Reviews & Ratings for
SMOKE (2018)

Set in Goa, the show follows the activities of a Russian drug lord whose turf is threatened by enemies outside and within. Starring Kalki Koechlin, Amit Sial, Gulshan Devaiah, Mandira Bedi, Jim Sarbh and Tom Alter, the series, directed by Neel Guha. Spread over 11 overlong episodes, Smoke examines the chaos that ensues after two members of Moshe Barak’s cartel are murdered in what is taken to be an open declaration of war by a rival gang. Instead of fighting back, the ruthless Barak says he will strike a deal with the rival Duman network, so that they can split profits and avoid more bloodshed. However, it turns out that there are far too many players clamouring for a piece of Goa’s drug pie. The Russian gangster has to contend with rivals from across India and the world – including Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Kashmir – and even his own aides. To complicate matters, Barak’s gang is also being closely watched by the police force, led by the no-nonsense Pereira (Satyadeep Mishra). Other recurring characters include Neil Bhoopalam’s deaf-and-mute chef Savio, and Luke Kenny in a mysterious role.
The show groans under the weight of a cluttered plot and has more characters than it can do justice to. It also doesn’t help that some of its actors have played similar roles in earlier web series. Mishra, who played a corrupt cop in Zero Kms – which too centres on drugs and crime in Goa – looks like he walked out of one set and on to another, shifting his moral compass along the way. Girish Kulkarni, who played sinister minister Bipin Bhonsle in Sacred Games, dons the politician’s hat once again in Smoke, this time as the tough-talking chief minister of Goa who intends to clean up his state. The darkness of the series is also unrelenting, with the body count of the first episode alone clocking in at five. The palate is almost always gloomy and the background score alternates between sinister and psychedelic. The show also lacks heart, a character or a sub-plot that could provide intermittent respite from the macabre and raise the emotional stakes for the viewer. Devaiah is the only actor who fully commits to his role and adds a dash of humour to his guileless mercenary, bringing some much-needed levity to the show. He is well matched by Amit Sial’s Pushkar, a mercurial gangster and the son of Barak’s business partner, Bhau (Prakash Belawadi). Koechlin, who plays Tara, a DJ and Barak’s mistress, seems lost in the plot. Most other actors do a passable job, but they are unable to elevate the sagging plot. Smoke does take more coherent shape sometime halfway through, but it never becomes edge-of-the seat thrilling or nail-bitingly suspenseful. It chugs along from one deception and plot twist to another, becoming mildly engaging and mildly intriguing, but never adequately fulfilling. A glimmer of a pay-off is offered in the 90-minute-long season finale, however – if one manages to stick around that long.

Smoke is a crime thriller web series from the house of Eros Now. The series focuses on the dark side of Goa. It revolves around the crime lords of Goa, Bhau and Moshe Barak. Their drug cartel is in a threat when two of their dealers are found dead. To keep the business running Moshe decides to strike a deal with the rival gang, the Germans. They face a lot of troubles from the other drug cartels and the police. The series is good and can be watched but doesn’t live up to the expectation. It has a huge star cast who gave a decent performance. It lacks to give a real thrill experience. It is suitable for an 18+ audience, all the episode are now streaming on the Eros Now official app.

Smoke is an Indian crime web series by Eros Now. What was supposed to be Eros' answer to Netflix's and Amazon Prime Video's originals fails to make any impact. Smoke was a much awaited project which owed it's hype to a brilliant star cast. The show is not bad but when the market is saturated with shows which deal with drug lords and underbelly of crime, the show needs to be really different to stand out. The show is watchable and you may even be hooked to it but it falls short of expectations. The cast puts up a decent show and will not let you down. Kalki Koechlin and Jim Sarbh are the stars. Watch this if if you are into gangs and drug lords.