Kaala Paani(Season 1)
Introduction
It is still a Thursday but we did have two OTT releases yesterday. While I did cover the third season of Permanent Roommates yesterday, I managed to watch the other mid-week release, the first season of Kaala Paani on Netflix. Now, it has been a phenomenal year for Netflix India in terms of the variety of content which has been produced. It all started with the series Trial By Fire and since then it has been no looking back for them. What is more heartening is to see layers of inclusivity with stories emerging from different heartlands across the country. There is an audience for each of these stories but more importantly, the quality has remained untouched in what is a phenomenal year so far for Netflix in terms of its Indian content.
One of the best decisions that Netflix may have made is to consciously work with prople with fresh ideas. So the moment I got to know that they have got Posham Pa onboard, I was excited. Headed by Sameer Saxena, Biswapati Sarkar and Amit Golani, all of whom who were once associated with TVF, and whom I believe are one of the finest writers and producers in the creative space, I knew instantly that the quality of the product would be right up there. With Kaala Paani, I had high hopes especially after watching its intriguing trailer that did seem like a survival thriller revolving around the environment. So then, does Kaala Paani manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
The first season of Kaala Paani is essentially a futuristic survival thriller set in the scenic islands of Andaman and Nicobar following an outbreak of an age old epidemic. The story has a lot to unpack but firstly a huge shoutout to the writers for using the title of the show as a metaphor. Kaala Paani is the term used for the punishment wherein the perpetrators were sent to jails of Andaman and Nicobar islands, far from the mainland. And to set the story in the same area, and give it an intriguing meaning, this time with an invisible enemy was indeed a trademark of a genius. At its heart, the story is a survival drama, and anyone who still are live today know the truest meaning of the word given that we all were a part of the phase ‘surviving’ the Covid-19 pandemic. And something told me that the germ of the idea here would have been the pandemic itself before transforming the script into a near futuristic drama! The screenplay here standing at 7 episodes ranging from 60 odd mins to 70 mins might seem daunting, but it is probably a masterclass in screenplay writing of the highest order! As I said, lots to unpack so let’s get started!
Set in 2027, The drama opens with a wide shot of a beautiful crimson sky that introduces you to the beautiful islands of Andaman and Nicobar. But the sunset here is symbolic of the epidemic which is about to hit its coast, almost signalling the viewers to be prepared on the events to follow. The environment plays a very important character in the script, often shown to be bruised and battered at the hands of the humans who clearly may not have learnt their lesson from the Covid-19 pandemic. Tactfully, you are introduced to all the principal characters from different walks of life whose worlds would soon entangle and be misplaced for the worse. There is always a lurking danger that the writers play around with, while keeping the viewers guessing on what the cause of ‘it’ could be. The world building and the characterization are brilliant while often being a calm before the storm!
The proceedings are engrossing and absolutely riveting wherein I did find myself drawn to the journey of various characters on the show. And one of the prime reasons for the same was that the writers had spent a good amount of time with its world building. The drama not only jumps from one location to another but at times also across timelines, yet this complex screenplay is backed by a simplistic approach that doesn’t add to the distraction. In fact, it always allows the viewers to stay in touch with the proceedings that unfolds like a thriller. And there is something about the locales of the islands of Andaman and Nicobar that add a very different flavour to the drama, and it was unlike anything that I may have witnessed recently.
The drama is haunting in many ways traverses through the hardships of the epidemic but the terrifying element is water, or the lack of it, that is almost like stuff made of nightmares. Along the way, the writing faintly touches upon caste discrimination with a little hints of politics thrown in between. This, while it also highlights the culture of the indigenous tribes(although Oraka is fictional) who have traditionally been rooted to nature. So the two contrasting lives of the people of the island are well represented here – one who respect nature, and the other who awaken the worst in nature.
The drama moves at a steady pace with the worlds colliding with respect to different characters. But the reason why I have termed the screenplay as a writing masterclass is because of the various character arcs of show. Almost all characters have solid character arcs, but the writers do not shy away from turning the tables with respect to the characters too. There are so many characters that start on one side of the spectrum while being at opposite ends with respect to each other. And as the story progresses, the ends of the characters are switched(and I have tried to avoid spoilers by keeping things vague). This wasn’t easy and it would have required meticulous planning, but the end result was simply brilliant! Another additional aspect of the writing is the dilemma that it creates, not only in the minds of the characters, but also the viewers. Choosing between right and wrong is often easy, but choosing a lesser wronged path from the other is indeed a tough decision, and this aspect in the screenplay was aced beautifully.
Greed as a virtue(in different capacities) is probably the common thread that binds all the characters here. And the same is prevalent in the events leading up to the final act. There are multiple twists thrown in with respect to multiple characters leading up to a brave final act, thus setting up things brilliantly for its next season. Overall, the screenplay here is truly a writing masterclass and perhaps the best written screenplay that I have seen all year. If there are any budding writers reading this review then do study how all the multiple threads of the screenplay are combined together while not compromising on the character traits of the individuals. Absolutely riveting stuff!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational and the indigenous and medical references add layers of authenticity to the drama. The music and BGM by Rachita Arora is haunting while instilling the virtue of uncertainty and fear in the minds of the viewers while also adding a contrasting set of emotions of hope and despair along the way. The cinematography captures some breathtaking frames of the island while coating them with a familiar colour of grey that blend well with the atmospherics of the drama. The costumes by Smriti Chauhan aesthetically pleasing given the mood of the drama. Almost all characters are given subdued colours that is representative of the vibe of the drama while adding a bit of their character traits in their attire. The editing is sharp and crisp and it keeps the drama afloat throughout.
The director’s chair is shared by Sameer Saxena and Amit Golani and the direction is absolutely brilliant. Their ability to create several tense moments was quite haunting to witness while also using the message around the environment as an undercurrent as opposed to drilling it down your head. Also, they never lose sight of the coherence of the drama despite branching out into multiple threads. The direction deserves distinction marks here!
Performances
The performances are splendid by the ensemble cast. Avinash Kuri as Rupak makes a solid impact despite an extremely limited screen time. Ketaki Narayan as the younger version of Parvathy is excellent and she emotes brilliantly through her eyes. Also, her body language is wonderful to watch as well. Mona Singh as Dr. Soudamini is assertive and she does a great job in setting the tone of the drama early on. Mahadev Singh Lakhawat as Pundi is a man of few words but whatever he speaks is laced with sensitivity and sincerity. He was great to watch on the show. Virendra Saxena, Desire Junior Binde as Enmae, Dhaniram Prajapati as Nandan, Veenah Naair as Parvathy and Parag Chadha as Prabhjyot are sincere and earnest. Rajesh Khattar as Wani is subtly calculative in a performance which will anger you, which basically means he was terrific. Poornima Indrajith as Shaw is incredibly good with bouts of sensitivity to her character. Jagdish Rajpurohit as Bhowmik is first rate as well.
Sarika Singh as Gargi delivers a heartfelt performance and the amount of emotions that she brings into the picture is beautiful to witness. Priyansh Jora as Vinayak has a good screen presence and does a good job. I do feel that his character will have a bigger role to play in the next season. Payash Jain as Parth has a bittetsweet character arc which is heartbreaking and he does a good job here. Aradhya Aanjna as Kaddu is delightfully cute while being oblivious of the things happening around her. And she aces her role to perfection. Chinmay Mandlekar as Dr. Shashi is sincere and extremely well restrained, and there is a human touch to his character that makes him a little vulnerable and thus grounded. Ashutosh Gowariker as LG Zibran was a pleasure to watch and he always kept his performance in check without going overboard.
Vikas Kumar as Santosh was one of my favourite characters simply because his concept of right and wrong gets blurred with every passing minute. And he really was treading on a knife’s edge because the impact of his character would have been very different on either side of the line. Yet, his measured approach never really coats his character with one-paint, so while you empathize with him, you also do not completely route for it. It needed a good amount of skills to pull off his character, and he was absolutely brilliant here.
Radhika Mehrotra as Dr. Ritu portrays her vulnerability with respect to her traumatic past beautifully while consistently continuing to stick to the tonality of her character. And her magnetic presence onscreen simply enhanced her character to another level. Arushi Sharma as Jyotsana is outstanding in a very measured and a restrained role. The amount of emotions that she quietly brings to the table can only be quantified towards the end with respect to the fate of her character. There was a sense of hollowness that ensues, and it can be attributed to a terrific performance.
Amey Wagh as Ketan was a brilliantly penned character who would often hoodwink the audience into believing stuff about him. Yet, the sinister presence slowly transforming into an endearing virtue was brilliantly pulled off by Amey, in a staggering act of the highest order. And how well does he use his eyes and expressions to convey his emotions!
I was the happiest watching Sukant Goel who is a phenomenal actor but still underutilized with respect to the talent that he has. His haunting act in Dibakar Banerjee’s short in Ghost Stories, and a playful act in Monica O My Darling still lingers on in my head. And here as Chiranjeevi, he finally gets a meaty role to provide a timely reminder on what a brilliant actor he is. His character isn’t very affable to begin with, and because the character was on the wrong footing with respect to the viewers, the gradual shift in his character became all the more important to restore the sympathy. And this complicated transformation needed an extremely skilled actor to pull it off. Sukant was absolutely pitch perfect with his performance wherein he slowly wins over the viewers and how! If there are any makers reading this, please cast him immediately. We really wish to watch more of Sukant in future!
Conclusion
The first season of Kaala Paani is a riveting survival thriller in what is a masterclass in screenplay writing! Available on Netflix and Highly Highly Recommended!
