Kan Khajura

So, I accidentally stumbled upon *Kankhajura* while looking for another show (*Ayyana Mane*, which everyone was buzzing about on Instagram), and let me just say-this wasn't a detour, it was a freaking descent. Into the mind. Into trauma. Into moral chaos. And honestly? I kinda loved it.

Based loosely on the Israeli series *Magpie (2019)*, *Kankhajura* tells the story of Ashu, played by Roshan Mathew, who has just gotten out of jail after serving 14 years for a childhood crime. He shows up in his younger brother Max's life with a suitcase full of apologies and a whole lot of psychological baggage. But here's the twist: Ashu is not here for a basic redemption arc. He's manipulative, vulnerable, brilliant, and dangerous-all at once. And it's terrifyingly beautiful.

Roshan Mathew's performance is honestly one of the most spellbinding I've seen in a long time. Like, you cannot look away. He plays Ashu as someone constantly walking the line between tragic and terrifying. There's a quiet fragility to him that masks this insidious ability to control people, and just when you feel bad for him, he'll do something so psychotic you literally whisper "No..." to your screen. It's that kind of show.

What made this even more layered was the presence of Trinetra's character-a trans woman portrayed with nuance, grace, and without falling into the usual stereotypes. Her scenes weren't just fillers; they added emotional gravity and perspective. And Sarah Jane Dias? Stunning. Real. Every frame she was in felt textured and grounded.

Let's talk direction and aesthetics. First of all-thank you, creators, for showing Goa like an actual place where people live and hustle, not just a postcard of beaches and beer. The show dives into the working-class life, the crime, the domesticity, and the real social fabric of the city. No party shots. No slow-mo sunset clichés. Just grit, steel, and dust-and it works.

The plot takes a little time to build, but once it hits episode three, you are not moving. It's not about traditional twists or jump scares. It's about slow, creeping unease. The kind where someone says something too calmly and your brain screams. And it just gets more twisted the deeper you go. Everything revolves around Ashu-almost too much. Other characters do feel like they orbit his darkness without much independent gravity, but you don't really mind because his presence is that magnetic.

There's very little romance in the conventional sense, but the emotional intimacy between Max and Ashu is so intense it feels borderline romantic at times-which is not creepy, just an indication of how psychologically tangled their relationship is. Max is torn between guilt, obligation, and growing fear. Watching that unravel is half the show's power.

Also, can we give a round of applause for the writing? It's subtle. Thoughtful. Haunting. The show doesn't yell its themes at you-it whispers them. About bullying. About disability. About the long shadows of childhood trauma. About what happens when the person you love is the one slowly ruining your life.

Of course, it's not perfect. Some pacing issues in the first episode. Some characters could've been fleshed out more. And the metaphor of the "kankhajura" is hammered a bit hard in the dialogue at times. But honestly, who cares? When the rest is this good, a few bumps feel like texture.

Final thoughts: *Kankhajura* is not just a show-it's a psychological earworm. It burrows in, feeds off your discomfort, and leaves you questioning the way you see mental illness, redemption, and familial bonds. It doesn't want you to relax. It wants you to *feel*. If you're looking for comfort TV-run. But if you want a slow-burning, character-driven, emotionally disturbing masterclass in acting and atmosphere, then pull up a chair and let Ashu crawl right in.

7/10. But honestly? Ashu alone is a 10.

Anwar Says: Validation is denied and this explains this unusual webseries in one line. Based on Israeli series Magpie, meaning police informer or Mukhbir, would keep on haunting you even after you finish, only because of one character- Ashu played by Roshan Mathew. His character written in this series is a case study, whether you call him Psychopath or a Manipulator.

It's Ashu's story all over and other characters throughout the series just keep revolving around him. He is vulnerable and fragile but fatal simultaneously. His desperation to get validation from his elder brother is so well written that the script writers left the other characters and even Mohit Raina doesn't impress. One more thing, I liked in this webseries that Goa has been shown as Goa and not only beaches, shacks and parties.

A bit disturbing and you may not like to binge watch but Sonyliv always comes with something unprecedented and manipulation would be understood in a different way.

#SonyLIV #anwarsays #psychopath #magpie #dreamproject #roshanmathew #mohitraina #chandanarora #fragileandfatal.

I have followed Mohit Raina's works ever since I watched Devonke dev Mahadev and he does not disappoint in each one of them.

I have seen Bhaukaal, The Freelancer, Kaafir, Uri, Mumbai Diaries.. and Out of all of them KanKjajura is the best.

The story is gripping. Acting is excellent. Especially Roshan Mathew's. Being a fan of Mohit Raina, I started rooting for Roshan's character, you can imagine how impactful his acting is.

Mohit is a really talented actor. The way he chooses such varieties of roles and the characters to portray should tell us that he looks forward to experimenting and is not attached to any one type of character role, he is not afraid what others think, he does choose his own path.

What a marvelous evolution of our beloved Tv artist! His heart is in the right place therefore it takes him to the right situations, right opportunities. Result is we are gifted with quality shows.

The storyline is definitely unique n different. Plot revolves around 2 brothers where the younger is excessively obsessed for getting his brother's love n attention n gets ready to do anything n everything for him while the elder literally hates his own brother n treats him like a joker taking undue advantage of him. Story follows post younger returns from jail for his brother post 14 years. Thrill element in the series is very good but intensity of the plot could have been even better n emotional tension could have been more robust. Roshan Mathew as younger one is mind blowing, his acting overshadows everyone else. A web series of 8 episodes with each of 30 mins average time. Originally a Hindi series dubbed in most of the South Indian languages. Available in Netflix, my ratings 7.5/10!

There are multiple factors that work in the favour. The casting is amazing, though there are few new faces to me but I found the acting quite up to the mark. The story and how the story unfolds is also brilliant I would say. Mohit Raina is fantastic as always. Here he gave different vibe from his last show.

Plus, The works of parikshit jha are always a treat to watch and the same is the case with this one.

My overall rating would be Cast 8/10 Story 9/10 Screenplay 9/10 Overall rating 9/10 So, you can definitely watch this and if you are a fan of the genre you are going to love it for sure. Need more content like this.