Kaala Paani is a Netflix series; you should not miss. This 7-episode first season from writer Biswapati Sarkar can very well be called as his best work so far. The TVF alumnus is known for his comedy skits, engaging small budget movies and YouTube ads. His acting skills and satires writing is one of the best in the industry. The series, Kaala Paani is India’s first survival drama written around an epidemic like situation. All the 7 episodes bring back the horrors of COVID lockdown with the trauma of various news that used to hit our news headline every day during the lockdown.
The Plot
The story revolves around a fictitious waterborne infection, LHF-27 – Leptospiral Haemorrhagic Fever, with symptoms like fever and black rashes near the neck. Persistent hiccups and black liquid vomits before death is the scariest part of the disease. While the disease in the show is completely fictitious, the trauma it brings with the narration is scary. The disease is based on a real-life disease ‘Leptospirosis’, a bacterial infection that can affect both humans and animals. According to Centres of Disease Control and Prevention, “It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In humans, it can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which may be mistaken for other diseases. Some infected persons, however, may have no symptoms at all.”
The show is written around Andaman & Nicobar islands. Away from mainland of India, the show explores the natural untouched landscape of the islands, the culture of local people, the constant conflict between nature and modernization, the dilemma of being a part of India but still feeling excluded and the human stories affected by a ruthless virus. The series narrates the story from the perspective of many characters, some innocent, some gritty and some gray, taking desperate measures just to survive. While they take desperate steps in desperate situations, the audience can feel connected to the story as the horrors of COVID is still very much fresh in collective memory.
The Master Piece
The episodes keep getting better and with very well written screenplay, they explore the unspoken dilemma we all experience in our lives. The show has 8.1 rating on IMDB and has some of the best performances from actors like Ashutosh Gowariker, Mona Singh, Radhika Mehrotra, Sukant Goel, Amey Wagh, Arushi Sharma, Vikas Kumar and child artist Aradhya Ajana.
While all the actors gave their best you should look out for outstanding performances by Vikas Kumar as a desparate father, Amey Wagh as a ambitious cop, Mona Singh as a specially abled doctor, Arushi Sharma as a nurse with a trauma, Radhika Mehrotra as a fresh scientist eager to prove herself and many more. The surprising element is the script that keeps getting better and better. The layers of the story keeps revealing hidden pasts of the disease, the mysterious islands, the local aboriginal people with trust issues, the tourists trapped in a nightmarish situation, the authority trying to keep people safe, the medical system trying to get to the bottom of the outbreak, and the local people trying their best to survive.
The seven episodes have seven themes and the story is beautifully narrated through the themes.
Nature Wins, the first episode gives a backdrop of the island, the main characters, the ruthless premise of the show, and the mysterious trust issues the aboriginal people (The Oraka community) has for the locals and the development of the area.
The Switch, the second episode revolves around the authority’s hard choices between choosing the best options save lives. Many theories are being explored in this episode, sets the premise for the rest of the episodes.
Garjen, the third episode explores the side of parents and their struggle to connect with the new generation. This is the most emotional episode of the season. The exceptional acting from Vikas Kumar, shows a promising actor in making.
Eraba reta mono, the fourth episode is named in Japanese, which loosely translates to The chosen one. The episode explores the history of the islands with the Japanese bunkers from the Second World War. The diary written by a Japanses army doctor in the World War II becomes the main premise for a probable cure of the disease.
The immortal being, the fifth episode revolves around the generational knowledge of the Oraka community. More than the cure, the episode explores the various motivation driving the characters to find the cure.
Forefathers, the sixth episode is all about the cure and unravelling the trauma that the society faces in the name of privilege and generational knowledge. This is another emotional episode of the season.
Darwin’s bay, the final episode, makes you question everything happening the world. The simplest choices we make to the sinister impacts it has on the world. The final episode has some really shocking moments that will bring back the trauma of COVID times.
The episode tries to explain how Darwin’s theory of evolution, that opines “Survival of the fittest”, is more than just physical fitness. As a human being it just makes so much sense to experience this episode. This episode defines why Kaala Paani on Netflix is the Best thing Indian OTT.
The show ends on a cliffhanger and promises a even more complex season II in the series. A big shout out to Posham Pa Pictures & Biswapati Sarkar for bringing this fresh piece of content to the screens. This is far more superior than the usual mass entertainer series available on OTTs, written around abusive words. This series will definitely inspire more content producers to pursue original content.
