Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side is a crime thriller web series which was released in March 2020 on Voot Select. A dark combination of mythology, religion, gore, forensic science and of course crime, Asur makes for a gripping and satisfying watch for the lovers of crime-dramas. A past mistake of a CBI officer comes to haunt him and the world in a terrifying series of murders which disrupts the lives and relationships of many. What follows is a cat and mouse chase between a mentor (DJ, played by Arshad Warsi) and his student (Nikhil, played by Barun Sobti). 

Asur starts in Varanasi and then the scene shifts to the CBI in Delhi. One would wonder what could possibly be the connection between the two but the web series intelligently connects Varanasi to Delhi and that is where the beauty of the show lies. Asur doesn’t only have a strong premise but also a solid plot to support and enhance the story. Not many Indian shows focus on the forensic side of crimes. In Asur, forensic science is a central theme using which crimes are committed and solved. This is coupled with genius writing which doesn’t feel repetitive and makes the show an intriguing watch. Moreover, the show also tells interesting stories from the Hindu mythology. 

A show as heavy as Asur can be overwhelming for the audience, but the show’s even pace prevents this from happening. The past and the present are shown in tandem with each other and all the revelations are made over the course of the show rather than bombarding the audience with everything in the last episode.

The story plays on the lines that everyone has a dark side which comes across clearly through the characters. Throughout the show, the dilemma between good and evil comes up as the killer tries to test the morality of humans when put in risky situations. The shocking scene involving the hostages at the end furthers this thought and gives the viewers a lot to think about. The killer’s “experiment” about the basic nature of human beings is, after all, successful.

There are some unreal scenes which are only part of Nikhil’s imagination. They give us an insight into his mind. Intuition has been used to crack the case, for example, DJ has an intuition about who the killer’s next target will be. At some places, the CBI ‘just gets’ the clues and we aren’t told about the process behind it. I wish that territory had been explored a bit more. Also, there are some plot points that don’t lead anywhere at the end such as Nikhil’s tampering with the television. Nusrat and Nikhil have some history together but that part of the script seems half-baked.

The ending of Asur isn’t a happy one but, in fact, quite dark. There are regrets, grief, separation and scarred minds which leaves the viewers uneasy and asking for more. The mentor-student pair of DJ and Nikhil can’t look each other in the eye at the end which shows how the plot comes a long way. All the build-up that is created throughout the episodes is fully justified in the end and it doesn’t look anticlimactic. Although, the mystery about who is the real Shubh still remains.

With chilling visuals and an intelligent plot, Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side is an entertaining and a thrilling watch. Definitely unmissable, watch Asur on Voot Select now!

Rating: 4.5/5