Kankhajura Review: Tepid Thriller – Rediff.com movies

Kankhajura could have been so much better given its initial promise, observes Mayur Sanap.

At their least, psychological thrillers have a tendency to hold our attention with a sense of eeriness and suspense.

Such is the case with Kankhajura, a remake of the acclaimed Israeli show Magpie, which serves up a twisted tale of revenge and morality that’s interesting in parts. But ultimately, it leaves a scant impression because of a predictable and tepid plot progression.

Set in Goa, the story revolves around Ashu (Roshan Mathew) and his brother Max (Mohit Raina). This relationship between Ashu and Max is a key element of the story, with Ashu showing a strong love and respect for his older brother.

Ashu is released from prison after serving a 14-year murder sentence.

He tries to reconnect with Max, who is now a wealthy real estate tycoon and married to Nisha (Sara Jane-Dias). They help a seemingly socially-awkward Ashu to start a new life.

The first two episodes establish an eerie feeling of the story quite well, as the suspense and tension build gradually, leaving you guessing and second-guessing the characters’ motives.

But when the show unravels its mystery, which happens quite early on, there is barely any impact or surprise as the following scenes only confirm our assumptions about what we earlier saw.

Roshan Mathew, with his creepy demeanour and an obvious grudge, tries hard to make the character appear mysterious and disturbing but the tension never builds because of the constant predictable beats planted by Director Chandan Arora and his writing partner Sandeep Jain.

For the narrative that delves into themes of manipulation and deceit, the show lacks the taut writing and clever deceptions as it meanders through twists and turns that can be seen miles away.

The unnecessary sub-plots don’t add much to the central story either. Trinetra Haldar’s trans character Amy just feels like a bait for inclusive casting rather than an organic need for the story.

The same goes for Usha Nadkarni’s scheming slumlord Deshmukh Bai, who opposes Max’s housing project only for this entire track to get cast aside abruptly.

What holds our attention is Rohan Mathew’s central performance in an author-backed role, as he subverts the likability of Ashu when he transforms from a nice guy to something ominous, much like what we saw in his Malayalam film Kappela.

There’s a heavy dramatic showiness to his performance during the emotional outburst scenes but it’s really his quieter moments that stick with you.

Mohit Raina gives enough heft and personality to an emotionally stern Max but this feels just an iteration of what he did in Mumbai Diaries.

The most watchable character is the one played by Sarah-Jane Dias whose Nisha is mostly relegated to a kind and vulnerable wife in the first three episodes. But the show manages to give her a satisfying arc.

Kankhajura could have been so much better given its initial promise.

Kankhajura streams on SonyLIV.

Kankhajura Review Rediff Rating: