'Kafas' review: Edgy, hard-hitting, and thrilling watch
What's the story
SonyLIV's latest offering is the Sharman Joshi and Mona Singh-led Kafas, a web series that premiered on Friday. The social drama series has picked up the sensitive topic of child abuse mixed with many other factors prevalent in society, only to present a hard-hitting reality.
Whether you like social dramas or not, watch this one for the performances and storyline.
Read our review.
Plot
Can truth be caged by power?
Kafas, which means "a cage" in Urdu, is about a Mumbai-based middle-class family whose school-going kid is on the verge of becoming a star after he bags a Rs. 300 crore film alongside a leading superstar.
When the child is sexually abused, the parents and their truth are trapped by the power of money.
Kafas revolves around the tussle between truth and power.
Narrative and direction
Sahil Sangha's direction is a reflection of human complexities
One of the beauties that it offers is how human emotions and their reaction to tough situations/circumstances get displayed in it.
Director Sahil Sangha's eye for capturing the essence of a middle-class family's struggle and aspirations through their emotions and decision-making capacity is worth applause.
The parents' decision to hide the truth may make you uncomfortable but it sure is, what happens mostly.
Performances
Realistic performances by the cast
It's one of the shows where almost every character has been given equal importance and depth. Joshi and Mona Singh's characters seem custom-made for them. Child actor Mikhail Gandhi is brilliant, and so is Tejasvi Singh Ahlawat, who plays Gandhi's sister, and Vivan Bhatena as the superstar.
These five main characters lived their roles to the best, delivering a fine performance throughout.
Comeback gone wrong
Preeti Jhangiani's comeback performance is a disappointment
The Mohabbatein actor, Preeti Jhangiani, has made her return to the screens with Kafas. She plays Bathena's trophy wife, but that's all about it. Jhangiani is looking stunning but there's no weight to her character, whatsoever.
Jhangiani appears maybe three or four times and fails to add anything to the table. The writers could have added some substance to her character.
The highlight
Addressing child sexual abuse and its impact
In one of the scenes, the lawyer tells the parents: "No one talks about male sexual assaults in our society. Let alone, filing a case and winning it." It's hard-hitting but it's also the reality for many.
Kafas sensitively deals with the topic while leaving you with a thought- every abuse, be it of a female or male, needs to be fought.
What didn't work
'Kafas' gets slow-paced in the middle
The six-part series has been tightly written and edited. Though it's mostly engaging, in the fourth episode, it seems to lose its grip.
A few scenes that revolve around Joshi's life have been shown to give a backgrounder to his character. However, for me, those scenes, especially the ones with his ex-wife (Mona Vasu) felt irrelevant. They only added up to the screen time.
Verdict
It has more merits than demerits
From the beginning, Kafas may give you the impression of being a predictable series. But as the events start to unfold, it will occasionally surprise you with its elements.
It may not be the best of the OTT but it sure is engaging. What did work for the series is its topic, performances, and execution.
It gets 3 out of 5 stars from us.