Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Divyenndu, Suvinder Vicky, Sayani Gupta, Ashutosh Rana, and others
Creator: Karmanya Ahuja, Karan Anshuman
Director: Karan Anshuman – Kanishk Verma
Streaming On: Netflix
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 7 episodes of 50 minutes each
“Aap jaisa khel rahe ho, Olympic jaane se koi rok nahi sakta hai aapko. Rule to aap acchi tarah se jaante ho bhaiya, disqualify kar denge aapko. Phir naa Olympic, naa medal, naa Glory!” If you are a sportsperson, you would know what this line means to an athlete. If you have ever seen a dedicated sportsperson, you know they are built differently! In fact, Haryana might be called the Kota Factory of athletes! It is a world where bodies are temples and training is a religion.
Glory Review: What’s It About:
Set in Shaktigarh, a fictitious town that breathes and eats sports, the show takes you straight into the political setup of sports in this country. The story follows two estranged brothers – Dev and Ravi, who come together to unite with their father once the daughter of the family, Gudiya, is brutally assaulted and later murdered. Interestingly, this is not the only murder. Along with Gudiya, the boxing coach, and the father, he loses his best student, Nihal Singh, who is also murdered with Gudiya! What follows is a messy investigation that forces them to confront their Coach Sahab father, Raghubir Singh.
Glory Review: What Works:
On paper, it is a brilliant exploration of generational trauma. In execution? The show starts on a very brilliant and intriguing note, but the screenplay slowly spreads itself too thin, touching on everything from bride migration to caste pride, yet failing to land a decisive commentary on any of them.
Glory shines when it depicts the madness of the sport. It correctly identifies that in India, sports isn’t just a career; it’s a legacy or probably a ticket out of poverty. It shows how men in Shaktigarh are raised to be heavy machines. However, the show often treats boxing as a decorative element. We see the training, we see the sweat, but we rarely feel why the ring matters so much to these boys beyond the plot requirements.
Glory Review: Star Performance:
As Dev, Divyenddu is the emotional core. He’s trying to shed the Munna Bhaiya shadow, and he succeeds by bringing a cynical, vengeful core to a man whose violent side has a very strong backstory! Pulkit Samrat brings the intensity with a genuine sincerity. His accent is unbelievably convincing as a Haryanvi athlete. You can tell he’s trained for this; his boxing sequences are the most realistic parts of the show. He plays the expressive brother to Divyenndu’s internal, emotionally blocked one perfectly. Suvinder Vicky, after impressing in Kohrra yet again, wins with his competitiveness arc. He plays a father who is a great coach but a failing parent with amazing grounded power.
Sikandar Kher, Ashutosh Rana, and others turn into trivial suspects of a whodunit. Jannat Zubair deserved more screen time. Kashmira Pardeshi is the real surprise, bringing a certain sense of vulnerability. Sayani Gupta owns whatever she does on screen!
Glory Review: What Doesn’t Work:
Director Karan Anshuman and Kanishk Verma write a story that blends two genres together, but by the end of it, neither genre fascinates enough! The chemistry between the three leads – Pulkti Samrat, Divyenndu, and Suvinder Vicky is bound by silence and anger rather than hugs, and it is engaging! However, despite a great premise and plot, the show has a gimmicky grammar with massive cracks that never get filled!
Glory Review: Last Words:
Glory is a bold experiment that plays it too safe. It has the ingredients for a brilliant sports drama – trauma, ambition, and a culturally rich backdrop, but it misses the shot big time, turning into just any regular crime thriller where you know by the first or second episode that ‘Khooni Yeh Hai’. The show suffers from a serious identity crisis, trying to be a whodunit, a sports biopic, and a socio-political commentary all at once!
Such a missed opportunity!
2.5 stars.
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