Army lawyer, Major Monica Mehra (Jennifer Winget), gets roped in to investigate an open-and-shut encounter case in which an army officer and two suspected terrorists were killed. However, as the facts unfold, she realises that the case is way more complex than it appears to be.
In the opening scene, three army officers-Shakti Mandappa (Aalekh Kapoor), Gaurav Shekhawat (Keshav Sadhna) and Ajay Paswan (Govind Chaudhary)-are seen chasing two militant suspects in Munabao village, Rajasthan, near the Indo-Pak border. After a series of bullets are fired, the two militants are gunned down and Major Ajay loses his life. The encounter becomes the talk of the town after the mother (Seema Biswas) of the alleged militant sets herself on fire claiming her sons' innocence. At that point military lawyer, Monica Mehra (Jennifer Winget) is called from Pune to Jodhpur by her mentor Colonel Suryaveer Chauhan (Rajat Kapoor) to work as an investigating officer on the case. As Monica begins questioning Ajay's colleagues, who were there with him on that fateful night, layers start coming off and the two 'terrorists' seem as much victims as the army man. But, what is the truth behind these killings? Will she be able to crack this case?
Directed by Akshay Choubey, this eight-part series is a crisp and fast-paced thriller. Despite the show having multiple subtexts-a cold-blooded murder, casteism, fake encounters, and more-it manages to portray all the different perspectives well. Additionally, 'Code M' offers us several unusual twists and a mind-blowing climax. The writer (Shubhra Chatterjee) deserves praise for keeping the narrative engrossing without any melodrama, especially when Monica meets another legal counsel on the case, Angad Sadhu (Tanuj Virwani), who's also her ex-boyfriend. They maturely work together to solve the case. Editing by Prakash R Yadav makes the transition between the scenes flawless. The title track and the background music by Udbhav Ojha perfectly blends into the story and boost up the overall impact of this suspense drama.
Jennifer Winget makes an impressive debut on the digital platform as an army lawyer who delves into a high-profile case just days before her wedding. As a lawyer, unfortunately, she does not look convincing, but the charm of an army uniform does its magic with confidence adding to her looks. She is decent at pinning down people and pulling off action stunts. After playing the volatile Vayu Raghavan in 'Inside Edge', Tanuj Virwani yet again impresses with his raw intensity in playing his character, Angad Sandhu. Rajat Kapoor stands out as a no-nonsense army man.
The duration of 20-30 minutes per episode is not enough to build up a muddled case and eventually, this thriller turns into a whodunit story. But with so many shows dealing with men in uniform, it was a pleasant change to see a woman lead the way. To conclude, 'Code M' is a delightful watch that will leave you with a bag full of mixed thoughts and emotions.
