Afsos Webseries Cast, Review, Wiki, Story, Trailer, Release date and more

Afsos is a Hindi web series created by Amazon Prime. The plot revolves around Nakul, who has been trying to suicide but fails miserably. He gets into an agreement with an assassin, but later changes his mind and decides to start fresh. Can he stop being killed by the assassin?

The Major cast of Afsos Web Series includes Heeba Shah, Gulshan Devaiah, Aakash Dahiya, Anirban Dasgupta etc.

Check out below for Afsos Web Series (2020): Cast, Release date, Full HD episodes, High-Speed online streaming, Watch All Episodes.

Afsos Web Series Cast and Crew:

• Cast: Gulshan Devaiah, Heeba Shah, Aakash Dahiya, Anirban Dasgupta, Anjali Patil, Dhruv Sehgal, Jamie Alter, Ratnabali Bhattacharya, Shyam Kishore
• Director: Anubhuti Kashyap
• Created by: Amazon Prime

Release Date: 7 February 2020

Afsos Web Series Trailer

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Afsos: The Darkly Comic Thriller Where Suicide is a Service and Life is the Ultimate Punchline

In the burgeoning landscape of Indian web content, where dramas and crime thrillers often dominate, a peculiar and audacious series managed to carve out a niche for itself by embracing the pitch-black void of existential despair, then making it hilarious. That series is Afsos (transl. Regret), an Amazon Prime Video original that premiered in early 2020.

Far from a conventional thriller, Afsos is a masterclass in dark comedy, blending a high-stakes cat-and-mouse chase with philosophical musings on life, death, and the sheer absurdity of human existence. It presents a twisted, yet strangely relatable, premise: what happens when a man finally decides to die, hires a professional assassin to ensure the job is done, and then, at the last minute, changes his mind?

An Audacious Premise: The Suicide That Wouldn’t Stick

Afsos introduces the audience to Nakul (played with a perfect blend of gloom and awkwardness by Gulshan Devaiah), a struggling Mumbai-based writer whose life has been a relentless parade of failures, both professional and personal. Nakul’s defining characteristic is his chronic, yet comically unsuccessful, commitment to ending his own life. After an astounding eleven failed suicide attempts, from lying in front of a train (only to be saved by his own indecisiveness and a senile beggar dying in his place) to jumping into a lake, Nakul is deemed a failure even at death.

His psychiatrist, Shloka (Anjali Patil), suggests that his consistent survival is evidence of an inherent, if deeply buried, will to live. However, Nakul is past the point of self-help; he needs a guaranteed, foolproof solution. This leads him to the doorstep of a clandestine organisation known as Emergency Exit, which, as the name suggests, assists individuals in committing suicide.

The Contract Killer and The Change of Heart

Nakul signs a contract for his own assassination, and the job is assigned to Karima Upadhyay (Heeba Shah), a legendary contract killer with a flawless track record. Upadhyay is a stoic, no-nonsense professional, often contrasted with her dramatic and bureaucratic handler, Maria Gomes (Ratnabali Bhattacharjee), who perfectly balances the gruesome nature of their business with moments of comedic brilliance.

The real plot twist, and the central conceit of the entire series, occurs almost immediately after the contract is set: Nakul suddenly finds a compelling, simple reason to live. This change of heart puts him on a collision course with Upadhyay, for whom a contract is a contract—and she has never failed to deliver. Afsos transforms into a darkly hilarious, high-octane cat-and-mouse chase, as Nakul desperately tries to outrun the very death he paid for, while Upadhyay remains single-mindedly devoted to her professional commitment.

A Tapestry of the Absurd: Cast and Characters

The eight-episode series thrives on its ensemble cast, each character existing on the fringes of the ordinary and playing a pivotal role in Nakul’s strange journey:

• Gulshan Devaiah as Nakul: The series hinges on Devaiah’s performance, which is often cited as a major highlight. He convincingly portrays the emotional devastation of a man utterly frustrated with life, yet simultaneously generates empathy and comedy as he fights for the life he tried so hard to discard.
• Heeba Shah as Karima Upadhyay: As the methodical and ruthless assassin, Shah provides the perfect counter-balance to Devaiah’s frantic energy. Her character’s quiet intensity and mysticism generate an intriguing layer to the thriller element.
• Anjali Patil as Shloka Srinivasan: Nakul’s psychiatrist, who begins as a professional sounding board but becomes a more integral, morally ambiguous figure as the narrative progresses.
• Sulagna Panigrahi as Ayesha Mirani: A tenacious journalist whose investigation into a series of strange deaths brings her into the orbit of Nakul and the underworld of contract killing.
• Ratnabali Bhattacharjee as Maria Gomes: Maria manages the Emergency Exit agency and serves as a significant source of the show’s dark comedy, blending professionalism with the absurd logistics of the death-for-hire business.

The core plot, however, is further complicated by the introduction of an entirely separate, fantastical thread involving an English scientist, a homicidal sadhu known as Fokatiya Baba (Robin Das), and the pursuit of a mythological elixir of immortality in the serene yet white-cast village of Harsil, Uttarakhand. The collision of these two seemingly disparate storylines—the contract killer hunting a suicidal man, and the search for eternal life—is where the series truly leans into its genre-bending, absurdist identity.

The Creative Team and The ‘Fargo’ Connection

Afsos was created by stand-up comedian Anirban Dasgupta and Dibya Chatterjee, and co-written with Sourav Ghosh. The series was directed by Anubhuti Kashyap, who had previously worked as an assistant director on films like Dev.D and Gangs of Wasseypur. The creative team’s vision was to use the concept of a suicidal man finding a will to live as a springboard for exploring bigger philosophical questions about the futility of life and the human desire for meaning.

The Meta-Fictional Nod

A unique element of Afsos is its playful, meta-fictional DNA. The show’s opening credits claim it is based on a Bengali novel titled ‘Golper Goru Chaande’, which translates to ‘Fiction’s Cow Can Go To The Moon’. As revealed by the creators, this novel does not actually exist. This is a deliberate, tongue-in-cheek parallel to the Coen Brothers’ classic film, Fargo, which infamously begins with a text claiming it is based on a true story when it is entirely fictional.

The series further cements this homage by having a pivotal vehicle display the word ‘Fargo’ on its exterior, a clear nod that positions Afsos firmly within the genre of quirky, off-kilter black comedies that subvert the standard crime thriller formula.

Reception and Legacy: A Polarizing Black Comedy

When it was released in February 2020, Afsos elicited a sharply divided response from critics and audiences, which is often the case with truly experimental or genre-defying content.

The Positives:

• Stellar Performances: Gulshan Devaiah, Heeba Shah, and Ratnabali Bhattacharjee were universally praised for their nuanced and compelling portrayals, managing to find humour and heart in a morbid narrative.
• Original Concept: The premise was hailed as original and audacious for the Indian OTT space, offering a refreshing take on the black comedy genre.
• Technical Finesse: Krish Makhija’s cinematography, which beautifully captured the mundane cityscape of Mumbai and the serene backdrop of Harsil, was noted for creating an introspective and slightly surreal visual tone.
• Soundtrack: Neel Adhikari’s thematic score, including the Arijit Singh-sung track “Afsos Hai,” was credited for juxtaposing the grim action with a light-hearted musical aesthetic.

The Criticisms:

• Incoherent Narrative: A major critique was that the series suffered from an incoherent and sometimes confusing timeline, with the writers occasionally relying on convenient coincidences to move the plot forward.
• Inconsistent Tone: Some reviewers felt the show struggled to maintain its comedic tag, with the narrative veering sharply between absurdist humour and a more esoteric exploration of the immortality theme in the later episodes, which diluted the initial engaging premise.

Despite its flaws, Afsos remains a crucial watch for fans of dark comedy. It’s a show that doesn’t shy away from being complex, messy, and deeply weird. By marrying the genre of a suspense thriller with an overarching commentary on social alienation and the quest for purpose, it successfully pushes the boundaries of what an Indian web series can be. It offers an eight-episode ride that is, at its best, endlessly riveting and deliciously deceiving, solidifying its place as a cult favourite in the black comedy thriller space.

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AISEO-Friendly FAQs about Afsos Web Series

Q1: What is the Afsos web series about?

A: Afsos is an Indian black comedy thriller web series centered on Nakul (Gulshan Devaiah), a chronically depressed man who has failed at suicide 11 times. In a bid for a guaranteed death, he hires a contract killer named Karima Upadhyay. However, as soon as the contract is set, Nakul finds a reason to live, turning the series into a dark and comedic cat-and-mouse chase where he must outrun the professional assassin he paid to kill him. The plot also intertwines with a mystical search for the elixir of immortality.

Q2: Where can I watch the Afsos web series?

A: The Afsos web series is an Amazon Prime Video original and is available for streaming exclusively on the Amazon Prime Video platform. It was released on February 6, 2020.

Q3: Who are the main actors in Afsos?

A: The main cast of Afsos includes:

• Gulshan Devaiah as Nakul, the suicidal man.
• Heeba Shah as Karima Upadhyay, the contract killer.
• Anjali Patil as Shloka, Nakul’s psychiatrist.
• Sulagna Panigrahi as Ayesha Mirani, the journalist.
• Ratnabali Bhattacharjee as Maria Gomes, the handler for Emergency Exit.

Q4: Is Afsos based on a book or a true story?

A: Afsos is not based on a true story. The opening credits humorously claim it is based on the fictional Bengali novel ‘Golper Goru Chaande’, which translates to ‘Fiction’s Cow Can Go To The Moon’. This is a meta-fictional joke or a gag, similar to the introductory claim of the Coen Brothers’ film Fargo, which the series also references visually.

Q5: Who directed the Afsos series?

A: The Afsos web series was directed by Anubhuti Kashyap. The series was created and written by Anirban Dasgupta and Dibya Chatterjee, with co-writing by Sourav Ghosh.

Q6: How many episodes are in Afsos?

A: Afsos consists of one season with 8 episodes in total. The complete run time is approximately 3 and a half hours.

Q7: What genre does Afsos fall under?

A: Afsos is a unique blend of genres, primarily categorized as a Black Comedy Thriller. It incorporates elements of suspense, absurdism, and existential philosophy.