Kaala Paani REVIEW: Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker, Chinmay Mandlekar starrer is a slow-paced drama that grabs attention in bits and pieces

Film:
Kaala Paani Review

Director: Sameer Saxena and Amit Golani

Platform: Netflix

Episodes/ runtime: 7 episodes (60 mins each)

Star cast: Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker, Amey Wagh, Vikas Kumar, Chinmay Mandlekar, Sukant Goel, Arushi Sharma, Radhika Mehrotra, Poornima Indrajith.

Kaala Paani Review

Whenever one hears about Kaala Paani, one automatically thinks about the cellular Jail that was built by Britishers in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, the Kaala Paani that I’m talking about in this review is a web series that is not even remotely related to the real thing. Kaala Paani aka Dark Water is a series that talks about the breakout of an epidemic in the Indian islands and how people are managing to survive this waterborne disease. It is woven with folklore and tribal stories. The Netflix series comprises 7 episodes and each one of them runs for an hour.

Story

Set in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, doctor Soudamini Singh suspects an unknown disease after she sees a pattern in a few of her patients. She isolates them and tries to find out the root cause of the disease. Even though she tries to make everyone understand that, she is being snubbed and neglected until they find the evidence. The government and other hospital officials realised that it was a waterborne disease as a popular lake was infected. An epidemic that came into existence again after creating havoc in 1843. The epidemic creates chaos among locals as well as tourists who are been isolated. As they look for antidotes, they come across some folklore facts that help them to fight the disease. But will they get an antidote? Was the disease again created by man? 

What’s good about Kaala Paani

Well, it shows the selfish side and the kindness of humans. I like how they combined the tribal concept with modern problems. It’s really heart-touching to see city people and tribal people living in harmony without any resentment. Some of the facts looked intriguing and it evoked a sense of curiosity.

What didn’t work for Kaala Paani

First, it is the pace of the series that seemed quite tiring. I don’t mind the runtime but I mind the story that they are trying to show in 1 hour. I wish the story was nicely edited and cropped out some unwanted scenes. Somewhere I felt the series was unnecessarily long. It’s interesting in bits and parts and most of the time, I’m just skipping. The screenplay is not crispy and that was not grabbing my attention for a long time. The intensity and the magnitude of the epidemic fell flat. By the time you reach the 5th, or 6th episode, the series doesn’t keep you hooked. 

Star performance

Mona Singh plays the role of a doctor Soudamini Singh who is only seen in the first episode. The actor plays her part terrifically. Even though she was for one episode, she left an impact on us with her performance. She was bang on.

Arushi Sharma whom I saw the last in Love Aaj Kal plays Jyotsana Dey in the series. She delivers a fair job as a nurse and emotes nicely in emotional scenes. Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker who comes back to the screen after a hiatus plays an important role in Kaala Paani. He also plays his character with utmost calmness and maturity. Amey Wagh plays a police officer and he is just amazing! From being cunning to bringing a considerable police, his transformation is commendable. 

Vikas Kumar is seen in a limited role and he played his role with utmost honesty. I only recall him from CID days and well, he has amazed me with his versatility this time. Chinmay Mandlekar who is popularly known for his villainous act in The Kashmir Files also delivers a good performance. Somewhere I felt his talent was not used well or maybe his character didn’t really support his talent in the series. Sukant Goel plays Chiranjeevi in the movie and he demanded attention for his performance. It was applaudable. The rest of the supporting cast also did a fair job with their limited screen space. 

Conclusion

Concluding my review, Kaala Paani is a slow-paced series that will grab your attention in bits and parts. The screenplay is dragged and stretched which fails to keep you hooked throughout the 7 episodes. However, if you are someone who enjoys slow drama or thrillers then Kaala Paani can be your pick.

Watch the Kaala Paani trailer

Also read: Dhak Dhak Review: Fatima Sana Shaikh, Dia Mirza, Ratna Pathak Shah & Sanjana Sanghi’s heartwarming tale of self discovery is unmissable