Set in the fictional town of Moba, Netflix’s Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery is an extremely enjoyable social satire. Directed by Yashowardhan Mishra, the film’s array of colourful characters, stellar script and dialogues make it a compelling, heartwarming watch.
The story delves into the life of young police inspector Mahima Basor (Sanya Malhotra) who is leading the investigation in the case of the stolen ‘Hong breed’ of jackfruits from MLA Munnalal Pateria’s (Vijay Raaz) garden. She and her crew of constables Saurabh Dwivedi (Anant Joshi), Kunti Parihar (Neha Saraf) and Mishra (Govind Pandey) form the investigating team. Rajpal Yadav plays journalist Anuj who is hovering around them for the latest scoop.
The seemingly simple plot is developed into an effective social commentary by Yashowardhan and his father Ashok Mishra. Their script addresses issues like the policing of the clothes women wear — villagers think that wearing ripped jeans is a legitimate reason for kidnap.
Also Read: Afwaah is Sudhir Mishra’s battle cry against WhatsApp rumors, viral videos and fake news
Caste conflicts
Kathal’s USP is how well each actor plays their part. Sanya Malhotra leads as the honest, diligent and compassionate inspector Mahima, who spares no one, including her boyfriend when they misuse the power of the uniform. Malhotra is excellent as a small-town female cop, and her accent is impeccable, as are her reactions to the chaotic world around her.
She is ably supported by both Joshi and Saraf. The love story of Mahima and Saurabh is complicated by both their designations and respective castes. Mahima belongs to a Scheduled Caste community while Saurabh is a Brahmin. Joshi plays the well-meaning but imperfect constable boyfriend. While the two are usually not affected by the divide, Saurabh’s father is deeply critical of the relationship.
Saraf is deft in her portrayal of a married woman. In a way, she reminds one of Delhi Crime’s Neeti (Rasika Dugal), trying to balance her married and professional life, albeit in a more humorous way.
Vijay Raaz as MLA Pateira is as good as his last performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). He is just the right mix of snooty, as a local ‘upper’ caste politician, and subservient, as a junior in the party. Rajpal Yadav as the journalist who goes nowhere without his camera person is equal parts earnest and dubious. He scales walls to uncover the mystery of the missing jackfruits but also reports on cases of missing girls. Both Yadav and Raaz sport wigs that feel very out of place.
Also Read: Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo is not your average crime drama – it’s family politics on steroids
Dark comedy
There is a striking similarity between Kathal and Amazon Prime’s eight-part show Dahaad which released just last week. Both look at missing women from lower castes, and how no one cares about them. In Kathal a lower caste girl is worth less than the two prized jackfruits stolen from a Brahmin MLA’s house.
If Dahaad captures the everyday essence of Rajasthan, Kathal looks at small-town UP — from the gutka-chewing to the invasive questions every working woman gets.
But the treatment is the polar opposite. While Dahaad looks at the intersection of caste, everyday sexism and corruption through a grim lens, Kathal is infused with dark humour and situational comedy, be it a constable who can only think of non-vegetarian food while in pursuit of criminals, or the honey-trapping of a wanted criminal.
Food is an integral part of the show — stolen kathals, khoya jalebis, maggi with coriander, stuffed brinjal. It creeps into the final action sequence as well, which includes a fight with a ladle, tomatoes and a lota.
When the mystery of the stolen jackfruits is solved at the very end, you definitely have a good laugh.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)