Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (2023) is a well-made social-political satire movie. The story is set in one of the northern states of India. These days, not many powerful people applaud the mockery of the honest kind in India. Especially in the current political atmosphere here.
There is no doubt that the “Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery” Hindi-language movie from India is a brave attempt that tackles difficult and sensitive social-political issues. More so, when it delves into the inherent Caste and Gender biases in India.
A Humorous & Thought-Provoking Social-Political Satire
Spoiler-Free Review | Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (2023) Hindi Movie
The Synopsis and the introduction
When two prized jackfruits disappear from a politician's (Vijay Raaz) garden, a spirited cop's (Sanya Malhotra) investigation turns unexpectedly as she digs for the truth.
{News Update: Actress Sanya Malhotra won an acting award for this role}
The setting of this satirical movie is in the fictional Moba district, Uttar Pradesh state, India. Most of its jokes are hard-hitting ones. However, quite a few of its funny lines fail to evoke the loud laughter punch in this idiosyncratic film. Nevertheless, we still liked many of its sarcastic one/two-liner jokes, which are aimed at serious subject matters. Such as caste discrimination, gender inequality, double standards in society, bureaucratic setup, political system, built-in insensitivity in governance, etc.
A peek in the caste system in India
This film has many references to the prevalence of casteism, sexism, gender issues, discrimination, the politicisation of the bureaucracy, etc. These are the burning issues in India, especially the casteism which is similar to racism issues.
India’s caste system is more than thousand years old. Scholars generally agree that the caste system emerged with the arrival of the Aryans in India around 1500 BC. Therefore, the caste system in India is among the world’s oldest forms of surviving social stratification.
What is India’s caste system? | Article link & Image courtesy BBC
Is there the upper-caste biases in its script?
However, one can’t help but notice the typical inbuilt upper-caste biases in its script, when its writers Ashok Mishra and Yashowardhan Mishra. Especially, when this screenplay confronts the status of the Dalit community in the context of Indian society. Sometimes, they (writers as well as actors) miss the seriousness of the issues mentioned in the movies and the grave social injustice still being carried out in society for centuries. They should not simply overlook the centuries of social struggle that have failed to eliminate both casteism and gender biases prevalent in Indian culture, even today.
Director Yashowardhan Mishra’s debut film
Still, we believe, on the whole, the spunky script of this film is daring. And despite the negativities mentioned above, it is a spirited attempt by its writers, Ashok Mishra and Yashowardhan Mishra. In addition, it also marks the directorial debut of Yashwardhan Mishra. We applaud, Yashowardhan, for directing this entertaining film in his debut. He has included a bunch of excellent banter in it. However, we liked the fact that this Hindi film is inundated with funny, sarcastic dialogue. Besides, it takes a lot of (verbal) jabs at casteism, corruption, society and the system in place.
There are quite a few truth bombs in it; however, some of them miss their targets.
The sorry state of Journalism in India
Well, in one of the important scenes in this cinema, a local journalist (Rajpal Naurang Yadav) is arrested and sent to jail for reporting true crime incidents about the disappearance of young girls in Moba, Uttar Pradesh (U.P.).
It is indeed a sad commentary on the state of affairs in India in the post-truth era. It depicts an incident that highlights the gross misuse of the government machinery to browbeat the truth-seeking members of the press.
Lead actress Sanya and other cast members did well
Its protagonist, Indian actress Sanya Malhotra, plays the role of an enlightened and empowered scheduled caste (SC/Dalit) female police officer Mahima Basor. Sanya has carried this movie on her feminine soldiers admirably. To be honest, all the cast members have done a praiseworthy job. We just wish, that its scriptwriters could have given more bite to its lead actor playing the head-strong Dalit, but then maybe they simply do not understand the seriousness of ongoing casteism in the country.
So, in case you wish to watch the movie, then you have to overlook certain aspects of Dalit issues, which have been treated in a light-hearted manner in this film. One simply desires that this story should have more bite and realism. But then, it is marketed as a quirky movie by its creators and the network. Therefore, to enjoy this witty cinema, you have to forget and forgive certain aspects of the film. Only then can you appreciate its freewheeling, non-stop ironic puns on the burning issues of contemporary India, or should we say, Bharat.
The conclusion
So, Bharat/India is the largest democracy in the world. It is supposedly the self-proclaimed world thought leader “Vishwa-Guru” by certain politicians of the ruling dispensation. To be honest, many Indians often voice their strong opinions on the issue of Racism in other nations. One honestly wishes that all of them could also take a similar vociferous stand against Casteism in their nation – India/Bharat. Anyways, we have no hesitation in admitting that it is quite a good Hindi movie of the year 2023, which we have watched and enjoyed tremendously. To conclude, Kathal is a yummy movie, as it tastes good for the most part.
Rating of the Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (2023) Hindi Movie
| FM’s rating | 3.45/5 |
| FM’s short comments | We liked the fact this small-budget film takes a big risk with its content, by depicting quite a few important issues from Indian politics as well as Indian society. Despite our criticism in the above paragraphs, we liked this movie. However, we only wishful thinking is much more hard-hitting to drive home the key points raised in it. |
Poster of the Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (2023) Hindi Movie
Key Details of the Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (2023) Hindi Movie
| Genre | Comedy, Crime, Drama |
| Original name | Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (कटहल ~ Jackfruit) |
| Rating | UA (13+) |
| Duration | 1 hour & 55 minutes |
| Released in | May 2023 |
| Writers | Ashok Mishra, Yashowardhan Mishra |
| Director | Yashowardhan Mishra (It’s his directorial debut.) |
| Cast | Sanya Malhotra, Anant Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Naurang Yadav, Neha Saraf, etc. |
| Network | Netflix |
Trailer of the Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (2023) Hindi Movie
The Kathal Heist That Shook The Nation | Sanya Malhotra, Vijay Raaz | Kathal | Netflix India | YouTube
Focus on the Indian actress Sanya Malhotra
Sanya Malhotra is one of the most talented actresses of the new generation, a trained contemporary and ballet dancer. In her past life, she worked as a dance teacher at a school in Delhi. Later, she made a grand debut with the Hindi movie Dangal (2016), which is one of the top-rated and biggest hit films in India. Since then she has worked in a bunch of popular mainstream Hindi movies – Pataakha (2018), Badhai Ho (2018), Photograph (2019), and Shakuntala Devi (2021), besides the Hindi movies on the web – Ludo (2021), Pagglait (2021), Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021) and Love Hostel (2022).
If you like contemporary movies and/or series dealing with the pertinent issues of Casteism in India, then do check out the FM article Dahaad series too.
Featured & Other Images:- Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery (2023) Hindi Movie | Netflix.
