Hyderabad, Jun 4 (IANS): The series titled '9 Hours', which is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, is based on a fictional story written by Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy in the 1980s.

The series' story is also set in the '80s.

The story begins with the introduction of a jail breakout. Three inmates of Hyderabad's Central Jail not only break out from the jail but also try to rob a large sum of money from a bank branch.

When targeted by the police, with no other option, the robbers try to take advantage of the situation by threatening to kill the bank's hostages if the police engage in action. The cops (led by Taraka Ratna's character) are on edge as a result of this.

Taraka Ratna's character, an irritable cop, enters the scene and attempts to control the situation. The basic plot of the show revolves around how he will save everyone.

Coming to roles and performances in '9 Hours', everyone appears to be very involved. The series has no particular hero, heroine, or antagonist.

Thanks to showrunner Krish Jagarlamudi, the casting proves to be capable. The series spans a wide range of performances, from expected (Taraka Ratna, Vinod Kumar, and Banerjee as cops) to unexpected (Ajay and Madhu Shalini have compelling character arcs), from supporting (Preethi Asrani, Ankith Koyya, Sameer, and Raj Madiraju) to cliched (Ravi Varma, Jwala Koti).

The setting, production design, star cast, and visuals are all very realistic and add to the show's overall appeal.

Overall, '9 Hours' is a suspenseful hostage drama with a few tense moments. The viewing experience for viewers improves as well-known actors play key roles. This web series ends as a passable watch this weekend if you ignore the lengthy runtime.