Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“Killer Soup” begins with a stunning shot of cloud-covered mountains, towering windmills, and sprawling tea estates in a fictional hill town called Mainjur located in South India. A soothing classical piece of music plays in the background, belying the chaos that is about to unfold. Created by Abhishek Chaubey, Unaiza Merchant, and Harshad Nalawade, the eight-episode series follows the murderous misadventures of Swathi, a former nurse who aspires to start her own restaurant, with trotter soup as the signature dish.
Konkona Sen Sharma plays protagonist Swathi, whose introductory scene shows her cooking soup and serving it to her arrogant businessman husband Prabhu (Manoj Bajpayee), whom she hopes would bankroll her restaurant dreams. Prabhu has no intention of supporting his wife’s dreams and has no faith in her culinary skills. Meanwhile, Swathi isn’t much of a faithful wife either and is involved with Umesh, a masseuse resembling her husband. When their affair is exposed, a scuffle leads to Prabhu’s death, prompting the couple to plot Umesh’s takeover of Prabhu’s identity. This decision triggers a series of unfortunate events, including a police investigation that could spell serious trouble for the duo. Their ordeal is further complicated by family politics as Prabhu’s wealthier older brother Arvind (Sayaji Shinde) smells something is fishy and begin to do his own digging.
The first few episodes unfold like a gritty, satirical neo-noir murder thriller, with plenty of subtle comedic moments, many of which are generated by Konkona Sen Sharma and Manoj Bajpayee’s portrayal of an unwitting couple caught up in the web of an accidental murder. The cinematography in “Killer Soup” gracefully transitions between two distinct atmospheres. Scenes are either bathed in rich orange hues reminiscent of crime noir aesthetics or illuminated by vibrant, colorful tones like a springtime romance unfolding in a picturesque hill station. And even though the story isn’t consistently gripping, the killer cast keeps you invested until the end.
Konkana Sen Sharma is fantastic as the chameleon-like Swathi, who, depending on the situation, changes colors from being clueless, nervous, easily scared, to domineering, manipulative, and ruthless. If there’s one thing that remains stable about Swathi, it’s her passion for cooking and starting her own restaurant. However, a running gag throughout the series, with people gagging over her dish, makes it apparent that she has no real talent for it. Manoj Bajpayee’s double act as Prabhu and Umesh is amusing, especially his lovelorn version of masseuse Prabhu, who is quite shady and malleable. Interestingly, there isn’t much onscreen chemistry between Manoj and Konkana, which works just fine for the story, because Swathi’s relationship with both Prabhu and Umesh is based more on her needs than love.
Actor Nassar plays Inspector Hassan, who leads a parallel sub-plot about the police investigation into deaths and disappearances in Mainjur town, all of which seem to have some connection to Prabhu and maybe even Swathi. Nassar nails his part as a senior cop confounded by a confusing case, but the investigative sub-plot is often slowed down by an unnecessary ghostly element – Hassan often hallucinates about a junior colleague who dies while looking into leads in the case. While it’s evident that the creators think the hallucinations were a clever comedic element, it doesn’t mesh well with the plot because the junior cop was new in town, and Inspector Hassan was very dismissive of him. So, to show a hardened senior cop being shaken by a young colleague’s death didn’t seem convincing.
Sayaji Shinde is atrociously good as the foulmouthed, goon-like businessman Arvind, who is nasty to everybody around him, including his daughter, despite doting on her. His passive-aggressive rivalry with Prabhu might be relatable to those who have a love-hate relationship with their own siblings. Anula Navlekar plays his daughter Appu, who is the niece of Swathi and is also the only one supportive of her ambition to open her own restaurant. Even though it’s not spelled out, the strong bond between the aunt and niece seems to stem from the fact that both women aren’t appreciated or taken seriously by the men in their lives. Appu’s father brutally rejects her dream to study art in Paris and foists the responsibility of taking over the family business upon her.
Thanks to the talented cast and an intriguing premise, “Killer Soup” is quite entertaining; however, the pace dips significantly from episode five onward. The satirical comedy and self-awareness of the first few episodes thin as the show progresses. A potential mystery surrounding Appu’s deceased mother is constantly hinted at, but a full reveal is never provided, leaving viewers to piece together the puzzle with their own guesses. While a major plot twist at the end of episode six gives the writers an excellent opportunity to conclude the story in episode seven, they drag the plot out for another 50-minute-long finale. Needless to say, episode eight is overstretched and leads to an ending that, while not overtly predictable, doesn’t provide the satisfaction one would hope for from a thriller that started on a very promising note. The creators should have trimmed “Killer Soup” into a six-episode mini-series, and it would have been riotously perfect.
“Killer Soup” is available to stream on Netflix.
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