Bad Cop review: Anurag Kashyap, Gulshan Devaiah elevate this refreshing but flawed crime thriller

Bad Cop is also fast-paced, gripping and unpredictable. It is rare to see a show get the pacing so right that it keeps you hooked throughout.

Back in 2018, when Netflix dropped Sacred Games, which was shortly followed by Prime Video's Mirzapur, no one had anticipated that crime-thrillers will flood the OTT space in years to come. There are so many variations of the same show streaming on different platforms—think Murder in Mahim (2024), Delhi Crime (2019), Aarya (2020)—that it feels like you have seen them all.

To that end, Bad Cop has a few tricks up its sleeve. It definitely isn't the same run-of-the-mill OTT outing that will not be memorable and few years down the line, fade into oblivion. But most of this tricks, though effective, fizzle out as the show turns into an unnecessarily pulpy, clichéd story marred by a lacklustre plot.

Bad Cop Overview

What I liked about Bad Cop is that it sucks you right into its twisted world from the very first scene when Kiki (Aishwarya Sushmita), in her bob-cut wig (oddly reminiscent of Kubra Sait's Kookoo from Sacred Games) seduces a man in a hotel. Gulshan Devaiah is Arjun, her partner-in-crime who helps her rob the man at gunpoint.

Later, we are introduced to Karan (Arjun's twin, also played by Devaiah). The two brothers are named Karan-Arjun which isn't exactly a subtle hint towards how the twins are now going to be embroiled in a cop vs thief dynamic.

The brothers don't see eye-to-eye. While Arjun and his partner-in-crime run amok in the city, defrauding the rich, Karan verbally spars with his wife Devika, played by Harleen Sethi. The couple mix their professional and personal lives as a result of which, their marriage has reached a breaking point.

Bad Cop Plot

Anurag Kashyap plays Kazbe, a menacing figure who runs an operation behind the bars with the help of his nephew whose physical strength far exceeds his intellectual capabilities. Saurabh Sachdeva is Arif Khan, the police commissioner investigating Anand Mishra’s death, this as he uncovers a web of lies and deceit.

With powerful acting performances by Devaiah, Kashyap (who seems to be having a good time) and pretty much the entjre, Bad Cop does pack a solid punch. The action sequences are slick. The one-liners are hilarious and frankly, very memorable.

Bad Cop: Writing And Direction

Bad Cop is also fast-paced, gripping and unpredictable. It is rare to see a show get the pacing so right that it keeps you hooked throughout. The eight-episode series cuts to the chase and doesn't waste much time getting to the point. Of course, the CCTV cameras at the crime scene will stop working when the murder is committed.

Of course the police will arrive late to the spot. We’ve seen this play out before and writer Renzil D’ Silva doesn't want to bore us with it. Instead, he gets straight to work and enthrals us with quick chases, snappy character introductions and plot twists.

Bad Cop: What Works, What Doesn’t

What doesn't work for Bad Cop is a lacklustre, predictable plot—a tragic flaw which negates the many things the show does get right. For some reason, Bad Cop is hell bent on being a pulpy crime thriller. It wants us to appreciate just how clever it is with the Bollywood references.

How much pulp is too much pulp? In Bad Cop, there is an overdose of it. Cliched tropes from Bollywood classics play out exactly like we'd expect them to. It makes one wonder—why write refreshing characters or craft meticulous action scenes when you are anyway relying on cliches? How can a show be so refreshing, yet feel so stale at the same time?

How I wish the show runners had gone for an original storyline with the same characters and avoided the cliches. If you are in for some Bollywood-style mass action film served as OTT series, Bad Cop is just the show for you.

Bad Cop is streaming now on Disney+ Hotstar.