(17'370 votes)A London-based analyst returns to Odisha in search of her missing father. Her quest leads to a conspiracy involving bauxite mining, secretly backed by an international nexus, leading to unexplained deaths and a displaced community.
If you are someone who views a film or a show as an escape from reality, then The Jengaburu Curse (Sony LIV, 2023) is probably not your cup of tea. The seven-episode thriller, broadly discussed as India’s first ever “Cli-fi show” (climate fiction), premiered on the platform earlier this month. Helmed by the nationally and internationally acclaimed filmmaker, Nila Madhab Panda, the show narrates the story of how humans can not save themselves from their own greed. The title, literally translating to “the curse of the red mountain”, sets the premise of the show as a wonderful fusion of both myths and the present real. As a filmmaker widely known for his films serving as catalysts to the discourses surrounding climate concerns, in his maiden TV show, Panda takes up the corruption involving the irregular mining and its impact on both the climate and the marginalised people of the tribal regions.
The show tells the story of homecoming of Priyambada, a financial analyst based in the UK, to Odisha, her native state. By choosing the setting to be Odisha, Panda tickles the curiosity of the target viewers to the not-so-well-known Indian state as well as pays his share of (usual) tribute to his own home state. The return of Priya to Odisha in pursuit of identifying his father’s dead body swiftly changes into a quest of tracking down his father alive; from that it again shifts into her fast exposition to the world of mining corruption in the state, owing to which, international relations, security and the entire international power structure are at stake. And among all these, innocent tribal people are the “collateral damages” because of speaking up for themselves. The utmost sincerity to both the craft of filmmaking and the issue in hand makes this fast-paced thriller so real that some might not like it because of it being too believable; hence, the first sentence of the review.
The show possesses the power of magnificent direction for sure, but what’s totally unparalleled compared to literally anything else in the show is its cinematography. The Colombian cinematographer, Paulo Andres Perez does a spectacular job in The Jengabhru Curse with his aerial shots of the mines and the jungles, and with the shots showing the blasts at the mines. Alokananda Dasgupta has done a wonderful job with the theme music of the series that sets the mood right for every episode; although with the overall background score, not so much.
The performances by the veteran known actors is as seasoned as one would expect them to be. But what surprised me the most is the way the rest of the cast including the protagonist (played by Faria Abdullah) and other young, new actors shine under the umbrella of Panda. Although not the best, no less could be asked from the filmmaker. The story gets a bit too fast, or you may say hurrying towards its end, in the 2-3 episodes in the middle. But what follows in the final couple of episodes makes the patience worthwhile. In my opinion, with the occurrences where we are left in the end of the season could very well have been the subject of at least the first couple of episodes of the next season (we wonder if anything’s already cooking or not). But if you are an ardent believer of experiment in cinema and a blind follower of good filmmaking, then this brief hurry in the screenplay should never hold you back from savouring this beautiful piece of experiment.
As a native of Odisha myself, personally, I felt a lot proud seeing my lesser known state being presented in such a huge international stage. And as it seems to me, Panda also has poured his soul out in each frame of his; be it the city life in the beautiful city of Bhubaneswar, or be it the honest portrayal of the Odia tribal culture. Starting from the passer-bys and minor characters talking in their native Odia language to the many festivities of the state, the Odia-ness is distinctly distinguishable throughout the show.
The show marks the beginning of a new journey, the future of which seems to be burning bright. It makes the hopes high of starting a new discourse involving climate and nature in the Indian cinema scene as well as in our day-to-day lives. Hopefully, we will get to see more of such flicks by Nila Madhab Panda in the near future. And not limiting to just that, hopefully, we will be treated with various different genres as well from the filmmaker, just like we are witnessing his shift from dramas to thrillers right now with his debut OTT show.
