Kathal movie review: Sanya Malhotra’s social comedy conveys the message without being too preachy

Cast: Sanya Malhotra, Anantvijay Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Neha Saraf

Producers: Guneet Monga Kapoor, Ektaa R Kapoor, Achin Jain, Shobha Kapoor

Writers: Ashok Mishra, Yashowardhan Mishra

Director: Yashowardhan Mishra

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

When the viewers sit to watch a film, they want to be entertained, they prefer leaving with an experience, however, it has been witnessed that scripts that are too peachy often fail to impress the audience. Filmmaker Yashowardhan Mishra and the writers of Kathal starring Sanya Malhotra in the lead role have managed to hit it right with the sartorial comedy. 

The film begins with a scene where Moba’s MLA Munnalal Pateria (Vijay Raaz) is furious. His two ripe Malaysian breed jackfruits, each weighing 15 kilos, have been stolen from his front yard. The inspecting officer, Mahima Basor (Sanya Malhotra), is shocked when she gets the case to find the missing ‘Kathal’. Still, she is asked to find the jackfruits, assisted by constables Kunti (Neha Saraf) and Saurabh (Anant Vijay Joshi). 

It is from here that the audience gets to witness the socio-economic layers being presented with a hint of comedy. During this investigation, Mahima Basor unravels the bitter reality of the village. Rajpal Yadav, who plays a local journalist will keep you laughing. 

The filmmaker and the actors have maintained a thin line between satire and being insensitive. Mahima deals with gender and caste bias but she refuses to give up.  Yashowardhan Mishra has at no point suggested that women are weak or might give up in difficult circumstances.

The director has picked up a social subject and presented it in an easy breezy way. The narrative is light and humorous.

Verdict

Kathal is a decent film that will entertain you without being too peachy. The film highlights power play, casteism, gender bias, a flawed judiciary, a media circus, etc.