Killer Soup Review: Swathi (Konkona Sharma) desires to learn how to make delicious mutton soup. Although she began as a hospital nurse in Minjur (a fictional hill station near Madurai), her dream has always been to own and operate her restaurant.
Prabhakar Shetty (or Prabhu as Swathi refers to him) is Arvind Shetty (portrayed by Sayaji Shinde with an incredibly foul mouth) black sheep brother.
We quickly establish that Prabhu and Swathi have been married for 20 years, as it becomes apparent he stole Rs 30 crore from Arvind for an unsuccessful business venture and wants Arvind to invest so he can cover up his theft with another scheme and take credit.
Swathi and Umesh’s relationship blossoms to one of lust, passion, and intimacy – with Umesh being played by Bajpayee with a left eye squint as Umesh, who looks identical to Prabhu- only Aravind and Swathi can see his likeness!
Abhishek’s Killer Soup (co-created by Unaiza Merchant and Harshad Nalwade with Anant Tripathi) possesses an odd air, like an adaptation from The Coen Brothers of a pulp novel. Dark comedy is fuelled by inexperienced criminals committing their first crime but later learning what skills are necessary.
This show’s opening scene spans eight episodes and seven hours and features Offenbach’s Barcarolle as it plays through the rolling hills of Tamil Nadu.
Characters in the show refer to each other by names like “babe” or “Jaan.” These students likely learned these terms by watching movies where characters with similar social status used them, such as the rich daughter from an era yelling “Daddy!” when, in actuality, the term father was more often used (“Pitaji”).
Killer Soup presents us with characters who all seem to be talking and performing at once, looking for more in life and striving to achieve greatness just like any other being does. They strive toward starry skies like we all do until all hell breaks loose and chaos reigns supreme.
Chaubey’s co-creators have created an engaging drama with at least 12 narrative threads stemming from its central crime. The opening episode ends with two characters’ deaths, which sets in motion an intricate web of deceit and blackmail;
Its main selling point, however, lies not with mystery but in audiences wanting to root for two morally dubious protagonists trying to avoid murder but often regretting their decisions more than once.
Bajpayee proves himself one of today’s most active actors by performing two highly active characters – Prabhu and Umesh – simultaneously.
Bajpayee relied heavily on his body when playing Dasru in Devashish Makhijia’s Joram for communication – acid reflux being key here to avoid Swathi’s broth! When playing Umesh from Lady Macbeth’s Ode Ode, however, he excelled as a masterful performer!
Chaubey boasts an outstanding cast, including Shinde as the senior Shetty, who cannot seem to show anyone any kindness. Nassar shines as Hassan, the disillusioned policeman on the verge of retirement who finds a new purpose through meeting Thupalli (Anbuthasan), an enthusiastic young cop eager to prove themselves.
Kani Kusruthi excels as Prabhu’s earnest accountant at Prabhu’s company. Anula Navelkar shines as Apeksha Shetty, Arvind’s daughter, attempts to break free of her controlling family by enrolling in a Fine Arts School in Paris despite not being as talented at art as Swathi is, though her performance suggests otherwise.
The show means Apeksha could be more proficient with skill, too, but as long as bills are paid, one can delude oneself into thinking otherwise.
Lal’s casting as Lucas, an unknown character with strong links to rebel forces who trained in the jungles and are capable of doing Shetty’s dirty work, was an inspired choice.
Sen Sharma is the epitome of “Doing Nothing”. Like all great actors in the industry, Sen has perfected the art of remaining motionless during most scenes – even when viewers are screaming inside!
Sen is to be commended for showing Swathi’s desperation even as we condemn her actions; his performance as Swathi stands in stunned silence while both her husband and brother humiliate her is one to remember for decades to come, from when her face contracts when reduced to when her rookie ransom plan fails spectacularly to when she appears convincingly evil this one stands out among many more;
Sen has produced consistently and prolific work since. Sen Sharma has maintained an incredible career over his OTT career since creating one astonishing body of work during his OTT years that has consistently produced plenty of content throughout OTT productions since 1999 with various titles under his control building amazing bodies of work from OTT movies like Killer Soup has created one incredible body of work throughout OTT films since then with multiple projects consistently contributing significantly.
Chaubey has long delved into genres to tell stories that transcend them, and this film follows suit. Chaubey, best known for Guns & Gulaabs (2015-16), shows his creativity again here, with Last Resort being named after Hotel California (which Prabhu is looking to build).
Nina Simone’s ‘Sinnerman’ can also be heard here, which was last heard during Pierce Brosnan’s The Thomas Crown Affair (1998) when we witnessed an actual heist scene (although Sen Sharma and Bajpayee are more like Sen Sharma while Sen Sharma can take charge).
As Chaubey’s Show insists, Killer Soup provides an authentic portrayal of an American criminal enterprise heist scenario that could really happen here.
Killer Soup Trailer
Killer Soup Trailer are below.
Killer Soup: What Works?
Abhishek’s world is one that you will love to see but not want to live in. The comedy in this film could be more light, but some of the stupid lines are enough to make you laugh. ‘
I’m more interested in the predictable plot than any major twists. The show is never about who was right or wrong but always about what’s next.
Chaubey collaborates with Unaiza merchant Harshad Nalawade and Anant Tripathi to create a web series based on a real event that occurred in Telangana in 2017.
They add twists and turns in order to make it a web show. The storyline is not something new, but the way it is presented is unique & eccentric.
The second-best pair is the score of Benedict Taylor and Naren Chandavarkar (Sonchiriya), almost matching the magic of Konkona Sharma & Manoj Bajpayee.
From playing A.R. Rahman’s Tu Hi Re (Bombay) to Nina Simone’s Sinnerman, highlighting a key sequence with: “So I run to God, Please hide, Lord, don’t you see my praying? You don’t see me here praying? But the Lord told me to go to the Devil! The soundtrack and background score are essential to keeping your attention.
Killer Soup: What Doesn’t Work?
After a certain time, accidental deaths become predictable. Many times, you’ll be right when you smell what’s coming next. Many other things make the show worth watching.
The editing by Meghna Manchanda Sen and Sanyukta Kaza takes eight episodes to tell a story that could have been told in a five-episode mini-series.
The Railway Men, which narrated a moving story in only four episodes, proved this recently. This should have followed the same path, eliminating clutter.
The problem is that it suffers from a ‘Khufiya” syndrome, where you have a boring story, and you cover it up with your brilliant screenplay and filmmaking. You’re so obsessed with the treatment that all you want to do is keep what you’ve already created.
Some of the loopholes are major. Some characters run from the goons and then return to their homes, which are known to the person following them. Why?
I wouldn’t say I liked the subplot of a senior policeman hallucinating a dead colleague to solve an investigation. It was too convenient for me to be interested.
He does whatever he sees to solve the crime; it can feel like he’s been on shrooms with a character in the show.
Star Performances
Konkona Sen Sharma and Manoj Bajpayee do exactly what you’d expect them to with such a topic. Sharma’s irresistible charisma keeps the ambiguity of her character. Sharma is a seductress, a b*tch, and a lover who has been hurt. She can be all of these shades with honesty.
You’d want Manoj Bajpayee if you wanted a single actor who could play two different roles in one film. He is the “How can one person play two characters so differently?”
He plays the “How could one person be so different in two different characters?” Let’s salute his script choices, from Sirf Ek Kaafi Hai last year to Killer Soup today.
Nassar delivers an A+ performance as Haasan in The Jengaburu Curse. He continues his streak of honesty. Sayaji Shinde’s performance as Arvind is so evil that it seems like the character was created with him in mind. Lal is a master at portraying Lucas as monstrous.
He puts his heart and mind into this role. Anbuthasan does a good job as Thupalli. Anula Navelkar is as outstanding as Appu. Her performance has a natural aura.
She is a natural at accents and never comes across as pretentious. Kani Kusruti’s portrayal of Kritima will keep you glued to the screen. She also has a stunning action scene, which will make you laugh.
Conclusion
Killer Soup, as a whole, is a dish that you won’t want to eat more than once. It will satisfy your thirst the first time. Konkana Sen Sharma will hypnotise and hypnotise the audience with her incredible performances, trippy BGM, peculiar screenplay, and bizarre Konkana Sen Sharma.
