Auto Shankar, A tamil web series is part fiction inspired by legends about the man and part based on facts collected from the investigation which led to his capture. The series is divided into 10 episodes which are each around 30 minutes long and carry titles which trace the trajectory of Shankar's rise and fall.
The entire series is intriguing, The first few episodes take some time getting used to - the background score is often jarring and the colourful language looks forced into the dialogues just to give a touch of "authenticity". Not that the profanity itself should draw criticism, but not all the actors look equally comfortable rattling off cuss words. The '80s time period has been recreated with appropriate hairstyles and clothes, advertisements, film posters and newspaper clippings from the time which tell us about what's happening in the state as well as Shankar's case. The series appears to have been made on a tight budget, depending largely on these signposts and filters to create the illusion of shifting time periods.
Auto Shankar could have truly been a mature series. As it stands, it's a good addition to adult Tamil web series content but falls short of hitting the mark.
