When you think of Indian cinema, there’s every chance you’ll think of Bollywood, which is understandable, when you consider the Indian film industry produces around 1000 films a year – almost double that of Hollywood.

But Indian film isn’t always putting on a musical production, as this gripping crime drama, produced by the BFI and BBC Films proves.

Even though her husband, a policeman, was recently killed on the job, Santosh Saini (Shahana Goswami) doesn’t have much time to grieve, with the government keen to kick her out of her home as quickly as possible.

They offer her a lifeline of sorts, as his wife, she has the opportunity to take his job, thus making her a police woman – and she accepts.

This sees her transferred to a station in a rural community in Northern India, which tacks some getting used to being the new cop on the block, but she’s soon taken under the wing of her boss Geeta Sharma (Sunita Rajwar), which is a big help, especially as she’s a woman.

She needs all the help she can get when she comes across a man whose 14 year-old-daughter has been missing for two days, soon becoming a case that Santosh becomes heavily involved in with, taking her to some pretty dark places.

After a few documentaries under her belt, British Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri makes her narrative feature directorial debut with this gripping crime drama.

You appreciate her documentary background as this film certainly has that quality; it doesn’t have a soundtrack as such, relying on natural sound sources throughout, such as a car radio.

It’s essentially a crime drama, with Santosh out to solve the particular crime at hand, but Suri layers it with other relevant themes, such as sexism within the force and society generally, an also the Caste system.

As far as the crime element is concerned, it feels as if its influence is Scandi-noir, as it slowly gives you a sense of Santosh as she gets to grip with the police system, as well as putting the many pieces of the case together.

It’s a slow burner then, but it only makes it all the more riveting, especially against the atmospheric backdrop of Northern India, as well as strong performances from its two female leads.

It just goes to show that with this striking debut, Indian cinema isn’t always making a song and dance.