Critics Review:
A dark-comedy crime thriller with a rather unusual premise, Clean Up Company had enough material to become an engaging and quirky watch. Directed by Rohan Ghose, the series stars Ravi Kishan as Borda, Vishal Jethwa as Raju, Amey Wagh as Swapan, Ajitesh Gupta as Goldie, Jisshu Sengupta as Mejda, Saswata Chatterjee as SP Indranath and Tuhina Das, alongside Resh Lamba, Shaji Chaudhary, Siddhi Potdar, Vikas Srivastav, Vijay Shrivastava, Ashok Lokhande and Naresh Suri.
However, the biggest problem with Clean Up Company is that it never quite figures out what it wants to be. The first episode itself feels like it has been assembled through abrupt takes, with the lack of finesse becoming apparent almost immediately. What starts as an unusual story about three men entering the business of disposing of dead bodies soon expands into gang rivalry, politics, police investigations and multiple criminal tracks. The result is a series that has an interesting idea buried under too many ideas.
The Premise Had More Potential
The central concept of three inexperienced men stumbling into a business involving corpses could have been the perfect playground for dark humour, awkward situations and genuine tension. Instead, the series moves away from this very quickly.
Raju, Swapan and Goldie could have been developed as three very different individuals whose circumstances gradually push them deeper into a world they never intended to enter. Raju’s ambition and impatience, Swapan’s aspirations of becoming a civil servant and Goldie’s discomfort with their work provide enough material for meaningful character arcs. Yet, the writing doesn’t spend enough time exploring these personalities before throwing them into another crime track.
Too Many Crime Tracks, Too Little Focus
The series keeps widening its canvas when it should have been tightening it. Gang rivalry, political manoeuvring, violence and police proceedings begin taking precedence over the very business that gives Clean Up Company its identity.
The tonal shifts are equally inconsistent. The dark comedy occasionally works, but the transition from humour to violence is not always smooth. Some sequences become unnecessarily gory, while the larger crime narrative starts feeling more important than the quirky premise that initially makes the show stand out.
This also affects the pace. There are enough incidents to keep the story moving, but not enough emotional investment to make every development matter. It feels as if the makers were constantly adding another layer instead of allowing the original one to breathe.
Performances Try to Hold It Together
The performances are undoubtedly among the stronger aspects of the series. Vishal Jethwa brings the required restlessness to Raju, while Amey Wagh makes Swapan’s ambitions believable. Ajitesh Gupta gives Goldie a certain vulnerability that makes his discomfort with the business feel natural.
Jisshu Sengupta stands out as Mejda, bringing restraint to a character whose presence doesn’t require loud performances to establish danger. Saswata Chatterjee complements him well as SP Indranath. Tuhina Das and Siddhi Potdar also make an impression despite having relatively limited material.
Ravi Kishan’s presence, however, feels underutilised. Considering the actor’s ability to dominate a scene, giving him a largely limited role feels like a missed opportunity.
An Unfinished Product
The biggest disappointment is that Clean Up Company feels like it has stopped somewhere between a promising first draft and a finished series. The first episode’s abrupt visual treatment only adds to that impression.
There is a genuinely interesting show hidden somewhere within this one, one that could have relied on the absurdity of the corpse-disposal business, the three men’s contrasting personalities and the moral complications of entering such a profession. Instead, the
narrative keeps moving towards bigger crimes and larger conflicts, ultimately losing the very thing that made it interesting in the first place.
Clean Up Company isn’t entirely devoid of entertainment, thanks largely to its cast and occasional moments of dark humour. But the writing needed to be sharper, the narrative more focused and the characters better established. What could have been a distinctive dark-comedy crime thriller instead comes across as an unfinished product that never fully realises its potential.
Overall Rating: 2/5
By: Anushka Singhal
Also Read: Jumper Review: Tanuj Virwani Leads a Crime Thriller That Fails to Rise to Its Potential
