Shaque Review: Jennifer Winget's 'Beyhadh' Obsession Meets Parineeti Chopra's Maternal Rage

Trust no one, they said.

It's rare to see a series live up to its tagline as convincingly as Netflix's new mystery thriller does.

Created by Siddharth P. Malhotra, Rensil D'Silva, with the latter also directing, Shaque is perfectly bingeable to begin with.

The way Shaque has been packaged into a cosy crime drama feels familiar: misty lanes of Shimla, cool tones, lurking shadows, and amidst it all, a cracker of a riddle to solve.

That the series boasts an enticing cast goes without saying — it was one of the most attractive elements ever since the trailer dropped.

The ensemble features Parineeti Chopra, Jennifer Winget, Harleen Sethi, Soni Razdan, Anup Soni, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Dhruv Chaudhary, and Sumeet Vyas. And you really cannot trust anyone.

The plot revolves around a mother, Anvita (Parineeti Chopra), who loses her daughter Apeksha on the day she's born. What begins as an eight‑year journey becomes the relentless drive of a bereaved mother to find her missing child, whom she steadfastly believes is alive.

Then comes a barrage of betrayals and secrets from those closest to her — her family, her best friend, her loved ones — who leave her out in the cold.

Eight years on, Anvita still celebrates her missing child's birthday every year, receiving a suspicious clue from the kidnapper that rekindles her faith. As frustration mounts, she loses her calm and sees her daughter in every little girl she spots with her mother. The search is unending, as is her impatience, but to no avail.

Interestingly, Parineeti Chopra, returning to screen after two years (her last being Imtiaz Ali's Amar Singh Chamkila), discovered her pregnancy while filming Shaque: Trust No One. One would like to believe this heightened her maternal instinct, and she delivers a compelling performance as the helpless mother desperate for someone to believe her.

It's good to see Parineeti Chopra back. She has always shown immense potential but has often been underused. In Shaque, she goes all out. Her emotional scenes are arresting enough to make you feel deeply for a mother searching for her child. As the lead, she makes you want to root for her.

The winner, however, is undoubtedly Jennifer Winget. The actress aces layered characters like no other. Remember her superhit show Beyhadh? The obsession continues, and her eyes once again do most of the talking.

Winget plays Sakshi, alongside her onscreen husband Gaurav (Dhruv Chaudhary), who have just moved into town. While nothing seems unusual at first, as the story progresses, crumbs of suspicion point towards Sakshi, with Anvita crossing all boundaries to uncover the truth.

There are shades of Maya from Beyhadh in Sakshi — the stubbornness to stop at nothing, the toxic emotional cycle, the self‑harming traits. To avenge and to win, Sakshi embodies it all, and who better than Jennifer Winget to bring it to life. She is a perfect match to Parineeti Chopra's maternal rage. Beneath it all, it's two mothers who lost their children — one for real, one in hindsight. The mystery unravels as you watch.

While Chopra and Winget are the frontrunners, due credit must go to the rest of the cast, whose individual webs of lies and deceit culminate in Anvita learning the biggest lesson of all: trust no one.

Harleen Sethi as Shreya, Anvita's best friend, will make you both love and hate her. In many ways, she backstabs Anvita the most — second only to Anvita's mother‑in‑law, played brilliantly by Soni Razdan. Two of her closest people shatter her faith and conscience into smithereens while she hopelessly clings to slipping quicksand. You know actors have done their job well when they convince you to despise them — Sethi and Razdan achieve exactly that.

It is fascinating to see Sumeet Vyas in a diametrically opposite role right after the hilarious Chumbak, another Netflix creation. He flips the game as a suspicious doctor involved in illegal matters. Yet again, the layers emerge. None of the characters are wholly negative; they are driven by emotional demands and insecurities that push them into unlawful actions, often without grasping the repercussions.

Razdan's character feels slightly wobbly for an otherwise tight thriller. As a gullible believer in occult practices, that subplot seemed forced. It does tie into the kidnapped child premise, but could have been handled differently. Nevertheless, Razdan delivers a mature performance as a mother worried for her son, resentful of her daughter‑in‑law, and supportive of Shreya when her secret with Anvita's husband Alok (Tahir Raj Bhasin) is exposed.

One of the standout performances comes from Anup Soni as Officer Khurrana — the one person whose loyalty never falters. As Anvita trespasses, manipulates, and makes people uncomfortable in her desperate search, Khurrana remains her rock. Soni is in his element here, carrying echoes of his Crime Patrol days into Shaque.

Credit to the director for holding on to the mystery until the end. By the fifth episode, much has been divulged, with clues scattered throughout. The culprit seems almost obvious. Yet what makes Shaque compelling is that you cannot pin the crime on just one person. Everyone is involved, and the individual contributions of each character make this series worth watching.

The only spoiler I'll give: yes, the missing child is found. But the best part of the series is, as I said, you really can't trust anyone.