Starring: Manoj Bajpayee, Konkona Sen Sharma, Nassar, Sayaji Shinde, Anula Navlekar, Lal, Anbu Thasan, Kani Kusruti
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
From a director known for his gritty thrillers, this Netflix series has all the hallmarks of an Abhishek Chaubey dark comedy backed up by acting heavyweights in the lead.
Swathi Shetty (Sen Sharma) has dreams of becoming the owner and high-end chef of a restaurant that will be the shining light of her idyllic little fictional town of Mainjur, somewhere in southern India. The big hiccup in this mission is her less than average cooking skills that result in inedible dishes, which her conman husband Prabhakar Shetty (Bajpayee) has to find dubious ways of discarding.
Their unhappy marriage plays out against the backdrop of Swathi’s clandestine cooking classes and a shady love affair with Umesh Pillai (also Bajpayee). But the affair soon gets exposed, triggering a series of disasters that will leave a trail of dead bodies in its wake.
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Ambitious young police officer Thupalli (Thasan) quickly puts two and two together to determine that the common factor between a set of linked tragedies seems to be only one person – Swathi. However, before he is able to convince his superior, Inspector Hassan (Nassar), of his theories, Thupalli also winds up dead and his ghost takes on the haunting task of directing the remainder of the investigation.
Will Swathi and Umesh succeed in leading the Bollywood romance life they had dreamt of, or will Inspector Hassan scupper their happily-ever-after plans?
This intriguing thriller is packed with enough twists and turns to make it a pretty binge-worthy watch. If some aspects of the plot seem too fantastical, the creators have that covered by giving it a fictional setting.
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Ultimately, it is a stark view of human greed and selfishness, with each of the characters etched out with very believable flaws and struggles. Sen Sharma is spot on as the doggedly ambitious wannabe entrepreneur and Bajpayee in his double take is equally convincing. But beyond the lead characters, the supporting cast come together to deliver a perfectly blended and thrilling soup.
The multilingual dialogue renders a very natural touch to this series, which is most definitely one for any fans of dark comedy.
