ush Hush, the recently-released series on Amazon Prime has been directed by Tanuja Chandra and stars Juhi Chawla (Ishi), Soha Ali Khan (Saiba), Karishma Tanna (Inspector Geeta Tehlan), Shahana Goswami (Zaira Sheikh) and Kritika Kamra (Dolly) in pivotal roles. Ayesha Jhulka as Meera Yadav makes a return to the silver screen after a long hiatus in an extremely layered and multi-dimensional character.

The first episode of the season opens with two young girls, Ishi and Meera, growing up in an orphanage near Kolkata. Ishi being the older one decides to take the much younger Meera under her wing and is the proverbial elder sister to her, protecting and guiding her at every step of the way. How this relationship develops, progresses and matures is one of the highlights of this season.

Fast forward to the present and Ishi has become a name to be reckoned with as a PR professional who doubles as a fixer for the high and mighty in the corporate and political world.

Her cover is blown through a close associate. The exposé does little to affect her, and her very calm exterior. While she suffers a blow on the professional front, what she discovers through another unexpected turn of events forces her to experience an inner turmoil.

The quartet of friends, Ishi, Saiba, Dolly and Zaira are shown to be very close. Ishi has been lying low since the exposé. At an anniversary party, Zaira spots her in an altercation with a mysterious stranger in the woods behind the club, she arrives just in time to save her. The other two friends also arrive on the scene and one of them shoots the stranger. They dispose of his body in the rivulet in the woods.

The actors have done justice to their roles and have been superb in the series. The air of suspense and mystery is maintained throughout the series, which is thrilling at times but can also leave you frustrated.

Ishi is visibly shaken and begs her friends not to contact or message her while she figures out a solution to the problem arising from the incident. The next day, her friends discover that she has committed suicide. They feel betrayed and baffled. This starts a blame game. They decide that they have to remain cool and calm during the investigation. After discovering that Ishi has left all her money and property to a lady called Meera Yadav, Inspector Geeta traces her down at the orphanage she runs. There, while waiting for Meera, she discovers some important clues.

An important clue is provided by Saiba who discovers a slip of paper in the mysterious stranger’s car, a businessman called Vinayak Sethi (Gaurav Dwivedi), the one with whom Ishi had an altercation with and who was shot as a result. Saiba discovers his wallet which reveals his identity. In trying to solve the mystery the three friends slip deeper and deeper into the quagmire. What they discover at the end leads them to question their friend, Ishi’s credibility.

The season has seven episodes at the end of which the viewer is left hungry for more as all answers are not revealed. This tendency among writers of the series to withhold information is like serving appetisers but not the main course. Like the three surviving friends, the viewers want closure.

The actors have done justice to their roles. An air of suspense and mystery is maintained throughout the series, which is thrilling at times but can also leave you frustrated. What the friends unearth along with the police inspector is enough to send chills down your spine. So be ready to be shocked and traumatised by what transpires.

Soha Ali Khan (a former journalist) writes an anonymous open letter to Ishi in a publication where she once used to work. She is determined to expose the bigwigs behind the grisly operation. Dolly is on the same page but Zaira believes that they are taking on more than they can handle and will only sink deeper into a maze of lies, deceit and betrayal.

The direction is top notch; kudos to Tanuja for pulling off a gripping tale with finesse.

Recommended for watching.

The writer is an   educationist and can be reached at gaiteeara@hotmail.com