Kaala Paani

Last updated

Kaala Paani
Kaala Paani poster.png
Genre Survival drama
Thriller
Created bySameer Saxena
Written by
Directed by
  • Sameer Saxena
  • Amit Golani
Starring
Composer Rachita Arora
Country of originIndia
Original languageHindi
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producerKeval Shah
ProducerSameer Saxena
Cinematography
EditorDev Rao Jadhav
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time57–70 minutes
Production companyPosham Pa Pictures
Original release
Network Netflix
Release18 October 2023 (2023-10-18)

Kaala Paani is an Indian survival drama thriller television series for Netflix, which was first streamed on 18 October 2023. It was created by Sameer Saxena and written by Biswapati Sarkar, Nimisha Misra, Sandeep Saket, and Amit Golani for Netflix. It stars Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker, Amey Wagh, Vikas Kumar, Chinmay Mandlekar, Sukant Goel, Arushi Sharma, Radhika Mehrotra, and Poornima Indrajith in lead roles. [1] [2]

Contents

At the 2024 Filmfare OTT Awards, Kaala Paani received 8 nominations, including Best Drama Series and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (for Goel), and won 3 awards, including Best Director in a Drama Series (for Saxena and Golani).

On April 30, 2025, the series was cancelled after one season.

Premise

When a mysterious disease comes down upon the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a desperate effort for survival collides with a race to discover a remedy laced with human connections and the tale of love, loss, and despair.

Episodes

The first season of Kaala Paani comprises seven episodes, each approximately one hour.

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Nature Wins"Sameer Saxena, Amit GolaniBiswapati SarkarOctober 18, 2023 (2023-10-18)
22"The Switch"Sameer Saxena, Amit GolaniBiswapati Sarkar, Amit GolaniOctober 18, 2023 (2023-10-18)
33"Garjen"Sameer Saxena, Amit GolaniBiswapati Sarkar, Nimisha MisraOctober 18, 2023 (2023-10-18)
44"Eraba Reta Mono"Sameer Saxena, Amit GolaniBiswapati Sarkar, Sandeep SaketOctober 18, 2023 (2023-10-18)
55"The Immortal Being"Sameer Saxena, Amit GolaniBiswapati SarkarOctober 18, 2023 (2023-10-18)
66"Forefathers"Sameer Saxena, Amit GolaniBiswapati SarkarOctober 18, 2023 (2023-10-18)
77"Darwin's Bay"Sameer Saxena, Amit GolaniBiswapati SarkarOctober 18, 2023 (2023-10-18)

Cast

Production

The series was announced by Netflix on 14 July 2023. [3] [4] Set in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, [5] [6] the first teaser of the series was released on 20 September 2023. [7] [8] Filming of the series was concluded in early 2022. [9] [10]

The trailer of the series was released in early October 2023. [11] [12] Netflix renewed the series for a second season in November 2023. [13]

Release

Kaala Paani was released on 18 October 2023 on Netflix. [14] [15]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 77% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. [16]

Joel Keller for Decider wrote "Kaala Paani moves along nicely enough that it should keep viewers on the edge of their seats". [17]

Shilajit Mitra of The Hindu wrote "The grim ecological backdrop of Kaala Paani is both leavened and reinforced by the small human moments in the fore, with its middle-class characters fuzzing over wafers and nicknames in the face of looming tragedy." [18]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV stated "Kaala Paani situates numerous significant stories, contemporary and historical, in the collective and the personal in search of an answer to that question." [19]

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express stated "Kaala Paani startles you, but it also tells you that the story-tellers are serious about their intent, that there will be no waffling, just cutting to chase." [20]

Reviewing for Rediff.com , a critic Deepa Gahlot wasn't impressed by the series and stated "Kaala Paani has a lot going for it -- the scenic locations, the cast, and a problem of modern-day apathy towards the environment, that is putting all of humanity on a power keg waiting to explode". [21]

The Free Press Journal opined "Effectively written by Saxena, Golani and Biswapati Sarkar, Kaala Paani stands as a fitting metaphor to a similar predicament that we all were in for a brief period." [22]

Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost rated the series 4 out of 5 stars and stated "The script, the story, the editing is sharp and the screenplay is engaging. The back and forth storytelling makes Kaala Paani all the more engaging." [23]

Pinkvilla praised the series and wrote "There's nothing in Kaala Paani that doesn't work. The show is a masterpiece and deserves to be watched by one and all." [24]

The New Indian Express stated "Resultantly, Kaala Paani feels wonky in instances, taking too much time to arrive at a predictable point." [25]

The Quint wrote "Kaala Paani could allude to a lot – to the name the Cellular Jail often goes by, to the murky waters that surround the islands, and even to the way seemingly dangerous water becomes a leitmotif in the film." [26]

Scroll.in stated "Kaala Paani has some virtuous notes and themes, but overstuffing the series, and some illogical swings in the story, dissipate the thrill of a survival drama." [27]

A critic from Zoom TV wrote "The most compelling aspects of Kaala Paani are the stories of resilience and survival." [28]

Viewership

Kaala Paani debuted at number 8 in the Netflix Global Top 10 for Non-English TV with 11,700,000 hours viewed and 1,600,000 views. [29]

Accolades

AwardDate of the ceremonyCategoryRecipientsResultRef.
Filmfare OTT Awards 1 December 2024 Best Drama SeriesKaala PaaniNominated [30]
Best Director in a Drama SeriesSameer Saxena And Amit GolaniWon
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesSukant GoelNominated
Best Original Story (Series) Biswapati Sarkar Won
Best Original Screenplay (Series)Nominated
Best Cinematographer (Series) Ewan Mulligan, Barny Crocker, and Dhananjay NavagrahNominated
Best Editing (Series)Dev Rao JadhavNominated
Best Sound Design (Series)Allwin Rego & Sanjay MauryaWon

References

  1. ↑ "Kaala Paani Web Series (2023) | Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Watch Online at Netflix". Gadgets 360 . Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Kaala Paani date announcement: Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker starrer riveting survival drama gets a release date". OTTPlay . Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  3. ↑ "Netflix announces survival drama show 'Kaala Paani'". Deccan Herald . PTI. 15 July 2023. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Netflix announces survival drama show 'Kaala Paani'; Ashutosh Gowariker and Mona Singh to star". Mid-Day . PTI. 14 July 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  5. ↑ Scroll Staff (7 October 2023). "'Kaala Paani' trailer: Survival thriller series is set in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands". Scroll.in . Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Bureau, The Hindu (14 July 2023). "Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker to headline survival drama series 'Kaala Paani'". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ↑ Hungama, Bollywood. "Kaala Paani | Official Teaser | Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker & Sukant Goel | Netflix India - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama . Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Kaala Paani teaser: This intriguing survival drama takes place in the vast Andaman & Nicobar Islands". Filmfare . 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  9. ↑ Giles, Denis (24 May 2022). "Shooting of Netflix Web Series 'Kala Paani' Successfully Executed". Andaman Chronicle. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Web-Series Shooting Titled "Kaala Paani" in Andaman Islands between 10th April to 31st May 2022". ANDAMAN SHEEKHA. 5 April 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Bureau, The Hindu (7 October 2023). "'Kaala Paani' trailer: Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker lead a quest for survival". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ↑ "Kaala Paani trailer: Ashutosh Gowariker and Mona Singh team up in this survival drama". Filmfare . 8 October 2023. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "'Kaala Paani' renewed for season 2". The Hindu . 13 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  14. ↑ "Netflix's survival drama series 'Kaala Paani' gets premiere date". The Hindu . PTI. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  15. ↑ Prakash, Priya (20 September 2023). "Kaala Paani: Netflix Locks Release Date For Mona Singh's Survival Drama". SheThePeople . Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  16. ↑ "Kaala Paani: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  17. ↑ Keller, Joel (18 October 2023). "'Kaala Paani' Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Decider . Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  18. ↑ Mitra, Shilajit (18 October 2023). "'Kaala Paani' series review: Ambitious survival drama reaches the shore". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  19. ↑ Chatterjee, Saibal (18 October 2023). "Kaala Paani Review: Well-Acted, Wonderfully Crafted Drama". NDTV . Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg
  20. ↑ Gupta, Shubhra (19 October 2023). "Kaala Paani review: Handsomely-produced and well-performed, Netflix series works as a cautionary tale". The Indian Express . Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  21. ↑ Gahlot, Deepa (19 October 2023). "Kaala Paani Review: Slow-Paced 'Thriller'". Rediff.com . Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg
  22. ↑ Narayanan, Vijayalakshmi (18 October 2023). "Kaala Paani Web Review: A Worthy, Spell-Binding Survival Drama Elevated By Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker". The Free Press Journal . Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg
  23. ↑ Deb Roy, Lachmi (18 October 2023). "Netflix's Kaala Paani Review: Mona Singh, Ashutosh Gowariker lead series show mankind's struggle for survival". Firstpost . Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg
  24. ↑ Jogani, Rishil (18 October 2023). "Kaala Paani Review: The best Indian web show is finally here". Pinkvilla . Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg
  25. ↑ Bhardwaj, Kartik (19 October 2023). "'Kaala Paani' series review: Survival-thriller with poignant human drama". The New Indian Express . Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg
  26. ↑ Mishra, Pratikshya (18 October 2023). "'Kaala Paani' Review: This Survival Drama Perfects the Language of Grief". The Quint . Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg
  27. ↑ Jhunjhunwala, Udita (18 October 2023). "'Kaala Paani' review: In survival drama, proceed with caution". Scroll.in . Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  28. ↑ Pandya, Sonal (18 October 2023). "Kaala Paani Review: Amey Wagh, Mona Singh Are Standouts In This Dramatic Yet Meandering Tale Of Survival". Zoom TV . Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg
  29. ↑ "Netflix Top 10 - Global". Netflix . Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  30. ↑ "Filmfare OTT Awards 2024: Kareena Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh Bag Top Honours. Here's The Full List Of Winners". NDTV. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
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