Kaala Paani

But the lags and lacks are made up by Biswapati Sarkar’s masterful writing and deep understanding of human emotions. There are no loose ends. Even little, innocuous details unwrap themselves to leave a lasting impact. A character parts ways with his tour guide, after realizing that the latter smuggles tortoise eggs. Later, trapped in a deep pit, he has to kill a snake and feed on its eggs to survive. Cop Ketan’s disdain towards the islands is expressed through his inability to find his preferred chips flavour. He spots it while getting beaten to a pulp by the bodyguard of the capitalists he initially scratched the backs of, but ultimately deceived. It’s a moment that is comical yet cathartic.

Everything works in favour of Kaala Paani. There isn't any aspect in the show that doesn't. Firstly, the story is terrific. It grips you from episode one and imagine, the grip just gets firmer with every episode. The show culminates into a finale that shall have your jaw drop. The screenplay is extremely engaging and it shall keep you on the edge of your seats. The use of back-and-forth storytelling only enhances the impact of the show. The editing is sharp and the dialogues are hard-hitting. The sub-plots are intricate and investive. The resemblance to the very recent pandemic that we as a human race went through, the Covid-19, makes the show extremely relatable for those who watch. Every character arc has been explored very beautifully and what we get is a show that totally blows your mind.

Kaala Paani has a lot going for it -- the scenic locations, the cast, and a problem of modern-day apathy towards the environment, that is putting all of humanity on a power keg waiting to explode -- but it goes all over the place and is not able to focus on the impending catastrophe that should have caused a knot-in-the-stomach sense of fear in the viewer, knowing that such a situation is very much within the realm of possibility. In the end, it is the earnestness of the actors -- Sukant Goel, Vikas Kumar, Ashutosh Gowariker and Amey Wagh as the court jester of sorts -- who keep Kaala Paani from drowning. But the indicated second season will have to work harder to gather up the various scattered strands in a more meaningful way.

The drama occasionally feels melodramatic, especially the plight of a distraught father (Vikas Kumar) as he searches for his missing children. It also feels Bollywood in tone, particularly the way Amey Wagh plays police officer Ketan Kamat and a simmering love story between a nurse Jyotsna (Arushi Sharma) and her friend Vinayak (Priyansh Jora). At other times, the tension and emotions are profound, captured by Chinmay Mandlekar as the steadfast doctor Mahajan, Radhika Mehrotra as the earnest communicable diseases expert Ritu Gagra, and Sukant Goel as the local hustler Chiru. Goel delivers a remarkable performance, transforming himself into his character, carrying the viewer along on Chiru’s complex journey of revelation and recompense. Vikas Kumar powerfully conveys the exhaustion of a man running out of hope and options. Radhika Mehrotra rides the arc of one of the better-written characters, thoughtfully playing the determined professional who comes of age.

While trying to give all characters a space in the narrative, shows and films risk becoming tiresome and that is something that does plague this show as well. While every character gets their due and has enough going on for them to create an engaging show, there are often moments that feel dragged out. In the seven-episode run, each spanning over 50 minutes, the show would’ve benefitted from a tighter edit. The show is, however, saved by the engrossing cinematography – the islands are painted in almost mystical hue, making this a story more fitting in folklore than the distressing reality in which it is rooted. The mysticism surrounding the setting adds a sheen to the entire endeavor that is brilliantly contrasted with the edge the later episodes revel in.