Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, On Netflix, Weaves A Complex Web Of Deceit

Boy meets girl. It's love at first sight for the girl and hate at first sight for the boy. Years later, the boy meets another girl. It's love at first sight for the boy, and this time, the girl does reciprocate. Vikrant (Tahir Raj Bhasin) is the boy in question, Purva (Anchal Singh) is the first girl, and Shikha (Shweta Tripathi), the second. These three, however, don't form a love triangle. Vikrant loves Shikha and vice versa, whereas Purva is more of a third wheel, forcing herself into the middle of the other two.

Purva is the daughter of a famous and influential politician named Akheraj (Saurabh Shukla). Notice the name of the party: Bhartiya Suraksha Party (BSP). Uh-huh. Akheraj treats Purva like a princess. Her wish becomes his command, and what she really wishes for is Vikrant. What does Vikrant want though? No one cares. His family is more than happy to send him in Akheraj's lap. If that means he has to marry Purva, so be it. Golden (Anant Joshi), Vikrant's best friend, even encourages Vikrant to pursue a relationship with Purva, who he finds to be more attractive than Shikha.

What no one realizes is the other side to the story, how dangerous Purva can be. Don't be fooled by her charm, and stay away from her radar if you can. When Vikrant retaliates and says no to an offer of working with her for her Zumba classes, his entire household comes to a halt. Their electricity and water supply is cut off, and their property is suddenly rendered illegal. Defeated from every corner, he is forced to return to Purva and take back the job.

Purva then becomes possessive, doing everything she can to shield Vikrant from other female influences. If one is found, she sends her men to kill them. If it was a simple black-and-white narrative, we could have easily slotted her into the category of a stereotypical femme fatale. But as the show progresses, it humanizes Purva. Whatever her twisted notions may be, in the end, she is driven by her love for Vikrant. Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein uses small moments to highlight a side of hers that is warm, emotional and vulnerable. She massages her father's back, feels sorry and tears up when Shikha requests her to call her goons back, and shows genuine concern when Vikrant takes off without informing her in Ladakh. Her family consists of criminals, but they all are held together by a strong familial bond. Akheraj is fond of her daughter, and whenever she's around, you can see his eyes soften.

Vikrant's desperation of escaping from Purva and her family's clutches brings forth several absurd moments that his mind visualizes. He imagines fake scenarios in which he emerges victorious by getting rid of the members of the Akheraj household. Alas, he can only be successful in his imagination because reality always defeats him.

The best thing about Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein is that it doesn't consider the lovers in isolation. The story not only involves Vikrant, Purva, and Shikha but also brings in their family members. Their actions affect their ménages. This theme is strongly felt within Shikha's arc when she is left with no other choice but to go on the run with her parents; even they have to pay the price of their daughter's love.

There comes a time in the series when Shikha apparently dies. At the back of your mind, you expect her to return. When she does, you smile with confidence and think you can figure out the rest of the twists. Your mind starts racing ahead of the plot, and you start predicting things. The series slyly lets you wear your confidence before pulling the rug from beneath your feet. It weaves a complex web of deceit where the line between morality and immorality is blurred. Vikrant hires an assassin to get rid of Purva and justifies his actions by reiterating that he is doing it for his and Shikha's bright future. But by that time, Purva no longer remains just a vamp. She also develops into a compassionate human being who places her faith in Vikrant. And Vikrant exploits this faith, crossing his boundaries of 'goodness.' And soon enough, Golden's words come true: Vikrant turns into the very person he sets out to murder.

The show has its hitches. The voice-over repeats what we are seeing and thus, becomes redundant. The final twist too, feels quite improbable. It appears to be more of a tactic to make way for the next season. Perhaps that would carry a solid, or at least a believable explanation of the occurrences that take place, one after the other. Overall, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein is like a page-turner. You are always excited to visit the next episode – and in this case, the sentiment remains valid for its potential second season.