For the generation growing up in India in the seventies and eighties, the name #CharlesSobhraj was a name that would inspire fear and awe. The newsboy cap, oversized glasses and the slick look was the epitome of a master criminal who could escape from any prison in a trice. Here was a story waiting to be told. And this is what BBC and Mammoth Screen have done in a very slick, very edgy recreation of the hippy milieu of Bangkok, Nepal, Europe and SouthEast Asia of the seventies. The eight-part mini series is characterised by some fast paced editing that can polarise audiences, but what stands out is how the series does not provide any insights into the con-man and his making; nor does it pass any judgement on him. What it does quite brilliantly is set up some interesting characters who you identify with and track on this riveting show. #TaharRahim is of course magnetic as the cold-blooded conman. I found myself hooked on equally to the nervous energy of the Dutch diplomat who makes it his life mission to bring #Sobhraj to jail; in another world I would have loved to have seen a spin-off show on Knippenberg!
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews the new show on #Netflix; Directed by #HansHerbots and #TomShankland this is #TheSerpent. This is the under-reported story of the Vietnamese-Indian origin French national who would prey on the unsuspecting western white tourists, drug them, rob them of their passports and eventually kill them in cold blood. He would then go on to assume their identities and travel the world along with his Canadian girl-friend Maries Andre Leclerc (#JennaColeman in a terrific performance of the hapless woman swept away in the web spun by the master crook). Tracking them is the Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (#BillyHowle) and his wife Angela (#EllieBamber) and some quirky diplomat characters like Paul Siemons (#TimMcinnery). There is of course Sobhraj’s friend and accomplice Ajay (#AmeeshEdireweera). #TheSerpent does not fully rise to the potential it has, in spite of some furious editing across chronology.
The editing is very modern day, very contemporary and mind-boggling at times. It can be quite polarising and I wouldn't be surprised if some people were left helpless; at the same time it transforms the slow-burn drama and makes it thrilling without really focussing on the actual crime events. Cohesion in the narrative is critical to any show and this is what is perhaps the weak spot in the show. The redeeming feature is the costumes, the locations and the characterisation. I must add that the editing across time zones actually makes you feel that #CharlesSobhraj is central to the narrative and you see him take centre stage across the many vignettes that make up the show.
The show opens at the house in Bangkok where #Sobhraj operated from and we see him as Alain Gautier the sophisticated gem dealer. As the show progresses, you see shades of his back story where there is a deep set resentment of the white man but the show does not really travel to how he may have been marginalised in his youth; nor does it justify the man’s character based on past trauma. To that extent, the show ends up leaving you thinking that you know less about #Sobhraj and his motivations!
#TahirRahim is fantastic as he goes about his business stoic, cold-blooded and with magnetic charm. His portrayal of #Sobhraj is charming and at the same time conniving, macho and yet malicious, cool and yet calculating.
The dogged pursuit that Knippenberg gives him as he takes on the authorities in Thailand, Paris, India and Nepal is what makes for interesting watching. Amidst all the scotch and cigarette consumption by the diplomatic folks and the dynamics between him and his wife Angela, you start rooting for the man whose nervous mannerisms make him endearing.
#TheSerpent is slick, stylish and edgy. It became the most popular program on the BBC iplayer with 31 million streams across. Much as the makers liken the protagonist to be the serpent in the garden of eden of the hippy age of the seventies, this is one show that can slither up on the unsuspecting viewer and keep him hooked as the slow-burn suspense unfolds. Definitely a must-watch!
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