Kaala Paani Review: Epidemic spread in Andaman, emotional depiction of human struggle and attempt to survive
Kaala Paani Review During the Corona virus epidemic, the current generation has seen many such scenes with their own eyes which will not be easy to forget. The same scenes have been reminded once again in Netflix's series Kaala Paani. Just the epicenter of the epidemic has been limited. Written by Vishwapati Sarkar, the series stars Ashutosh Gowarikar and Mona Singh in lead roles.
The Weekly Mail Post 
The web series Kaala Paani, released on Netflix, is basically a survival thriller, the setting of which is the Andaman Islands and the villain is an unknown epidemic, which is taking people's lives. The story is written by Vishwapati Sarkar, who is known for writing fun-filled shows for TVF.
The third season of Permanent Roommates, written by him, has been released on Prime Video. It was important to mention Vishwapati's writing style here because Kala Paani is completely different from his previous works.
After seeing the dire form of Corona virus pandemic, Vishwapati has imagined a similar epidemic in Andaman, where there is salty sea water all around. When a mysterious disease spreads, it is quarantined.
In the British era, the infamous Kala Pani punishment meant being cut off from the world and the pandemic turning the entire Andaman into Kala Pani, is its symbolic depiction. 'Kala Paani' is a successful combination of good writing and solid acting.
What is the story of Kala Pani?
An annual Jalsa is going to be held in Andaman, in which thousands of tourists from across the country and the world are going to arrive. Here a mysterious disease is gradually affecting people, which causes cough with rashes on the neck and then sudden death.
After finding its symptoms in the patients, CMO Dr. Saudamini Singh (Mona Singh) is engaged in investigation. Saudamini is against the festival, but seeing the benefits it brings, LG Admiral Jibran Qadri (Ashutosh Gowarikar) convinces her. The festival is held and Saudamini's fears are proved right.
Qadri fails to inform the public in time and the epidemic spreads on the island. Panicked people start trying to somehow escape from the island. The plot of a tribe that is immune to the disease delves into this.
How is the screenplay and acting of the series?
The series consists of seven episodes of approximately one hour each, titled Nature Wins, The Switch, Garjan, Erba Reta Mono, The Immortal Being, Forefathers and Darwin's Bay. Sameer Saxena and Amit Golani have directed the show. After seeing the horrifying scenes of Covid-19 with our own eyes, it is imperative to remain realistic while writing and directing the scenes of such epidemics.
These scenes of Kala Paani leave an impact, in which the deserted roads, the spread of disease, people's panic and the struggle to save their lives are shown. The presence of the tribal species Orakas seems interesting. The screenplay is in nonlinear format. The time period of the series is the year 2027. The events of the past are shown intermittently.
The acting of the actors is the backbone of the series. Mona Singh's performance in the role of Dr. Saudamini is tremendous. At the same time, Ashutosh Gowarikar has done justice to his character. The character of ACP Amey Wagh is good, but the real heroes of the story are Sukant Goyal and Vikas Kumar. Both the actors have been seen in OTT shows. Vikas Arya appears in the role of ACP Khan in the series.
In Kaala Paani, the locations act as characters in themselves and help in presenting the narrative with ease. The beauty of Andaman has been presented through cinematography, which shows the symbolic dilemma between the devastation and beauty of nature.
Duration- Seven episodes (about an hour per episode)
