Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Kathal — A Jackfruit Mystery’ on Netflix, An Indian Police Investigation Gone Silly and Somber

If you think cinema coming from India is just RRR-level mayhem, it’s time to go even deeper into the country’s cinematic output. There are no caravans of animals getting overturned or bridge jumps in Netflix’s Kathal — A Jackfruit Mystery. But that doesn’t mean this police investigation caper is not packed with zany antics in its own way.

KATHAL — A JACKFRUIT MYSTERY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: The title of Kathal refers to two magnificent, large jackfruits that go missing from a politician’s garden in India. It’s less the what of this crime for the foppish politician and more of the how that bothers him, so he tasks the police with finding this bounty before they ripen, and they assign Inspector Basor to the task fresh off a big criminal bust. She’s perhaps the lone voice of sanity in a world gone mad where corrupt elites and clueless detectives send her on a goose chase in search of a skewed goal.

But the deeper she gets into the case, the more she comes to realize what an opportunity for grave injustice is at play when her colleague and life companion Saurabh tries to pin the crime on a gardener whose daughter has gone missing. (It doesn’t help that he’s also trying to seize glory to regain the upper hand in his relationship in which his family portrays him as emasculated by a lower-caste woman.) Basor must decide if she wants to work within the system and face a tainted outcome … or bend the rules and become no better than anyone else in her own mind to get results. The choice sends her on a wild goose chase that provides quite the X-ray of Indian society.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Hot Fuzz, The Nice Guys, even shades of The Pink Panther or The Naked Gun … essentially, any movie that’s not afraid to poke a little fun at the expense of bumbling, self-serious law enforcement.

Performance Worth Watching: As the indefatigable Basor, Sanya Malhotra is the glue that holds Kathal together. She’s the most grounded element in a film where everyone gets to play zany caricatures, and it’s on her to keep events tethered in some semblance of reality. Through the tonal swings, she’s consistent.

Memorable Dialogue: As the film’s central crime emerges, one of Basor’s deputies remarks, “Thieves nowadays have no standards.” She replies, “It’s not like the police’s standard is great either.” It’s a great establishment of the central preoccupation within Kathal, seeing not a false equivalency between cops and criminals. Instead, it’s an opportunity to examine the shades of gray in a time where moral relativism and skewed priorities have run amok.

Sex and Skin: Apart from a light innuendo comparing the engorged jackfruits to some other dangling jewels, not a thing. But that moment could even slip by an undiscerning second-screening viewer … or maybe it’s just this reviewer’s mind in the gutter.

Our Take: Director and co-writer Yashowardhan Mishra finds a globally resonant chord within her local tune. Kathal will resonate with anyone who feels like law enforcement’s role of protecting public safety has been diverted into serving the needs of the political elite’s pet fascinations. The chance encounters between Basor and her team with the wider world around them make for great comedy, but then they reveal something darker about human nature that is far from funny. Take, for example, Saurabh waving off a man looking for his missing daughter … so he can go find some jackfruits. Sometimes through these silly moments, we can spot the serious issues plaguing society all the clearer. While Kathal struggles with the tonal balance in its final act as the comedy gives way to a more standard police potboiler, each twist of fate is never less than intriguing.

Our Call: STREAM IT! Kathal — A Jackfruit Mystery is just like its titular food: subtle, sweet, and a bit larger-than-life. While it can feel a bit overstuffed at times, the overall nutritional value of consumption is undeniable. This is a satire that stings and satisfies in any country.

Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, The Playlist and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.

Watch Kathal — A Joyful Mystery on Netflix