In another scene, when his eyes spontaneously tear up, after a lawyer (Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub) agrees to take the case because he believes Meenu. Ayyub, a staple in underdog roles, is also in his comfort zone as a lawyer from a Dalit community, Mr Bhalerao. But like any crafty actor, Ayyub brings little details to his character, especially in the way he glares at a neighbour who leaves his trash outside the Bhalerao residence.Screengrab from Hunkkaar: The Roar’s trailer. Photo: YouTube/JioHotstar.I liked how Hunkkaar incorporates and then repeats slurs women have to face on social media (like r*ndi) till they lose meaning. In a lovely scene, the cops at the police station draw a table, counting the choicest of slurs being used for Jasleen by Baapji’s followers over the phone, after she arrests him. Such real-life absurdities are few and far between in the show. Mehra and Kapadia remain grim in their telling of this (extremely 90s B-movie) story, I wished they’d loosen up more.With Mathur’s TV anchor character, the show completely fumbles the ball – showing him making unsubstantiated claims on live TV (without watertight evidence). As a journalist, I was infuriated each time Mathur’s character behaved like a bleeding-heart idealist.Hunkkaar: The Roar flirts with being a competent procedural, and offering potent socio-political commentary on our country. However, as busy and stacked it might be, I found it too self-serious and burdened with its own ideology. I’m still not quite a fan of Padda’s, but I’m still interested in seeing what she does next. Her monologue towards the end, capturing the infuriating, skewed scale for a survivor seeking justice in India, also encapsulates the fatigue of show, women saying the same thing again and again, still falling on deaf ears.I don’t think it’s the volume that is the problem here. The solution, perhaps, is to be less obvious.*All episode of Hunkkaar: The Roar are streaming on JioHotstar