As Indians, we all look up to the Indian army. As Indians, we are gripped by the sheer passion and fervour with which they serve. But immaculate perfection is a myth, and every system is riddled with snags. What does it take to overcome this snag, and go back to the point of perfection once again?
Code M released on January 15, 2020 on AltBalaji and ZEE5 as part of the collaborative venture. The eight-part series (25 minutes approximately) comes alive with a fictionalised version of the probable goings-on in the Indian Army, and how these misdoings get fixed to overcome the snags.
Plotter’s platter
The plotting points circumvent around the murder of an army-man and two supposed terrorists, who have been named as such to mask the flaws. Since the proceedings have annoyed the Indian citizens, they strongly take to the streets, forcing an inquiry commission. Colonel Suryaveer Chauhan (Rajat Kapoor) sends for an able officer Monika Mehra (Jennifer Winget) to investigate the case. To Monika Mehra, this case is way too easy further fuelling the reasons to delve into the root cause of the problem and solve the case keeping sentiments at bay.
Her investigation meets with many roadblocks, but Monika clambers on like a fearless spider till she unveils the real reason. Monika is joined by Angad (Tanuj Virwani) on the case. At first, he disapproves of Monika’s ways but on learning of the certain facts on Major Shakti (Aalekh Kapoor) and Major Gaurav (Keshav Sadhna), he wholly supports Monika, and together they join all the dots. The revelations are unbelievably shocking.
The ifs and buts
The facts are revealed in a very systematic manner, leaving viewers thinking of the twists of the plot. Right from the start of the first episode there is little time wasted on arriving at the premise of the case, immediately hooking the viewer. Jennifer Winget’s character is soul stirring, and shaped wonderfully! Though she appears cut and dry, she delivers the facts very smoothly. She is led by her instinct, and is strong.
She seems to have invested in a lot of prep for arriving at where she is at in the series. Tanuj Virwani’s character is very interesting indeed! However, he can cast the playfulness aside for a bit. The case is serious and his involvement in the same could further enliven his character giving himself the required edge. The production is on point, except for the fact that the army-men in some scenes aren’t marching in an appropriate manner. I cannot credit the director Akshay Choubey enough for an outstanding delivery of the series.
There is little time wasted at arriving to the point. The characters support one another well. One can witness the synergy in the production and post-production as well. The only sore point is that the story revolves around the social evils of caste system and same sex marriages. Our Indian writers have a lot more exposure and can go well beyond these social evils. They could work around interesting political happenings just as well.
It’s a wrap
Code M is short, and typically could be termed as the ‘binge-watch’ worthy sort of a series. After all, one shouldn’t undermine the capacity of a woman!
