Arabia Kadali Series Review: An earnest, engaging survival drama

New Indian Express

2 days ago

Created by Krish Jagarlamudi, Arabia Kadali largely revolves around the trials and tribulations of a couple of fishermen, who have been going on joint fishing hunts for years now, far away from their homeland, and riddled with debt. For these men, however, it's a situation of compromised coexistence — they come from two rival villages that have had a history of conflict for centuries. As this element is introduced early on in the series, you wonder whether the makers have taken too huge a liberty to dramatise this story based on real-life events. However, there is a brilliant payoff to this setup later on, when a larger point about prejudices and bigotry is made, where the fishermen's personal experiences come into play and pave the way for an epiphany as they gradually become united in their struggle for justice.
Cast: Satyadev, Anandhi, Harsh Roshan, Nasser, Kota Jayaram
Created by: Krish Jagarlamudi
Director: VV Surya Kumar
Streaming on: Prime Video
Arabia Kadali is a kind of show where the narrative breathes, where the story, with its vast canvas and wide array of characters, is allowed to stretch its legs and explore its many themes to their optimum potential. The writers take their time in establishing the universe and interpersonal dynamics before the central conflict kicks in. The plight of the fishermen from the two rival villages is palpable, be it their financial struggles, their helplessness as they are compelled to stay away from their families, or their dealings with the business sharks in Gujarat who do not care about the fishermen's well-being. Arabia Kadali doesn't set out to make a larger-than-life hero out of Badiri (Satyadev) either — his kindness stands out only because of the collective apathy at hand, for how the principal characters suffer at the hands of a systematic injustice that trickles down from Delhi ministry down to their local municipal board.
Badiri and his partners may have had a tragic fate, but they are not the only Indians to be confined in an alien landscape. Pratap Singh (Ajit Shidhaye), while confined in a Pakistani prison for years, remains optimistic about going back to his home and making arrangements for his daughter's wedding. It's how matter-of-factly he mentions his prison time that makes the melancholy hit stronger, because of how accustomed everyone has become to their lives as wronged prisoners. There is a fine balance throughout, of the writers playing on an emotional note as well as capturing the socio-political aspects, where the apathy of the larger system at hand hits hard.
It's the consistent use of Badiri's voiceover that, although slightly overused, provides the show its emotional core, keeping us tethered to his inner life as well as giving us an overview of the play out. For instance, when Chenchaiah, after missing briefly, returns to the prison, should his friends be happy about the reunion or sad that he was caught again? It's always a bit of both, and these voiceovers help Arabia Kadali retain that sense of bittersweet melancholy throughout.