TYPEWRITER (2019 / Netflix) – A decent horror series that fondly reminded me of the 1980s famous Doordarshan’s serial KILE KA RAHASYA. (Review by Bobby Sing)

A Netflix Indian original and an interesting five episode horror series directed by Sujoy Ghosh, TYPERWRITER is a technically rich attempt sticking to its subject, which is far better than many regular horror Hindi films released in the last few years. Set in Goa, revolving around a haunted house, the best part of the series is that it focuses on a group of school going kids forming a ghost hunting club who choose the haunted villa as their first mission to begin with. But as they are about to start their investigations, a family moves in the villa and then it’s all about their clashes and the discovery of a haunted typewriter having a scary history.

 

Sadly, the series that begins as a young or teenage horror/mystery, doesn’t remain innocent and enjoyable as a children’s project after a couple of initial episodes. As the past stories get revealed talking about the spirit, the narration becomes horrific taking it away from the kids which actually becomes a sort of disappointment. Also, it has its own share of shortcomings including being a drag at times that restricts it to be an above average project with technical excellence and some notable performances including the kids. However the brightest part is that TYPERWRITER does bring back memories of a successful and hugely famous Doordarshan serial of the late 80s titled KILE KA RAHASYA. 

 

Taking you back in time, though it wasn’t any horror serial, but it did scare us all like hell, and its spooky theme music is still remembered along with its engrossing execution. In fact many might feel the shivers even today, thinking about those times when the serial used to begin with the haunting music and the visuals of two hands pushing a lady. It was a weekly affair with one episode aired every week in the late evening slot and had 13 (or maybe 26) episodes, which used to be the norm those days.

 

Moreover, the commercialization had yet not taken over the content in the late ‘80s and thus the serial made for the kids remained for the kids right till the end as a young kids/teenage horror-suspense mystery. Though, it kept scaring us with references of probable ghosts in the killa (fort) throughout its enjoyable episodes, it actually turned out to be all staged by a group of goons hiding in the fort doing their illegal activities (of printing fake currency notes) in its final episode. And reliving the fond memories, we all really loved watching its every minute so attentively posing as young detectives.

Probably the first horror-cum-suspense TV serial made for the youngsters in the ‘80s, KILE KA RAHASYA (focusing on a group of kids), was exactly written and presented as stories we used to find in English novels of HARDY BOYS, NANCY DREW or THE FAMOUS FIVE. Later another serial titled EK DO TEEN CHAAR (featureing four kids) also got aired made on the similar lines.

 

Unfortunately there is no official or unofficial upload of this serial (or even its title music) on Youtube or any official channel/movie portal till date. And I hope it is not the one included in the list of ‘Forever Lost Films and Serials’ never to be seen again.

 

Coming back to the present, no doubt, now they have strangely stopped making such appreciable content for the kids or teenagers in particular. And that is the reason why Sujoy Ghosh’s TYPERWRITER isn’t really a children show despite having a group of kids leading it from the front. So you can surely watch it for the merits mentioned above, but really wish Sujoy had conceived it as a rare teenage suspense mystery exploring an almost dead genre in Indian Television and Cinema last seen in Vishal Bhardawaj's MAKDEE released almost two decades back in 2002.

Directed by Sujoy Ghosh
Starring : Purab Kohli, Palomi Ghosh, Jisshu Sengupta, Sameer Kochhar, Aarna Sharma and more.