The first episode of Hotstar Specials’ Grahan opens in Ranchi in the year 2016. A man waits at the railway station to hand over some files to someone. Two men arrive and take the files. However, the man learns that he gave the files to the wrong men. He smartly takes it back from them and starts running away immediately. After a long chase, the man burns the files as he realises that the men will probably catch him sooner or later. The files pertain to someone called Gautam Patidar. In the next scene, the men catch the man. 

On 7th June 1984 in Bokaro, two men reach Rimjhim Steel Factory to talk to a union leader, Chunnu. Chunnu is a supporter of PM Indira Gandhi. He praises her move of deploying police forces in Punjab to curb Khalistani terrorism. He distributes sweets to the factory workers but one of them is a Sikh and doesn’t like this. This leads to a skirmish between him and the other workers. The two men who visit the factory witness this. One of them intervenes and stops it. This is Rishi who is the son of a late boiler operator. Rishi’s friend introduces him to the union leader. Rishi has a request for the union leader. Owing to his father’s death while working in a factory, Rishi applied for his “Anukumpa niyukti”, i.e., ‘compassion appointment’ but hasn’t got any response from the authorities in the last 6 months. He requests the union leader that he look into this matter. Chunnu takes him inside his cabin and seems impressed with his courage to step into a fight to save a man.

Back to Ranchi in 2016, we’re taken to IPS officer Amrita Singh’s house where she lives with her father. They are a Sikh family. Amrita’s boyfriend, Kartik is also present. They are playing cards. Amrita’s father mentions something about Amrita and Kartik’s marriage which upsets Amrita. Kartik goes to check in on her and they end up kissing. Kartik lives in Canada and is leaving the next day. Amrita gets a call from an unknown number but she can only hear some incoherent sounds. She traces the phone number’s location and leaves for it. 

At the location, she sees a car that has been in an accident. She calls the number again and finds that a phone is ringing nearby. A kid has a phone which he hands over to Amrita. She asks him questions related to the phone and the car but he starts running. Amrita and the team follow him. She sees a wall with red handprints. The kid is nowhere to be seen but she sees two men setting a man on fire. She rushes to save him. The burning man shouts “Hindnagar ko bacha lo” and falls into the river. This is the same man who we saw in the beginning.

Amrita learns that Hindnagar is near Rajendra Nagar and has a majority Muslim population. Hindnagar comes under the jurisdiction of Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Amrita reaches the police station. The burnt body has been identified. The man is Santosh Jaiswal who used to sell news to media agencies. Amrita’s shoes are covered in mud. She also sees muddy footsteps in the police station present already. She starts looking for people wearing muddy shoes and finds two men outside the police station. They are the same men who set Santosh on fire but Amrita doesn’t know this. She arrests and interrogates them. They were at the police station earlier to report their missing car but Amrita knows that this is not the truth. She puts them in a lock-up and prompts them to speak the truth. She remembers that Kartik is leaving for Canada and rushes to the airport to see him off. She assigns an officer in charge to get something out of the two men.

Kartik’s flight departs before Amrita reaches the airport. This upsets her. She gets a call from her boss who tells her to come to his office immediately. Amrita reaches the police headquarters and her boss tells her to let the two men go because there is no solid proof against them. Amrita resists but her boss tells her to take off for the second half of the day.

Disappointed, Amrita comes home. Her father sees her condition and says that this job isn’t for someone as honest as her.

Next, we’re taken to Bokaro in 1984. A woman prays at the Gurudwara. She sneaks into Rishi’s home and they hug. He calls her Manu. Rishi says that they’ll get together... but in the right way. It looks like they are star-crossed lovers.

At home, Amrita talks to Kartik through video call. He is a cartoonist in Canada. Amrita sees the news about the investigation of the 1984 Bokaro riots being opened again. People are protesting outside Sanjay Singh’s residence because he has been accused of inciting mob violence. Amrita immediately rushes to Sanjay’s place in her uniform and controls the protestors.

Amrita’s boss meets CM Kedaar Bhagat to discuss Santosh’s death.

Amrita suggests that Sanjay stay inside till the situation outside his house improves. He doesn’t listen to her and addresses the people outside. One half of the lot supports him while the other, Sikh majority, half doesn’t. He says that the SIT investigation into the 1984 Bokaro riots is a move by the CM against Sanjay since elections are approaching. Then, he grabs and raises Amrita’s hand saying that a Sikh woman police officer is protecting him. Amrita doesn’t like this and feels uncomfortable.

CM Kedaar Bhagat watches the news about Sanjay using Amrita as a shield. Amrita’s boss, the DIG, tells Kedaar that Amrita has been recently transferred and is just 6 months into the job. Kedaar tells the DIG to put Amrita in charge of the SIT investigation because she is Sikh and Kedaar needs to gather strong proof against Sanjay.

Amrita reaches the police station and finds that the two men she had arrested are gone. She learns that the DIG ordered their release.

Back in the past, Rishi goes to Manu’s house to ask her father for her hand in marriage. However, her father doesn’t approve of their relationship. Disappointed, Rishi leaves.

PM Indira Gandhi is assassinated and there is unrest in the country. Chunnu incites factory workers to kill all the Sikhs in their locality. “Saaf kar do sheher ko”, says Chunnu. He appoints Rishi as the leader of the mob. Rishi suggests that they start from the Chabbras’ house.

In the present in 2016, Amrita hands in her resignation because she is not given enough authority to take independent decisions. The DIG takes her to the SIT meeting where DSP Vikas briefs the team about the Bokaro case. This case has been opened many times earlier but in vain. The DSP says that this time they need to gather some solid proof against Sanjay Singh.

In 1984 Bokaro, the mob marks Sikh houses with an “S”.

Rishi and other rioters reach the Chabbras’ house. Turns out, the Chabbras’ house is none other than Manu’s house and Rishi brought the rioters here deliberately. But why is Rishi killing his lover and her family?

Amrita receives the picture of a Bokaro rioter. It is Rishi’s picture. But here comes the twist. To Amrita’s surprise, the picture is of her father in his days of yore. This means that Rishi is Amrita’s father!

The first episode of Grahan takes time to catch pace but ends with a great twist. I hope things take an interesting turn from here.

Episode Rating: 3/5