Director: Ravi Jadhav
Starring: Jackie Shroff, Sikandar Kher, Bhoomika Meena, Madhur Mittal, Mita Vashisht, Mayur More, Flora Saini, Abha Parmar, Upen Chauhan
Writers: Mohinder Pratap Singh, Chintan Gandhi
Episodes – 8 
Platform – Prime Video 
 
In a streaming world overflowing with feel-good romances, lazy thrillers, and courtroom dramas that take 6 episodes just to reach the bail hearing—Chidiya Udd drops like a flamingo in a flock of pigeons. Directed by Ravi Jadhav, this 8-episode Prime Video original flaps into Mumbai’s most shadowy alleyways and shows us a side of the city where freedom has to be stolen, not granted.
 
Our lead, Seher (a standout Bhoomika Meena), is no damsel in distress. She’s more like a phoenix in sneakers. After a life-altering incident forces her to flee her Rajasthani hometown, she crash-lands into the chaotic red-light lanes of Kamathipura, Mumbai’s infamous no-rules zone. From there, things go from bad to "wait, what just happened?" in no time. Cue two rival gangs, mysterious godfathers, unholy alliances, and a whole lotta secrets waiting to blow up.
 
The narrative, adapted from Aabid Surti’s novel Cages, doesn't tiptoe around the horrors—it grabs them by the throat, throws on a dramatic spotlight, and dares you to look away. Thematically, Chidiya Udd explores power, freedom, and how cages can be both physical and emotional. It’s heavy stuff, but never heavy-handed.
 
And let’s talk about performances: Jackie Shroff as Qadir Bhai is part philosophical gangster, part unfiltered Instagram quote. You fear him, but you’d also weirdly want him to narrate your bedtime story. Sikandar Kher is all brooding eyes and bad decisions, while Mayur More leaves behind his Kota Factory innocence to show he’s more than a nerdy kid with a physics book. Mita Vashisht and Abha Parmar bring a motherly menace to their brothel queen roles, delivering sass and sorrow in equal measure.
 
Visually, Chidiya Udd is soaked in neon grit and the claustrophobic chaos of Mumbai’s underbelly. The production design is stunning in its grime, and the camerawork makes you feel like you're ducking behind corners and eavesdropping on dangerous whispers. And the background score? Equal parts haunting and head-bopping—someone give that music team a samosa. Or an award.

Now, is it perfect? Nope. Sometimes the gang war chaos spills over into confusion, and you might need a whiteboard to track who’s backstabbing whom. But honestly, isn’t that half the fun?
 
Chidiya Udd is not your average crime drama—it’s gutsy, gritty, and emotionally gut-punching, with just the right dose of desi noir. If you’re into layered characters, stories that sting, and female leads who fight like lions in a pigeon coop, this one’s got wings.