Over the past few years, Bollywood has churned out quite a few survival films like Mili, Trapped, and NH10, but we haven’t yet seen a drama series on the subject. Netflix took upon themselves the onus of making India’s first survival drama series with Kaala Paani. Directed by Sameer Saxena and Amit Golani, Kaala Paani has an ensemble cast including Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker, Amey Wagh, Sukant Goel, Vikas Kumar, Arushi Sharma, Radhika Mehrotra, Chinmay Mandlekar, and Poornima Indrajith. Has Netflix been successful in its ambitious attempt at making a solid survival drama? Read our review of Kaala Paani to find out.

A tale of survival

After coming out of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and knowing what it is like to stay confined to our houses with minimum access to the world outside, it won’t be difficult for viewers to connect with Kaala Paani. Set in 2027, while COVID-19 is still fresh in people’s minds, a mysterious illness descends upon the beautiful but often neglected Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A disease that starts with a fever and leads to black rashes on the back of the neck ends with a case of hiccups, and ultimately, death. The only person who is determined to find the root cause of the mysterious illness is Dr Soudamini Singh (Mona Singh) who is quickly thwarted by a corrupt police officer. But soon, her hunch proves to be right and it is revealed to be a waterborne disease, LHF-27, and it is as deadly as they come. From then on, it is a race for survival.

There is no one true hero in this series and that works to its benefit. Apart from Dr Singh, we have LG Admiral Zibran Qadri (Ashutosh Gowariker), SDPO Ketan Kamat (Amey Wagh), a corrupt officer who is sent to the islands as a punishment, Dr Shashi Mahajan (Chinmay Mandlekar), a corrupt cab driver Chiru (Sukant Goel), and a trauma-ridden ex-nurse Jyotsana (Arushi Sharma) amongst others. While everyone is stuck in the same situation, their motives are different. Kaala Paani effectively brings to light how far people can go to save themselves or their loved ones. There are politics, business, heart, and mind, all at play, in this survival drama.

Solid performances and a tight storyline hold Kaala Paani together

Kaala Paani touches upon multiple chords and it’s easy for the impact to get diluted in such cases. Political corruption, human vs nature, how indigenous people are treated, how making money trumps everything else – the series talks about it all. And while it seems like a tedious undertaking, Kaala Paani manages to deliver on it all quite successfully. The series is slow in its pacing, but that adds to the underlying panic that people are feeling due to the mass spread of an epidemic.

The performances in the show are brilliant across the board. From Mona Singh’s short yet impactful role as Dr Singh to Ashutosh Gowariker’s portrayal of Admiral Zibran Qadri who is trying to do right by his people, they have done a great job. Gowariker’s Qadri is in a constant state of dilemma which is understandable. Because he is dealing with ‘the trolley effect’ – saving multiple lives as opposed to a few. But Sukant Goel as the Port Blair taxi driver Chiru manages to shine the most. In part, it is due to the larger screen space that he gets and partly due to how well-written his character is. From being a slimy conman to learning to be a better man, he puts up a nuanced yet poignant performance. Vikas Kumar as Santosh, a grieving, kind-hearted man who has been cut away from his kids puts up another touching performance. Amey Wagh as Ketan Kamat shows another great performance as a shady cop whose only objective is to get himself out of any trouble or uncomfortable situation.

Kaala Paani is now streaming on Netflix.

Can you watch Kaala Paani with family? Sure you can. But it’s best to avoid watching it with someone who is still triggered by the effects of the pandemic.

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