This is a subject that is widely spoken about and criticised by many as being glorified in Indian cinema. What happens when a man is obsessed with a woman in the name of love, and it turns into stalking? And this stalking turns deadly?
Malayalam web series Eyes, directed by Manu Ashokan and written by Bobby-Sanjay, attempts to answer these questions through a crime thriller that examines stalking, toxic love and the dangerous consequences of refusing to accept rejection.
Streaming on Sony Liv, the web series features seven episodes where we see police officials and psychologists come together to develop an app called Eyes to prevent deadly stalking and killings. The premise is interesting as it raises questions about whether technology and psychological intervention can help predict such violent behaviour before it is too late.
The series examines four cases: Milan (Vasu Bose), a photographer obsessed with actress Rithika (Anagha); a supermarket employee (Athira Patel) trapped in a toxic relationship with her boyfriend (Aathie); an IAS officer, Sajin (Dev Mohan) and his wife, Shobitha (Saniya Iyappan), the daughter of a politician; and a couple (Parvathy K. Krishna and Anand Manmandhan) who elope, only to find themselves caught in a troubled relationship. Each case explores a different aspect of obsession, stalking, control and toxic relationships. While the first case looks at a man mistaking infatuation for love and acting on it, the other cases get deeper into the complexities of abusive relationships.
What director Manu Ashokan has tried to do is go beyond just stalking and present psychological and social factors that allow such behaviour to escalate. This is particularly significant since stalking and possessiveness continue to be misrepresented as expressions of romantic love in our society. The idea that a man who refuses to take no for an answer is just being ‘persistent’ is challenged, and Eyes clearly tells the audience that obsession is not love or romance and rejection is never a reason to retaliate.
However, the web series is not without its flaws. At 50-odd minutes per episode and at seven episodes, Eyes takes its time to grow on you – and feels unduly stretched – and given that the pacing is uneven, it dilutes the urgency one needs in a thriller. The director has tried to present different social settings with each of the cases, right from the world of celebrity and the workplace to marriage and relationships shaped by emotional dependence. But some cases are more compelling than others, and certain narrative developments could have been explored with greater depth.
For instance, the case of the IAS officer, Sajin, and Shobitha is psychologically complex and adds a twist to our initial assumptions, while Milan’s story is quite textbook, offering little novelty for the audience. The Eyes app that’s presented is intriguing, but the use of technology, especially in the era of AI, hasn’t been fully explored. Technology can help flag threatening behaviour, track reported incidents and identify patterns of escalation, but predicting whether an individual will turn violent is far more complicated. While the series has a compelling premise and a relevant message, it doesn’t always translate its ideas into a consistently gripping thriller over seven episodes.
The performances are a major asset to the series, and they help elevate the episodes. Kani Kusruti brings a stern, understated authority to police officer Tina, while Nikhila Vimal is restrained and convincing as psychologist Ayesha. Shruti Ramachandran lends credibility to Vidya, the developer of the app and Prabhu Muralikrishnan, who brings together the team of psychologists and the cops, adds warmth as Justin. Dev Mohan, as the manipulative IAS officer, leaves his unique stamp on the character too. Veteran actor Jaffer Idukki, who plays Mohanan, is highly impactful as he shows us how comfortable he is playing a morally uncomfortable character who is toxic and menacing in equal measure.
Director Manu Ashokan has given us a series that is driven by women, and this is refreshing. The women in Eyes are not merely victims around whom the plot revolves, but they are also investigators, psychologists and individuals navigating complex personal relationships, and that’s what draws us in. Eyes calls out stalking for what it is – a dangerous manifestation of obsession and entitlement, rather than an expression of love.
It reminds men that refusing to accept rejection can lead to devastating consequences. The fact that the story has been developed by a woman – Anjana Nayar – is heartening, bringing a female perspective to this toxic world. Bobby and Sanjay have written the series, which at times falls short – the series raises awareness and questions the romanticisation of stalking and possessiveness, but the four cases are not consistent in their impact. On the whole, Eyes talks about an important aspect of society and gets viewers to reflect on the attitudes and power dynamics that enable stalking and toxic love.
