Movie Mahal

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Abhishek Chaubey has remained brilliantly consistent and his last film Sonchiriya (2019), a dacoit Western with an ensemble cast, was an exceptional genre work that was under appreciated on its release. In many ways, Killer Soup instinctively revisits the multi narrative format of Chaubey’s Udta Punjab (2016) and makes for a devilishly malevolent noirish tale of betrayal, murder and doppelgängers. The series undeniably belongs to Konkana Sen Sharma, delivering what could be considered her finest performance to date as Swathi, a nurse-turned-home chef embroiled in a plot to replace her husband, Prabhakar. The narrative unfolds with the assistance of her lover, Umesh, portrayed by Manoj Bajpayee in a compelling double role.

Swathi is a spin on the classical femme fatale idiom, swaying more towards the spider-woman who weaves an elaborate web but, in this case, there is an underlying supernatural facet that often intervenes, accelerating her downfall and which is symbolised in the deceased police officer Thupalli who becomes a harbinger of doom. The connection between murder and food is an ancient one, often associated with the murder mystery literary sub-genre but given an altogether novel feminist twist given Swathi’s aspirations to transcend traditional gendered occupations and expectations. In terms of unsettling atmospherics, Chaubey draws substantially from the remote altitudes of Kerala’s Idukki district, a picturesque milieu that also harbours something buried. The creative funk and comical idiosyncrasies of Killer Soup offer a temporary reprieve from the disappointments of Netflix output from India.