Inspector Rishi

Inspector Rishi is a 2024 Tamil language horror crime drama television series created, written and directed by J.S. Nandhini for Amazon Prime Video. It stars Naveen Chandra, Sunaina, Kanna Ravi, Srikrishna Dayal, Malini Jeevarathnam and Kumaravel. The series was premiered on 29 March 2024 on Amazon Prime Video.

Plot
An inspector, Rishi, loses his eyesight in one eye during a shootout, fails to save his girlfriend and gets transferred into a jungle area where he must have to solve the cases behind the myths.

Release
Inspector Rishi was released on 29 March 2024 on Amazon Prime Video along with dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages.

Reception
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV stated "What Inspector Rishi does with great skill is probe the myths and ingrained belief systems that inevitably exist on the boundaries of a world of human greed and exploitation."

Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu stated "Unlike anything seen in the Tamil horror space, the vanaratchi makes for a fascinating horror subject, and having such a unique spectre in a setting like a forest helps a horror series that consciously shies away from the routine genre tropes like jump scares and gore. But though horror fans may not have many complaints, Inspector Rishi isn’t quite the best investigative thriller out there."

Chirag Sehgal of News18 rated the series 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "The series plays out like a slow-burner getting us impatient at times, but the screenplay (although I could not see why it should not have been shorter) does effectively create an eerie atmosphere. And the jungle setting bathed in mist and mystery sends shivers down our spines."

Sonal Pandya for Times Now rated the series 3 out of 5 and wrote, "The dialogue is mostly expository, but it lays the groundwork for each episode."

Janani K for India Today wrote "‘Inspector Rishi’ fails in this aspect as the twists and turns remind us of many Tamil films, including ‘Whistle’. The show could have been a little more taut for it to have maximum impact."

Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in stated, "Several characters are plagued by terrifying visions, which convince them that Vanaratachi is on the rampage, even as human villains do their work."

Aswin Devan of Cinema Express awarded 3 stars to the series and wrote that "The show follows the formula of a police procedural: expository table discussions about the case, mysteries being unravelled as a new mystery evolves, red herrings, and chase sequences. However, Inspector Rishi excels in depicting the complexities and inner turmoils of the characters beyond the apparent chills."