24 September,2026 05:53 PM IST | Mumbai | Amarylisa Gonsalves
Parineeti Chopra in Shaque. Pic via screegrab
Parineeti Chopra makes her return to the screen with Shaque: Trust No One, a mystery thriller series on Netflix. The name of the series itself explains much of what one can expect, as a mother desperately searches for her baby who is kidnapped from the hospital on the night of her birth.
Parineeti plays Anvita, a mother whose child is mysteriously taken away and kidnapped while sleeping right next to her. She, along with her husband Advit, played by Tahir Raj Bhasin, holds on to the hope that someday they will get their child back. They celebrate their daughter's birthday every year, believing she is alive.
That hope never fades even after they have a second child. To keep their hopes alive, the kidnapper sends them pictures of their daughter on that exact day every year. Even with a Rs 15 lakh reward on offer to anyone who shares updates about the child's whereabouts, eight years pass without any trace.
That's when the main story kicks off eight years after the abduction with Officer Khurana, played by Anup Soni, who has been actively investigating the case for eight years.
The series, which runs around 300 minutes, is divided into 7 long episodes that decently manage to keep you hooked until the factor of predictability kicks in during the later episodes. By the sixth episode, one can easily predict the entire story is clear and nothing much changes after that. As the tagline suggests, 'Trust No One,' every character in the series is constantly placed on the radar of suspicion. This keeps the viewers guessing and constantly trying to join the dots. So the mystery factor works brilliantly here, and the way director Rensil D'Silva weaves it from time to time is commendable.
Talking of the characters, each one has an interesting arc that links them to the mystery of the missing girl. Especially Jennifer Winget's character, Sakshi, which is layered, and the actress portrays it with perfection. Her performance is clearly the best in the film. On the other hand, Parineeti Chopra is convincing as the desperate, emotional yet resilient mother, but there's nothing about her performance that we actually missed during her two-year hiatus from the screens. In places, her dialogue delivery reminds you of her Ladies vs Ricky Bahl character, with some forced seriousness.
Another thing that hinders the making of Shaque a great one, apart from the predictability, is the overuse of aspects, which perhaps the makers could have gone easy on. The series touches upon almost every aspect there is, black magic, hallucinations, extramarital affairs, obsession, spooky scenes and much more. The background music also feels a little too loud in places. It feels too suspicious in scene that deliver nothing.
Overall, Shaque is a decent watch for those who enjoy thrillers, if you're looking to watch something over the weekend. You definitely won't regret giving it a watch,.
