Hello everyone
We’re off to the Punjab today.
Kohrra
Kohrra is a new six-part series on Netflix.
The story follows Inspector Balbir Singh (played by Suvinder Vicky) as he investigates the murder of a man who who has travelled to India for an arranged marriage.
It is an Indian story, set in India, and played (largely) by Indian actors. The actors speak the native language of the location, but the production has been dubbed and offers subtitles for the international market.
Technically, it is a police procedural, but the series is much more than that.
The Police
This isn’t a joyful Bollywood (or, probably more accurately, Pollywood) production.
This is a world where most of the men wear khaki, the police cars are battered jeeps trundling over dirt roads, and the first instinct when a dead body is found, is for the police to beat the man who found the body. The second instinct for the police is to round up the local ne’er-do-wells, and to beat them.
The who done it, is largely irrelevant. In fact, it’s hard to remember everyone’s part as the story twists and turns. While there is a murder/disappearance thread that runs through the story—and this drives much of Singh’s and the police’s actions—the series is more about what’s going on while Inspector Singh is trying to untangle that mystery. It’s about people, places, relationships, hopes and dreams crushed by reality, power and corruption, and what people will do for love.
Balbir Singh
Balbir Singh leads the murder case while dealing with his dysfunctional family where his daughter’s relationship with her husband has ended and his grandson is reacting badly to the break up of his parents’ marriage.
While respected by his immediate colleagues, Singh is something of an outsider who seems to be permanently exhausted.
As with all good fictional detectives, he has his own moral compass, given greater latitude than we may be used to seeing in comparable Western shows. Singh refuses to investigate when an intrusive journalist is attacked. As much as anything, Singh refuses to take action not simply because the journalist “deserved it”, but because he has his own priorities.
Singh sees the corruption, he sees the incompetence in the police machinery, he sees the political machinations, but he has his own priorities, the key priority being to solve the murder and disappearance.
One aspect that really differentiates Singh from his Western fictional counterparts: there’s no jazz. Kohrra is worth watching just to see a detective who doesn’t go home and listen to jazz.
Locations and Production
The production has the feel of something done to a budget, but produced with great intelligence.
All of the locations look like—and probably are—real locations (in other words, they are not studio sets). This gives the production a feeling of rawness with a genuine authenticity.
Within the locations, the camera angles are very interesting. Much of the action is shot in a way that often makes you feel you are in the room (rather than being a detached observer merely viewing the scene). That said, there are plenty of long shots which give you the impression of being a hidden observer, maybe seeing something that the character does not want, or expect, you to see.
I’m sure there were lights, but many of the scenes have the feeling that only ambient light has been used—sometimes only a candle. With the clever camera work, these (quite dark) scenes give an intimacy to the story telling.
And that story telling… The story is told more slowly than would be the case for a comparable Western show—and that is a good thing. To be clear, the story isn’t slow. It’s just a better pace, and it feels like it is told more naturally, and without any jump-cut edits.
Why Should You Watch Kohrra?
You should watch Kohrra because it’s a gripping story, well told.
It’s different from conventional Western police procedurals…and that’s a good thing.
And as well as a great story, it will give you a view of Indian life.
I should add two very small cautions:
- First, there’s quite a bit of bad language. Interestingly, the dubbing and subtitles use the original Punjabi words without translation, but if you put those words into Google Translate, you might be in for a bit of a surprise. Contextually, you’ll understand; I suggest you leave things there.
- Second, there is a bit of violence, mostly the police beating suspects. The violence is necessary to fully tell the story, to give context, and to understand the characters, so be ready to look away if you’re squeamish.
What Next?
If you enjoy Kohrra and want more TV set in India, then take a look at Paatal Lok which you can find on Amazon.
Until October
That’s me until October.
I’ll leave you to head to Netflix (and Amazon if you want even more India).
Until then.
All the best
Simon