Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Review — A Stylish Crime Nap
- Niels Gys
- Dec 19, 2025
- 4 min read
TL;DR
Brilliant lead. Juicy sins. Enough dead air to suffocate a small village.
Charges:
Excessive brooding
Prolonged silence without permit
Criminal underuse of momentum
Mitigating factors:
A lead performance that could intimidate a mirror
A world dripping with moral decay
Enough good moments to keep you invested
Sentence:
Recommended viewing with parole conditions. Bring patience.
If you’re going to watch Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders, do it properly.
Dim the lights, embrace moral decay, and drink something strong.
👉 Amazon: Stainless Steel Whiskey Stones Set (because ice melting is a moral failure)
👉 CRIMENET: Best Crime Thrillers Right Now
Criminal Fantasy Fulfillment - Finally, Someone Worth Rooting Against
This show understands one sacred truth: The real criminals aren’t the ones holding knives. They’re the ones holding family dinners.
The Bansals are a walking HR violation of morality. Respectable on the outside, morally composting on the inside. Exactly how CRIMENET likes its criminals: well dressed, deeply unpleasant, and lying through their teeth with confidence.
You don’t root for justice here. You root for secrets to explode. Preferably during a tense stare-down where nobody blinks and someone’s life quietly collapses.
The cop? Oh, he’s not your moral lighthouse. He’s more like a flickering streetlamp that smells of cigarettes and unresolved trauma. Perfect.
Plot & Pacing - Murder Mystery or Administrative Nightmare?
The mystery itself?Solid. Twisty. Full of rot.
The pacing? Imagine a murder investigation conducted by a committee that insists on discussing everyone’s feelings first.
This show regularly does the following:
Builds tension
Sharpens a blade
Raises your heartbeat
Then sits down for a long, respectful conversation about symbolism
There are stretches where you could:
Make tea
Drink the tea
Question your life choices
Return, And the same person is still talking.
Trim it. Tighten it. Threaten it with a deadline. This could have been lethal. Instead, it occasionally chooses yoga.
Characters & Performances - One Man Carries the Body
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is operating on a completely different plane of existence from the rest of the cast.
He doesn’t “perform”. He radiates disappointment.
Every look says:
“I’ve seen this before.”
“I hate everyone involved.”
“I am too tired for your nonsense.”
Which makes him magnificent.
Everyone else ranges from “excellent” to “you are clearly here to be suspicious and then disappear”.
Some characters feel richly layered. Others feel like Netflix needed to fill a chair and said “You. Stand there. Look morally compromised.”
Dialogue & Writing - Sharp Knives, Blunt Paragraphs
When the dialogue is sharp, it’s razor sharp. Bitter. Cutting. Socially vicious.
When it isn’t, it sounds like someone accidentally reading the director’s notes out loud.
There are scenes where one line tells you everything about class, power, and hypocrisy. Then there are scenes where five minutes pass and nothing happens except meaningful silence and blinking.
This is not tension. This is waiting for the bus.
World & Atmosphere - Filthy in a Good Way
The vibe is excellent. Dusty. Claustrophobic. Everyone looks like they haven’t slept well since 2004.
This world feels lived in. Secrets feel old. Lies feel heavy. Nobody feels clean, including the furniture.
It’s crime without polish. No glamour. No cool montages. Just rot and resentment. Delicious.
Halfway through this show you’ll realize two things:
Everyone is lying.
Your couch setup is inadequate.
👉 Amazon: Noise-Canceling Over-Ear Headphones (to drown out exposition and family members)
Direction & Style - Confident, Then Distracted
Visually, it knows what it’s doing.Tonally, it wants to be serious.
But someone forgot to tell it that seriousness does not require lingering until the audience ages visibly.
The camera loves to stay. The editor loves to wait. The story occasionally begs for mercy.
This is not “letting a scene breathe”. This is leaving it unattended in the fridge for a week.
Soundtrack & Mood - Grim Humming in the Background
The music broods politely. It hums. It exists.
It never ruins anything. It also never saves anything.
Think “moody wallpaper”.
Morality & Madness - Everyone’s Dirty, Some Just Iron Their Shirts
This is where the show redeems itself again.
Nobody gets a halo. Nobody gets a sermon. Everyone is compromised. Power protects itself. Truth limps in last.
The show doesn’t lecture. It just lays the mess on the table and walks away, which is exactly how crime stories should behave.
Rewatchability - Once Is Enough, Thank You
You’ll watch this once. You’ll appreciate the acting. You’ll argue with the pacing. You will not immediately rewatch it unless you’re:
Writing a thesis
Punishing yourself
Very committed to staring contests
Finished the series?
Feeling morally questionable and slightly tired?
Excellent. Lean into it.
👉 Amazon: LED Ambient TV Backlight Kit (turn your living room into a crime scene)
FAQ
Is Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders worth watching? Yes, if you enjoy crime soaked in atmosphere and don’t flinch at narrative naps.
Is it fast-paced? Absolutely not. It moves like it’s being paid by the minute.
Does it glorify crime? No. It just exposes it and lets it rot publicly.
Would CRIMENET recommend it? Yes. But we’d also recommend a coffee.
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