A twisted view of filial piety seems like it could be an interesting take — but the film doesn’t satisfy; it’s lacking humour, romance, a substantial plot, meaningful dialogue (excepting the ending speech), and especially… any character growth. Maybe you don’t mind the glorification of violence and misogyny, and only pressed play for gory fight scenes… sorry to say, they also suck. At the end, you’re left thinking all characters are stupid and instead of 3h21m they could’ve done better in just 21m.
The film drags on with insubstantial plot, but never gets around to the ‘why’ of Ranbir’s character. He isn’t presented as a sympathetic hero with deep flaws, just a violent obsessive killer who somehow happens to be the main character. He’ll jump at every chance to commit violence on ‘behalf’ of his family as the ‘man’ of the house… even when they beg him not to. He’s desperate for attention from his father, but dismissive of all others who try to connect, especially women. Decades pass but he seems unable and unwilling to form a relationship more meaningful than the father-son relationship he obsesses over, even after having children of his own. We seem one doctor’s visit or traumatic childhood flashback away from a severe mental diagnosis, but it never materializes. All his decisions make no sense — actually no one’s decisions make sense — why is violence the first and only option? It’s not like that’s what father taught him, they don’t actually spend time together! Why does the girl leave her fiancé to marry him, when he’s so unlikeable and makes her cry? Why did the director even bother filming the actresses’ faces, if he was going to spend the entire film treating them like bodies speaking into the void? Actually if he'd replaced the actresses with mannequins I would've found the film MORE interesting, I could have pretended it was the film’s attempt at clever social commentary. Instead of whatever point he was trying to make with the catheter speech.
It can be said that all actors did well in given roles, which by the script was limited for all but Ranbir. He showed great commitment and vigor to the deranged and emotionally immature character but even he can’t bring depth where there is none in the script.
But ok, let’s say we hit play for gory fight scenes only. I love a good revenge thriller, but this film was not John Wick or Liam Neeson in Taken. This was an unlikeable character who makes unequivocal decisions favoring gratuitous violence on behalf of people he claims to love but never listens to, basically throwing several temper tantrums with flashy artillery. The scenes feel abrupt, as if Vanga was paid to fill a quota of gunshots and blood sprays, the way other Bollywood films decide on the songs first and edit film to fit. Look at the way blood splashes on that face, look at the shiny masks and axes, look at the giant gun — just don’t look at the paper-thin plot or the lacklustre fight choreography. The culminating fight is the most bizarre of all: a slow dance where both opponents eschew guns and goons, slowly stripping for each other between punches, building a weirdly charged connection that ends in a climactic spurt of blood. Both had such a strong inclination to violence it would be impossible without context to tell which was supposed to be the ‘hero’… instead you almost pity them for the relationship they could have had as equals on the same side. The end is just as abrupt and uncomfortable, with a highly emotionally charged speech that once again includes violence but resolves nothing.
It’s not the characters flaws that are the problem, it’s that the script and director doesn’t give us anything else — ALL the characters become unlikeable, either through their actions or their impotent lack of action. The best bad boys are the ones that can be explained, that just the right touch could ‘fix’ — this film’s protagonist isn’t the bad boy, he’s not even the villain with a heart. He’s the abusive ex who might be the reason you wind up dead.
Overall, give this a miss. In fact, based on this I’m prepared to give all Vanga’s works a miss. You want a tense father-son relationship? Re-watch K3G. You want violence? Anurag Kashyap has you covered. Ranbir’s acting is on par with South Indian superstars, but as both action and drama, the film was a flop.
Kaala Paani (Black Water) is about the unraveling of a society under crisis. An epidemic strikes the island, and the show follows characters on disparate journeys as they all come to understand how civility is a thin veneer, and there are different rules for survival in a dystopia. Netflix bills this as their first Indian survival drama, and if that’s what you’re looking for, this delivers.
Kaala Paani remains rooted in Indian drama, with enough familiar Bollywood tropes and super dramatic acting to satisfy (or frustrate, depending on taste). The setting of a near-future Andaman and Nicobar adds a little freshness for seasoned viewers of both Indian dramas and english post-apocalyptic drama (why so many desert wastelands?). But if you like this show, credit is due to the writer’s clarity of idea — the human aspect of epidemic survival — and the director’s focus on execution. The team said yes to liberal use of fable & philosophy tropes, yes to time skips, yes and yes again to flashbacks (make it like Oprah’s giving them away), and no to in-depth explanations of science/procedure/things-that-aren’t-drama. The focus is entirely on the character journeys undertaken by a set of individuals from a distribution of roles across the island society. The actors all did very well, and most have juicy dramatic bits preceded by overlong childhood flashbacks (can you tell my biggest quibble? yet they are a classic Indian trope that can’t be escaped… get it?) to hammer in that character development. This is not a mystery series: there are no twists, no red herrings. But the 7 episodes are meaty with social drama, seasoned with the urgency of a thriller, and light on the boring gristle. Overall, Kaala Paani will hits the spot. And if my review hasn’t put you off it, I think you’ll enjoy it too.
A second season is possible but not required. The epidemic isn’t fully resolved (given the time frame it can’t be anyway), but most characters have reached a climax and denouement to complete their arc. If continued, here’s hoping the writing remains true to concept with new character journeys so that the energy stays high.
