Killer Soup review: Abhishek Chaubey's recipe emanates flavours of greed, ambition, and moral ambiguity

Killer Soup review

If I were to choose the title of this show, I would have gone for " Manisha Koirala Kaun Hai?". Aptly fitting the world that director Abhishek Chaubey creates for his crime comedy, it forms the undercurrent for the investigation that ensues.

Chaubey and his team of writers conjure a wicked tale of ambitions, lies and deceptions that keep you engrossed and tickling your funny bones. His stories are essentially rooted in their milieu and evoke a sense of ethos and belongingness. But here, he takes a detour from his favourite North belt and forays into the South. It is not his forte, yet the director keeps you invested in the narrative with the moody and mesmerizing atmospherics, fascinating characters and dark humour which is seamlessly weaved into it. Anuj Rakesh Dhawan’s lenses capture the verdant landscapes and the crime intricacies masterfully.

What don’t land well are the mediocre dialogues and the excessive use of the local language. Samyukta Kaza’s editing scissors needed precision towards the latter episodes. Their flabby portions add on to the tedium and slog. The facile climax further dilutes the punch in the plot.

The show, however, harbours a killer performance from the supremely talented Konkana Sen Sharma who summarizes its multiple moods - angst, ecstasy, heartbreak, and vulnerability.  She overshadows Manoj Bajpayee's earnest double act of Prabhu and Umesh. Infact, it's Bajpayee in a triple role, he said in one of his interviews. The third one being, Umesh emulating and acting as Prabhu. And the actor does it with an impeccable elan – capturing the nuances and delivering them effectively. His sequences with Sayaji Shinde are crackling and soaked in quirks - they team up after 25 years when they were last seen together in Shool. Shinde is another powerhouse performer who shines as the hot-headed Anneh, losing temper at the drop of the hat and spewing gaalis.

Sen and Bajpayee are surrounded with a host of impeccable talents- Nassar playing the soon to retire cop consumed with hallucinations, Anula Navlekar playing Apeksha, the dubious daughter of Arvind , Kani Kusruti playing Prabhu’s lover, Lal playing Lucas the henchman guard and Vaishali Bisht who looks more like a witch than a cooking coach. Chaubey paints all his characters in grey and flaws, deriving pleasure out of their moral ambiguities.

Killer Soup – Final words

I enjoyed Killer Soup but until a certain point. The show loses its zing towards the end – just like Swathi’s Paaya Shorba which certifies as sadiyal after an overdose of servings from her near and dear.

Going with 3.5 stars out of 5 for Killer Soup – the 8-episode web series is streaming on Netflix from 11th January 2024.