Killer Soup REVIEW: Konkona Sensharma is the head chef of this edgy dark comedy recipe, Manoj Bajpayee adds the right spice

Akash Bhatnagar

January 11, 2024
1:30 pm
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Konkona Sensharma's comic timing, Manoj Bajpayee's wit and their stunning chemistry makes Abhishek Chaubey's storytelling in Killer Soup all the more tasty.

Killer Soup Review

Ever since I watched the bizarre yet amazing trailer of Killer Soup, I knew this review was going to be quite interesting. With Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sensharma coming together for the first time, I was expecting a delicious 8-course meal, and I did get that in the most Abhishek Chaubey way. The two stars are bonafide legends, thus acting was never in doubt about the series. The pressure was more on Abhishek to extract the best and something unique out of them and he succeeded and how.

Story:

Swathi and Prabhakar Shetty are a married couple in Mainjur living a complicated life. While Swathi is an aspiring restarauteur, Prabhu is a businessman with the opposite of the Midas touch. Swathi is hell bent on getting her paya soup recipe right, which no matter what she tries, is always inedible. But in the venture of getting her recipe right, several secrets uncover, resulting in a mess that neither Swathi, Prabhakar or his doppelganger Umesh Pillai were ever ready for. In the struggle to sort one issue, the trio keeps getting involved in one mishap after the other. Will Swathi get her recipe right and her dreams fulfilled? And at what cost?

What’s good about Killer Soup

Konkona Sensharma is the undoubted star of the show. Manoj Bajpayee is at his best but Koko is even a notch higher. She is the glue that keeps you hooked to the screens. Be it her comic timing, her clever and manipulative schemes or just her mere presence, Koko is the heart and soul of the series. Add to it, her scintillating chemistry with Manoj and you have a winning recipe already. Apart from the leads, even the supporting cast serves some lip-smacking performances.

Storytelling: Abhishek’s storytelling will keep you hooked to your seat, not letting you waiver from it even for a second. When you think the culprits are about to be busted, a new mess comes in, and you can’t help but be invested in it. Manoj and Koko are seasoned artists, yet to bring something unique out of them takes a mastered craft, and Abhishek exhibits that. To show a culprit being involved in every crime without actually being a part of it, only a true artist can pull it off. And Abhishek does that.

Language: This is a point I really wanted to emphasise on. Since the setting of the show is in South India, I didn’t want to see the makers compromising on the authenticity of it in order to make it more viable for Hindi audiences. And Abhishek ensures that. There is a balance between Hindi, English and the South languages. Depending on the situation and their background, the characters seamlessly switch between lanaguages. And it never seems abrupt or out of order. Abhishek didn’t compromise on the authenticity for the reach, and kudos to him for that.

What didn’t work for Killer Soup

The Cop storyline: Nassar plays Inspector Hassan in the show. While he begins as a laidback cop on the case, he gets more and more invested as the events unfold. And even though his attempt to uncover the truth are entertaining, the help he receives from the beyond, just seem a bit illogical at times. Abhishek has tried his best to correlate everything to a book, but there are instances which just seem bizarre for the practical world. It is a sour ingredient for me in the otherwise perfect recipe of Killer Soup.

Convenience: In an 8-episode series with almost hour long episodes, you have to make the hunt intriguing and long lasting. But everytime as the culprit is about to be caught, suddenly they are saved by the bad luck of the person in front. While once or twice is still justifiable, that happening everytime is just too convenient.

Star performances

Konkona Sensharma: I have already spoken about the excellence of Konkona, but I need to reiterate in this review of Killer Soup that be it in front of the camera or behind it, Koko is a skilled artist. As she knows which buttons to push of the characters on screen, she does the same with the audiences too. You forget instantly that it’s Koko and not the character. This is her power. The intensity, passion, yet the softness that she brings to Swathi is unmatchable. It’s unimaginable to picture anyone else pulling the character as brilliantly.

Manoj Bajpayee: If Koko is the head chef of this dish, Manoj is the perfect sous-chef. While the trailer hinted at the double role he plays being one of the highlights, it isn’t as much. But the way Manoj handles the comedy in the show just shows what a maverick he is. And honestly, I have never seen the actor getting so much physical intimacy ever on screen. And his chemistry everytime is just right with his partners. He has a special talent of playing the guy involuntarily getting caught up in messes, and he does that here too perfectly.

The supporting cast also boasts some fabulous performances, especially from Sayaji Shinde as Prabhu’s elder brother Arvind Shetty. The aggression he brings coupled with his sense of humour is just hilarious. Anula Navlekar as Apeksha stands out even amongst legends. Speaks volumes of her talent. Nassar as Inspector Hassan is just on point. A cop who is on the verge of retirement, puts everything on line for this one case. And the actor brings his brilliance in his portrayal of that. The only character that I felt a little over-the-top was Vaishali Bisht‘s Khansama, who was Swathi’s cooking teacher. Her eccentric demeanour and her Hyderabadi accent just didn’t sit right.

Conclusion

I will end my review saying that Killer Soup is the perfect binge meal for your weekend. Watch it for the sheer brilliance of Manoj, Abhishek’s storytelling and above all Konkona’s mastery. Barring a few seasong issues, this soup is indeed made of a killer recipe. One that you won’t regret tasting, and maybe going in for seconds as well.

Watch the trailer of Killer Soup after our review