Director - Rohan Sippy 
Writer - Radhika Anand, Shreya Karunakaram
Cast - Konkona Sen Sharma, Shraddha Das, Shiv Panditt, Surya Sharma 
Episodes – 6 
Platform – JioHotstar 
 
Search: The Naina Murder Case begins with the discovery of a teenage girl’s corpse, Naina, found stuffed in the boot of a car pushed into a lake. What follows is a six-episode investigation that dips into themes of power, politics, and patriarchy — all wrapped in a familiar whodunnit formula. Adapted from the critically acclaimed Danish series Forbrydelsen (The Killing), this Indian retelling by creator Rohan Sippy tries to localize the essence of Nordic Noir, though not always successfully.
 
The series is driven almost entirely by Konkona Sen Sharma, who plays Sanyukta Das — a police officer caught between her collapsing personal life and an increasingly messy case. Konkona delivers a stunning performance, portraying a woman navigating professional respect, motherhood, and a male-dominated workplace with both quiet strength and emotional vulnerability. Her restrained yet commanding presence is easily the show’s highlight, bringing depth to a series that often leans too heavily on trope-laden storytelling.
 
Though the central mystery keeps the tension alive, the show falters in its treatment of Naina. Instead of humanizing the victim, the writing slips into stereotypes — portraying her as the classic “troubled teen” with secret boyfriends and strained friendships. The show leans more on what might have been wrong with her than on the tragedy of her death. As a result, the emotional gravity of the case never quite lands as it should.
 
There are far too many characters introduced across the six episodes — local politicians, classmates, family members, and red-herring suspects — making it feel overcrowded and undercooked. Performers like Shiv Panditt, Dhruv Sehgal, and Surya Sharma are intriguing in parts but aren’t given enough to flesh out their characters. Even promising arcs are either abandoned mid-way or stretched too thin to matter.
 
The narrative structure mirrors the confusion: while each episode is packed with developments, the story spends more time setting up new threads than resolving existing ones. By the end, you’re left with more questions than answers — which may be by design, but comes off more as narrative fatigue than clever mystery-building.
 
Despite its flaws, Search is saved by Konkona’s anchoring performance and a few gripping scenes that shine through the fog. The series explores institutional failure and moral compromise in law enforcement with some nuance, and the female-led narrative gives it a refreshing edge in an otherwise trope-heavy genre.
 
In the end, Search: The Naina Murder Case is an ambitious, moody thriller that keeps you invested, if not entirely satisfied. It’s a show that wants to say something important but gets lost trying to say too much. Worth a watch — just don’t expect all the answers.