One of the few films with a purposely ludicrous plot is Sanya Malhotra’s most recent film, Kathal, which was co-produced by Guneet Monga Kapoor’s Sikhya Entertainment and Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms. A local politician’s cherished jackfruits go missing in this satirical comedy, and a rookie police officer is determined to crack the case to prove herself. The incident that almost caused a dam to be completely drained in order to retrieve a phone that its owner had dropped while trying to take a selfie served as inspiration for the story. Another incident involved an IAS officer who interrupted a Delhi stadium practice in order to take his dog for a walk. The cast and crew attest that Kathal is not too far from reality, as crazy as the plot may seem to some.
The actress confesses, “I’ve been overwhelmed with the love and response to ‘Kathal. I am tagged in such odd stories that are happening in our world every day on social media. This social criticism is so on-point, and it’s fascinating to see how current events are so accurately reflected in our literature. Every time someone says, “This should have been a movie,” it turns out to be one since it’s so ridiculous! Netflix has Kathal. made by some really talented individuals.”
New film Kathal:
The director Yashowardhan Mishra claims, “Kathal is a colourful bouquet of the bizarre that we see all around us these days. We aimed to create a biting social satire that gently prods viewers to consider the environment in which they live. Being able to tell this strange story based on somewhat true events with Sikhya Entertainment, Balaji Telefilms, and a stellar cast including Sanya Malhotra, Anant V Joshi, Rajpal Yadav, Raghubir Yadav, Vijay Raaz, and others has been an honour. It has been very gratifying to see the reception and love for this quirky film of ours.”
Producer Guneet Monga Kapoor said, “When Yashowardhan Mishra and Ashok Mishra contacted us with the idea of “Kathal,” Achin and I immediately recognised this was a project Sikhya Entertainment could voice and lead. We created “Kathal” with the hopes of expressing the strangeness of our life, and the headlines we are witnessing right now serve as more confirmation that occasionally reality is stranger than fiction.”
Anant V Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Raghubir Yadav, Brijendra Kala, and Neha Saraf also have significant parts in the film Kathal. Sanya portrays Inspector Mahima Basor, whose job it is to track down the person responsible for the stolen jackfruits. You can now watch Kathal – A Jackfruit Mystery on Netflix.
