'Kankhajura' review: Roshan Mathew-Mohit Raina are show-stealers in sharp crime-drama
What's the story
After the gripping, pulsating Tanaav—an adaptation of the Israeli show Fauda—SonyLIV is back with another similar project.
Kankhajura, headlined by Mohit Raina and Roshan Mathew, has been adapted from the Israeli show Magpie, and directed by Chandan Arora (Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh).
For the most part, it's fast-paced, slick, and full of atmospheric tension, but ties itself in knots toward the end.
Plot
Underlines the fraught relationship between two brothers
Kankhajura focuses on Ashu (Mathew), who's out of prison after serving 14 years.
He tries to spend time with his brother Max (Raina) and his two close friends, Shardul (Mahesh Shetty) and Pedro (Ninad Kamat).
However, skeletons come tumbling out of the closet, and we learn that there's much more to Ashu than meets the eye.
Is his return a harbinger of doom?
#1
What works: The ensemble is the biggest standout
Most OTT shows ride on strong, impressive ensembles, and Kankhajura is another addition to this illustrious list.
While Raina is as dependable as ever, Shetty (Bade Acche Lagte Hain) and Kamat (Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi) prove to be absolute scene-stealers, too.
They bring their years of experience to the show, providing ample support to Raina and performing several difficult sequences with impeccable finesse.
#2
All characters have been written with much consideration
Perhaps the show's most interesting aspect is how there is no character you can fully trust or root for, and everyone is heavily soaked in shades of grey.
When you meet a character, you think you know them, but do you, really?
Kankhajura doesn't take any sides, accentuating that people are, eventually, a product of their circumstances, a victim of their destiny.
#3
Gives its female characters agency
Kankhajura might be among the few Hindi shows where women are written like believable, central characters and not as afterthoughts.
Sarah Jane Dias plays Nisha, Max's wife, and while she remains somewhat in the shadows in the first few episodes, her character grows exponentially by the end.
Dias plays her role with self-assurance, lending the character the right amount of confidence and intrigue.
#4
More on the above aspect
Trans actor Trinetra Haldar, known for Made In Heaven, plays Amy, a trans woman.
This is a significant step toward inclusivity and progressiveness, and it is refreshing to see a mainstream Hindi project empathize with the community.
It also helps that, like Dias, she, too, is imperative to the plot, and thanks to Haldar's natural acting, we always want to see more of her.
#5
Mathew's performance will surprise you
Mathew (Darlings) has a lot to do in Kankhajura, and his versatility shines through both in emotionally challenging and physically demanding sequences.
Ashu is underconfident, clingy, desperate for validation, and unsure of himself, and Mathew gives his all to this role.
In particular, it is a treat to watch him and Raina engage in a tense, emotionally charged verbal spat in the final episode.
#6
The dialogues are believable and non-flowery
Like most SonyLIV projects, Kankhajura boasts strong production, and the locations (the show is set in Goa) aid the scenes massively.
Moreover, the conversational dialogues ensure that we are drawn into this world instantly.
I chuckled when a character referred to Max-Ashu as "Karan-Arjun."
Unlike those famed brothers, Max and Ashu's hearts don't beat for each other, and they leech off one another.
#7
Negatives: The series is overstretched
Despite all these merits, Kankhajura bugs and annoys you with its evident flaws that are too discernible to be brushed under the carpet.
At eight episodes, it is needlessly long, and once the central conflict is established, it begins to go round and round in circles.
A tighter narrative, better pace, and perhaps fewer sub-plots could have prevented it from becoming exhausting.
#8
Too many plotlines overwhelm the show
While Kankhajura begins on a specific note (the complicated relationship between Max and Ashu), it veers into a completely different trajectory over the next few episodes.
There are too many plotlines, every character brews mysterious, sinister plans, and there's extreme suspension of disbelief involved.
You might run out of breath trying to catch up with the convoluted, maze-like storylines.
#9
Lack of coherence is also a problem
Surprisingly, Kankhajura seems a bit too performative at times, making you feel that it's uncharacteristic of a character to perform a certain way.
Additionally, at times, there seem to be gaps in the narrative, and you are left scratching your head due to the non-linear storytelling.
Some sub-plots begin and end abruptly, and the show breaks its back trying to juggle multiple narratives concurrently.
Verdict
Can watch for the actors; 3/5 stars
There's much to like about Kankhajura, especially its dissection of classism and the nexus between crime and politics.
Raina, Mathew, Shetty, and Kamat emerge as the strongest performers of the ensemble and get meaty parts.
On the flip side, the series needed more narrative strength and sharper execution, but it can still be watched for the actors' brilliant work.
3/5 stars.