Kankhajura (Season 1)
Introduction
Kankhajura literally translates into a centipede, an insect that can crawl into a human’s ear eventually causing a lot of pain and discomfort. And so, the central trait of a centipede is that of a parasite, preying on the human flesh and making it screech in pain. The new Hindi show Kankhajura follows a similar philosophy with respect to its central character. Ashu (Roshan Mathew) is a seemingly underconfident person, wherein you get to see him stammering in his introductory scene. The sense of an inferiority-complex is evident even as you see him interacting with another character also accused of murder, within the premises of a jail cell. One look at the two characters, and you just know who is dominating who! But this is where there remains a twist in the tale – Ashu uses his stammering facade as a guile to spy on, and act as a covert for the cops in order to trigger a confession from the accused. In other words, his manipulative trait is showcased as a lifeskill very early on in the show, something that would remain a connecting thread throughout the drama. In many ways, Ashu would go on to remind you of the character of Vicky Malhotra (Shahrukh Khan) from Baazigar (1993) who would manipulate his way into the lives of people. But unlike Baazigar, the motive here isn’t that of revenge but a skewed sense of morality that would define Ashu’s dynamics with people around him.
Story & Screenplay
An official remake of the Israeli show Magpie (again on the lines of an attractive bird that manipulates its prey through its looks), the core of Kankhajura remains the character dynamics, particularly between Ashu and his brother Max (Mohit Raina). From a bird’s-eye view, you will notice that all is hunky dory between them, with Max greeting Ashu after his long hiatus in jail and allowing him ‘shelter’ at his place. But when you choose to look in close proximity, Max does treat Ashu like a doormat. In a scene, you see Max telling Ashu to find a place for himself, in another, you see him disregarding Ashu’s request to work with him on an upcoming real estate project, while often giving preference to his buddies Pedru (Ninad Kamat) and Shardul (Mahesh Shetty). In other words, Max, Pedru and Shardul are a team of three who are traditionally known to bully Ashu even as a child!
The character dynamics here is a two-way street, particularly when you look at it from Ashu’s perspective. You cannot disregard the naive and innocent nature of Ashu who wants to be acknowledged by his brother. And this is what makes Ashu complex as a character, given how his innocence soon transforms into dangerous levels of manipulation along the way! In a scene, you see Ashu forming a pseudo-bond with Cathy (Kasturi Banerjee), a character who is causing an obstacle for Max and his company, with regards to her remuneration. Ashu manipulates the character to a point wherein tragedy strikes, but only for an obstacle to be eliminated for Max and his bud-gang!
The proceedings veer-around a plot of land that Max wishes to possess, only to be hindered by the presence of a local mafia Deshmukh Bai (Usha Nadkarni) and her two sons. And so, the game of manipulation is further elevated in the form of deceit and manipulation that is essentially orchestrated by Ashu. Here, it must also be noted that the men of this world remain complex characters, unlike the females that hold onto their principal traits. For instance, the core goal of Deshmukh Bai is to prevent Max from attaining the property for his villa. Likewise, Ashu’s love-interest Aimee (Trinetra Haldar) does have a soft spot for Ashu, falling for his innocence even while being humiliated and abused by her boyfriend. Aimee remains unaware of the vile that Ashu beholds within him. Even Nisha (Sarah Jane Dias), Max’s wife is unaware of her husband’s misadventures, and Leena (Heeba Shah) is busy ‘using’ the services of Ashu to convict the criminals, a trait that did see an early release for Ashu after 14 years of imprisonment.
On the opposite side of the spectrum are the males of the universe – apart from Max and Ashu, Shardul and Pedru remain vily characters, who form an interesting union of fire and ice, in the life of Max. Shardul remains the aggressor, and Pedru remains the calm and collected one but interestingly, both feel threatened when Ashu enters the fray. The threat for them is real even as you witness a communication breakdown between the trio, in the midst of a sense of manipulation that is orchestrated by Ashu, something that drives the narrative ahead. Yet in this little passage of play, things start to get mildly repetitive wherein the writing goes around in circles, although the unpredictability of the character of Ashu continues to hold your attention. Still, I wished that the stakes could have further been elevated with respect to the principal characters in the fray (in a scene, it threatened to achieve it before making a U-turn with respect to a particular character involved in a cylinder blast).
The bag of secrets with respect to Ashu’s past along with an unprecedented gane of cat and mouse between Ashu and the characters, forms a vital core of the finale that has a sombre and understated tone to the events unfolding. In fact, the finale has traces of a Shakespearean tragedy coupled with a Hitchcockian twist that doesn’t necessarily tie all the loose ends together (in the wake of a potential second season), but it does enough to evoke a fascination character study with respect to Ashu. The lines successful blur even as Ashu plays a game of manipulation, not only with the characters around him but also the viewers, who root for him due to his past and his underdog trait of innocence, until the cat is out of the bag! And this remained a victory for the writing, that made for an intense watch in the wake of a fascinating character study that messes with your mind!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but sharp in portraying a shifty portrayal of the character dynamics in the drama. Also, the flavour of Goa is highlighted through references to some of the famous cuisines wherein the lines add flavour to the proceedings (literally and figuratively speaking). The BGM is understated while never overpowering the drama and seldom manipulating the emotions that you feel for its characters. The cinematography by Rajeev Ravi must be applauded here. The frames capturing the scenic landscapes of Goa are sombre with a grey colour palate that almost has a pessimistic outlook to the drama. It is far from the sun shining on the glittering sand on the beaches that Goa is known for. The frames are successful in creating an ambience that is sombre and true to the tone of the drana while allowing the state of Goa to play an important character here. The editing is sharp here (at times a little too sharp too), a trait that allows you to indulge in the character study prevalent in the drama. Directors Chandan Arora and Parikshhit Jha create a fascinating atmosphere for the drama to simmer while also focusing on the character dynamics between its characters. The character study created here is equally fascinating while being the chief driving force for the narrative, even as the direction has a stranglehold on the narrative while thriving in a sea of unpredictability. The direction remains top-notch here.
Performances
The performances are excellent by the members of the cast. Kasturi Banerjee as Cathy, Pratap Madhavrao Phad as Janardhan and Sachin Ashok Shinde as Surya have their moments to shine. Usha Nadkarni as Deshmukh Tai is natural to the core, and she does enough to come across as an intimidating character. Heeba Shah as Leena is wonderfully understated and she delivers a dignified performance laced with restraint. Trinetra Haldar as Aimee has a solid screen presence and she showcases her vulnerability through her eyes and expressions, both of which tell youna story. Also, she uses silence wonderfully to communicate with characters around her. Ninad Kamat as Pedru is outstanding here, almost being calm and calculated while having to deal with shifty character dynamics that his character is subjected to. He portrays his character with a touche of cheekiness and panache. Mahesh Shetty as Shardul is amazing in a character that is impulsive with a streak of anger. This trait is what makes his character intimidating while he uses his body language perfectly to showcase the same.
Sarah Jane Dias as Nisha has a towering screen presence wherein she commands your attention in every scene that she appears. Her soft-spoken character is also reflective of being unaware of her husband’s misadventures, even as she performs with a lot of grace. There is control to her movements, almost polished to a point of being superficial that is also indicative of what her character perceives her life to be. The performance renained nuanced and simply wonderful to witness.
Mohit Raina as Max remains a complex character who wants to be perceived as an alpha male but also holding onto a guilt from his past. This is reflective in his behavior towards Ashu, being empathetic but never fully committed to the emotion of warmth. In fact, you see a sense of insecurity after getting to know his manipulative skills. The emotions with respect to his character remained nuanced, and it needed the skillset of a top performer like Mohit to pull this off. The detailing in his performance is impeccable, thereby summing up an impressive outing that doubles up as another feather in his cap.
Roshan Mathew as Ashu is the soul of the drama here. Seldom you come across a performance of this stature that simply wows you to a point of awe. Ashu remained a supremely complex character with conflicting traits – he was naive and innocence while also being manipulative, both in the same breath. After a point, even his morality remained skewed wherein as a viewer, you are unsure on whether to root for him or not. The complexity of his character extended to his equation with his brother Max too – he would do anything for him even while being undone by his past actions. These contradicting emotions were put forth by a brilliant performance by Roshan who absolutely nails his character. It wouldn’t be wrong to term his performance here as an acting masterclass that also papers over some of the cracks in the screenplay. Here, Roshan is brilliant and how!
Conclusion
Boasting of remarkable performances, the first season of Kankhajura is an intense drama packaged as a shifty character study that makes for a solid watch. Available on SonyLiv.