Kaala Paani review: Mona Singh starrer survival series is earnest in parts, overwrought in others

The world is today three years ahead of the predicament it found itself in as the decade turned in 2020, namely the COVID-19 pandemic. Breaching the same topic, reel imitates the real in Sameer Saxena's Kaala Paani. Written by Saxena and co-directed by Amit Golani, the survival series takes a look at the age-old concept of 'survival of the fittest' interlaced with several more themes which essentially illustrates how often nature's wrath is more likely a man-made disaster. Starring Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker in his acting comeback, Amey Wagh, Arushi Sharma and Vikas Kumar among others, Kaala Paani is currently streaming on Netflix.

Hot take

Morality and ethical dilemmas make up much of the undercurrent of Kaala Paani. The question posed is modelled on the classic trolley problem. For the uninitiated, the series spins it's narrative around the conundrum of sacrificing a few to save the many against it's epidemic-stricken narrative.

Does it live up to the hype

At a time when the world of OTT content is past the stage of boom and slowly treading into dumping ground territory, movies and series sans big and shiny names, rarely ever catch attention. This holds true for Kaala Paani. However, the visual vibrancy of it's trailer, the all-too-familiar theme of contagion and Mona Singh's familiar face, go a long way in urging viewers to hit the play button.

Mona Singh delivers an earnest performance

Mona Singh returns to the screens with Kaala Paani, her third web series this year. Playing Dr. Soudamini Singh, the chief medical officer of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Singh's character is essentially the whistleblower in context of the story. She brings her brand of understated yet impactful acting also recently witnessed in her stint as Bulbul Jauhari in the second season of series Made In Heaven. It is worth mentioning here that Singh as Dr. Soudamini is a dead ringer for Kate Winslet's Dr. Erin Mears in 2011 release Contagion, dealing with the same theme. 

Much of the cast does justice to the elaborate backgrounds given to them while simultaneously juggling the larger context of the plot. Love Aaj Kal 2 find Arushi Sharma too features in Kaala Paani - the actress' second collaboration with Sameer Saxena post Jaadugar (2022). Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker who makes his acting comeback with his portrayal of Lieutenant Governor Zibran Qadri, maintains a barely-there screen presence failing to capitalise on the potential of the politically-loaded role.

Too much to pay attention to/Too many themes spoil the plot

The need to etch characters in the minds of the audience is an understandable gimmick on the part of the writers. However, adding sub-plots and honestly avoidable character tracks simply deflects focus from the bigger themes Kaala Paani attempts to cinematise. The Salva family for instance, who are visiting the islands for the winter festival are the stand-ins for the viewer's outsider-looking-in perspective. The plot point however, simply fails to take off in terms of creating any empathy. Naomi Watts starrer The Impossible (2012) and Korean classic Train To Busan (2016) - both survival dramas - are much more potent recommendations for audiences in this regard, looking for the human element amid disaster stories. 

Just feeding off of the horrors of the COVID-19 pandemic - contextually refashioned as Leptospiral Hemorrhagic Fever, or LHF 27 for the show - could have been a simpler approach for breaking ground in the survival drama genre which stands largely unexplored in Indian OTT content. Instead, the complicated layers of intervention in terms of politics from the Lieutenant-Governor's office, ecological integrity from the perspective of the Orakas -  seemingly fashioned on the Sentinelese tribe and a timeline that oscillates between 1943 and 2027, makes Kaala Paani a watch which not just needs but demands alertness from its viewers - not always an appreciable factor.

Stream it or skip it?

Kaala Paani for sure has its moments. The meticulous approach to the story shows. However, an overzealous attitude in a bid to cover all possible bases, creates overlapping narratives which may leave the viewer confused as to what to focus on. Stream it if you are up for a bit of mental exercise.

The bottomline

Kaala Paani is an exhausting watch, but not without purpose. It attempts to cover it's theme from a multitude of angles which occasionally tires the plot. The visual aesthetics of Kaala Paani are worth appreciating as is the recurring allegory of nature's natural walls - the waters - both protecting as well as symbolically caving in on humans.

Rating: 2.5/5