Kankhajura review: A Roshan Mathew masterclass in acting makes this Magpie remake almost better than the original

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

In the Israeli series Magpie, the title made sense as the term is used for police informers in the West, and the protagonist was one. In the Hindi adaptation of the acclaimed show, Kankhajura, the protagonist is curiously reduced to a millipede, albeit a dangerous one. The metaphor holds here as well. For Ashu is as small and insignificant as he is dangerous. This tale of love, need for approval, and violent rage is a story well told, but much better performed. If the script keeps you hooked, the performances blow you away. And at the centre of it all is a sublime Roshan Mathew, reminding viewers yet again why he is one of the finest young actors in the country.
Kankhajura is the story of Ashu (Roshan), a young man in Goa, who is released from prison after 14 years. In the meantime, his brother Max (Mohit Raina) has established a minor construction empire, but on illegitimate foundations. Max and his partners treat Ashu like their punching bag even as the latter continues to look for their approval. But there is more to Ashu. The meek, stuttering man is a master manipulator, and the local ACP (Heeba Shah) wants to exploit that. As Max and his cronies push Ashu to the brink, he breaks, and then all hell breaks loose.
On the surface, Kankhajura is a story about acceptance and the need for approval. Ashu's obsession with being good enough for his brother drives all his actions, whether good or bad. The script brings this complex emotion out quite nicely. All the subtleties and intricacies are conveyed in a sublime manner, without hammering the point too hard. That makes the show more relatable and arguably more uncomfortable, too. But that discomfort is natural, because the story talks about difficult emotions, ones that we always keep hidden away.
The show also handles Ashu's intricate plans and machinations quite beautifully. As a clever manipulator, Ashu is always two steps ahead of everyone. But the show does not keep the audience in the dark. In a method evocative of Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, it allows you inside Ashu's mind as he orchestrates people around him, sometimes aided by dumb luck and other times guided by his own bravado. Those sequences are fun, largely because of the thrilling way they have been presented.
And the sutradhar of all this is Roshan Mathew. The actor breathes new life into this thriller genre, which is almost at risk of oversaturation on OTT. His performance, already one of the best this year, makes you feel everything for Ashu - from sympathy to disgust to rage. And therein lies the beauty of what Roshan has achieved here. The actor, a famous babyface, has hardly ever handled something this dark and devious. But he coasts through not just the role but the setup, quite flawlessly. Kankhajura is a good show based on the story and the technical aspects alone. Roshan makes it great.
Mohit Raina is a great foil to Roshan. Light years from his Mahadev phase, the actor shows off his range as the selfish and dark Max, a man who can sacrifice anything to get what he wants. That single-minded focus needed to be brought without making him the stereotypical villain, and Mohit Raina manages that. Among the rest of the cast, Mahesh Shetty (as Max's associate Shardul) and Heeba Shah (as the Goa ACP) stand out.
We often hear viewers (and even critics) lament the absence of original stories. Many cringe at remakes, labelling them lazy. But Kankhajura is anything but lazy. It is original, too, marrying the essence of Magpie with the soul of Goa and the heart of desi storytelling. This show proves that if done right, even a remake can be one of the best shows of the year.