Kathal: des fruits mal défendus

"Kathal" is a satirical comedy that delicately delivers powerful messages, particularly targeting the patriarchal ecosystem and caste-divided Bharat. The story revolves around a lost jackfruit and the police's efforts to solve the crime, highlighting how influential politicians often mock the system. Sanya Malhotra portrays Mahima Basor, a delightful character who is passionate about her job, strong, independent, and tender-hearted, as seen in her romantic moments with a constable from an upper caste. Despite addressing numerous societal issues, the movie maintains a light-hearted tone, which contributes to its overall success. Bijaya Raj and his uncle's Hong breed kathal (jackfruit) serve as the focal point of the story. Rajpal Yadav shines in his role as a journalist, while the other performances are average.

Although the movie follows the template set by "Peepli Live," it fails to deliver the final punch and falls flat during the climax. Overall, the movie is enjoyable, except for the climax, which could have been more impactful.

Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery is marketed as a typical Comedy movie and I think there should be two sides of marketing this movie, One which should be primary is how due to Political Power the Time and Energy of Police is misused rather Solving other existing problems, and to the critics, this movie is not just an other comedy movie but this "Creative piece of Art" has enlighten great topics like Racial Discrimination of Caste and Gender, and highlighted how Political power should not be misused. Thanks to the team for bringing this movie, and I am unhappy with the marketing team. I rate it 8/10.

Kathal focuses on a bizzare case of a missing pair of jackfruits that sends the police in a frenzy . However , the lead Mahima (Sania Malhotra) soon finds something more serious to investigate and comes up with a plan to solve the more serious one while masking it under the jackfruit case.

Kathal is a satire on the Indian police system which tends to go about unnecessary cases under political pressure while ignoring the more serious ones. It is also a social commentary on caste system and many evils present in the society and what makes it different from the other socio commentaries is the jackfruit case .

Nothing is force fed as a speech rather everything is mixed well within the screenplay through normal conversations like a constable mentioning how useless he feels but soon gets to hear that a constable is nothing but a pawn in the chess that can bring down even the king . Being set village areas , it showcases the mentality of village people judging girls based on their fashion like a person saying "She was wearing torn jeans so probably she ran away with some Romeo".

The humor is the USP of this film. It is present in just the right amount and works extremely well . The dialogue, which was present in the teaser as well, "Hum police walo ka standard bhi konsa asmaan choo Raha hai? Hum kathal dhund rahe hai" summarises how nice, subtle and relatable humor the film has. The climax reminded me of the old Bollywood comedies but definitely not as good as them.

Sanya Malhotra does a fine job in this film and so does Vijay Raaz. Rajpal Yadav has some nice hilarious dialogues but his performance and character felt hammy. I forgot his name but the constable who was desperate to search for his stolen car too was pretty hilarious and at the same time you feel for his character who only was desperate because it was a dowry for his daughters marriage. Yet another sad aspect shown in the film. His car gets a twist at the end which you might laugh or feel bad about , but i felt bad mostly but laughed a bit as well. The romance between Sania and her love was pretty cute one.

Don't miss the last scene. It reveals who stole the kathal. It literally left me in splits.

The film does get slow in between and that's the only negative i found in the otherwise near perfect film

Overall, Kathal hits the mark mostly and should be on your watchlist for this weekend . It's fun, hilarious take on some serious topics without becoming too loud or too funny that the seriousness of the topics get lost.

Kathal is one of the finest light-spirited comedy movie with underlying tones of social message that I've seen in a very long time. Despite dealing with a subgenre that is almost a tightrope-balance between becoming a satirical comedy and a meaningless laughter riot it's heart remains at the right place and never attempts be either. It takes a brilliant attempt at humanising every character quite in a way "Panchayat" does . The boldness that lies in its simplistic story-telling that attempts keeps you hooked to your seat for two hours is itself commendable. "Kathal" is a must-watch for all aspiring screenwriters and cinephiles alike.

Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery, a well cooked social satire, cleverly intertwines the disappearance of two jackfruits with a captivating narrative that reveals broader societal issues. With a perfect balance of humor and a leisurely pace, the film skillfully highlights complex caste dynamics and gender biases without being preachy. While it could have delved deeper into these themes, Kathal beautifully captures the allure of rural life and its simple joys. The cast delivers captivating performances, infused with witty banter, while the police force is portrayed with raw authenticity. Kathal is a good-watch, offering 120 minutes of clean cinematic experience!