Review --- Khhote Sikkey

Damodar Deshmukh is on the trail of a killer who goes by the name of Joker, seeks out the rich and then bumps them off cleverly. Deshmukh with all his expertise has been trying in vain to pin down the culprit. Meanwhile, five kids are arrested one night for crimes ranging from attempted theft to forgery, drunk driving and for using a gun and arson. The arrested kids are Mohit Kishinchandani who almost kills his girlfriend in a car accident, Ayush Khetrapal, a curly haired nerd who hacks computers, cracks private codes and does everything in the name of 'genius', Hamir Rizvi, a compulsive gambler who tries to steal money from a rich girl's house but gets arrested, Delnaaz Shroff who parades around with a licensed gun in her hand; the gun belongs to her commodore brother-in-law but she uses it like a toy and last but not the least is Uttara Bakshi, sister of film star Vivaan who doesn't let her model because she will tarnish his good boy image.

Unfortunately, the day these five are arrested, the courts are on vacation and getting out on bail is not possible. It's then that Deshmukh decides to use them to nab Joker. He feels they, like him, are rich and well connected. They can get access to everything and everywhere given their high profile status and lifestyle and in return he promises to let them off easily in court. The five kids reluctantly become Deshmukh's tools and in a neat turn of events manage to nab Joker red-handed. While the cop stays true to his word and lets them off, the kids having tasted blood decide to help out Deshmukh and his team in his cases, one inspired by the Jessica Lal murder.

The show is engaging alright, it's stylish and glamorous (guess YRF loves its actors all spic and span) and though it doesn't have the grit of Powder (Yash Raj's earlier show for Sony), it is still a cut above the channel's other so-called crime and detective shows. The proceedings are fast paced and there is never a dull moment. The cast is fresh and the performances are decent. And though the kids try hard to be cool, it works for them given the South Mumbai background they come from! We liked the cop, played by Vikas Kumar (though why does he sometimes slip into a South Indian accent?) and the young bunch, especially Hasan Zaidi as Mohit, who is not only a decent actor but also has a good screen presence and a great attitude and Sukhmani Sadana who is nice and sassy as Uttara. The lines are pithy and the direction by Jiji Philip makes the show watchable even if it's 11 in the night on the weekends.

Verdict: ***