KanKhajura Review: Twists And Turns In This Roshan Mathew, Mohit Raina Thriller Keep You Going

Title: KanKhajura

Director: Chandan Arora

Cast: Mohit Raina, Roshan Mathew, Sarah-Jane Dias and others

Where: SonyLIV

Rating: 3 stars

After the first three minutes of starting this series, I felt like turning the TV off. Boring! Then, just as the timeline touches 10 minutes, a completely unexpected twist drew my attention. In KanKhajura, more than the individual performances, it's the storyline which keeps you going.

After 14 years of imprisonment for a crime he committed in his youth, Ashu (Roshan) returns to his brother Max's (Mohit) life, slowly trying to build his life back. However, with the passage of time, it seems Ashu seems to be both positively...and negatively affecting everything in Max's life.

Set in Goa, KanKhajura is a web series that deals with dark secrets, deep guilt and families. The Indian adaptation of the critically acclaimed Israeli series Magpie, explores the relationship of two estranged brothers who are forced to confront their darkest past with the line between memory and reality blurring. Do you really remember what actually happened?

Mohit Raina, who I personally have always associated with muscle bound action roles, gets a strong character to portray, the chance to be an 'engineer' who wants to become a builder. He seems to have the perfect life: a loving wife, a sweet daughter, a house to kill for and a successful business. And then along with the story he shows us his descent into a character who isn't what all he seems, whether as a businessman or as a person.

Roshan Mathew gets the role of a life time. Is he the best actor around? No. But Roshan is an intelligent actor, as he uses the various shades in his character to his advantage. From the gullible idiot who's just been released from jail, with each episode he shows us who he really is- someone who can seep into anyone's life and affect it according to his objectives.

Playing Mohit's wife and business partner, in the first few episodes, one feels that Sarah Jane Dias received a one dimensional role of a loving wife and partner, with zero spark. But as the latter episodes reveal, the veneer of her ideal life gradually crumbling make her step up and confront various situations.

Mahesh Shetty probably is the one who plays his role the most convincingly, as a hot headed partner in the real estate business, at the same time deeply affected by any dents in his family life. Ninad Kamat is the lawyer-partner who goes from top of the gang to being not very trust worthy, portraying that sudden disappointment well.

Trinetra Haldar is the one character who makes an impact in her very first dialogue, as the strong, yet conflicted individual. Usha Nadkarni widens her eyes in her threatening scenes to her advantage, portraying the role of a land mafia who is only used to one way- her own. There's also this pseudo-gunda, who was also there as one of the jail gang leaders in Black Warrant, in his short role he is on point and convincing, but his name eludes me from anywhere on the net, so do pass this message on to him if you recognise who I'm talking about!

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