Kaala Paani review: A gripping and relevant tale about survival of the fittest

Netflix’s survival drama 'Kaala Paani' is a fine blend of great acting, absorbing script, refreshing and crucial themes and impactful dialogues. 

"This intriguing survival drama is a slow burn," said our mid-series review of Kaala Paani. However, the slow burn is totally worth it. In fact, episodes 4, 5, 6, and 7 are so thrilling that time just flies by and you cannot help but binge. 

To give you a recap, in Netflix’s Kaala Paani, thousands get stuck in 2027 in an epidemic in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and fight against all odds and each other to survive. As the series progresses, the characters’ arcs evolve cleverly, bringing together a well-crafted story. Santosh Salva (Vikas Kumar) arrives at the islands with his wife Gargi, son Parth, and daughter Vidushi for a vacation. Little does he know that the epidemic and nature’s cruel law of survival of the fittest will turn his life upside down. Chiranjeevi aka Chiru (Sukant Goel) is a poacher and tour guide, but more importantly, he is a scorpion whose nature is to sting everyone. Chiru’s younger brother Vinayak (Priyansh Jora) is on cloud nine as his first love, a nurse, Jyotsana (Arushi Sharma), has come back to the island. However, she has her demons to fight off. ACP Ketan Kamat (Amey Wagh), a corrupt police officer, desperately wants to return to the mainland and is hence, supporting the capitalist, Saurabh Wani (Rajesh Khattar) heading the greedy ventures of the company Atoms in the islands. Connecting them all is the epidemic LHF-27, a disease spreading via water and air. Looking for a cure for this disease is Dr. Ritu Gagra (Radhika Mehrotra). And then there are the Orakas, a tribe native to Andaman and Nicobar, with a crucial but mysterious role to play in the events. 

Also Read: Doona review: A realistic story about how it would truly be like to fall in love with a K-Pop Idol!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Netflix India (@netflix_in)

Enacting this intriguing script are actors who brilliantly portray their roles, especially Goel, Wagh, and Kumar. Wagh goes from comical to cunning within seconds, Kumar tugs at your heart, and Goel gives a masterful performance. The entire acting crew is aptly cast. They all enact, with sincerity, the crucial topics that the plot tackles. It is not everyday that we see cinema based on Darwin's theory of evolution. Hence, it is refreshing when a series like Kaala Paani manages to tell a story around this theory fascinatingly. While it does offer subtle commentary, it is not interested in preaching. It is more interested in observing and analysing nature and its ways. Instead of pitting scientific temperament against tribal ways, the series looks at nature and its current state from both points of view. It also provides compelling arguments for and against greed as well as empathy. There is also a nuanced commentary on human greed, arrogance, and ignorance. At every point, the series asks difficult questions that make you wonder what you would do if you were in the same situation.  

Even though it's a sci-fi, dystopian drama based in 2027, Kaala Paani manages to hit home, especially since we still haven't forgotten about the devastation that COVID-19 brought. Moreover, Kaala Paani reiterates that we haven't learned much from the pandemic.  

For more reviews, follow us on @socialketchupbinge.