Troubled Waters

A deftly made survivaldrama, Kaala Paani lays bare human strength and frailty during crises

- Aditya Mani Jha

Some of the best known and most-discussed TV shows of the 21st century depend upon a ‘petri-dish scenario’ for dramatic tension—desperate individuals trapped in constrained spaces, forced to either work together or perish separately. Think of Lost, The Walking Dead, or more recently, Squid Game, Manifest et al. Most of these, however, involve either supernatural powers or elaborate, conspiracy-theory cabals pulling the strings. A believable, grounded petri-dish scenario— just flawed, ordinary people chaffing against each other for survival— is threading the needle in screenwriting terms. And that’s exactly what Kaala Paani, Netflix’s new drama series has achieved.

When a new infectious disease, marked by the appearance of a dark rash, threatens to rip apart the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an unlikely group of doctors, administrators, lawmen and civilians fight for their collective survival. Off this basic premise, Kaala Paani unfurls a series of enthralling character studies that probe at the human capacity for vulnerability, unconditional empathy—but also pettiness, deception and coldblooded utilitarianism.