Sanya Malhotra says Kathal isn’t far from reality and absurdity of contemporary news

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Sanya Malhotra’s latest movie, Kathal—A Jackfruit Mystery, co-produced by Guneet Monga Kapoor’s Sikhya Entertainment and Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, is one of the very few movies with an intentionally-absurd storyline.

It is a satirical comedy about a local politician whose prized jackfruits go missing, and a young police officer who is adamant to solve this bizarre case to prove her abilities. The story is inspired by similar real-life incidents that have happened in the past, like an official almost draining an entire dam to retrieve a phone accidentally dropped by the owner while trying to take a selfie, or an IAS Officer who cut practice sessions at a Delhi stadium short so that he could walk his dog.

As absurd as the story might sound for many, the cast and crew vouch that Kathal is not very far from reality.

Says Sanya Malhotra, “I have been overwhelmed with the love and response to Kathal. Every day on social media, I am tagged for such bizarre stories happening around us. This is such a fitting social commentary and it’s fascinating to see our fiction being reflected so relevantly in times now. It’s so absurd, and every time someone says, ‘This should have been a movie’, now it is! Kathal has come on Netflix, made by some really special people.”

Director Yashowardhan Mishra also concurs, “Kathal is a colorful bouquet of the bizarre that we see all around us nowadays. We wanted to make a sharp social satire that gently nudges the audiences towards critical thinking about the world we live in. It’s been really rewarding seeing the response and love for this quirky film of ours, and it’s been an honor being able to tell this peculiar story based on true-ish events with a stellar cast, including Sanya Malhotra, Anant V. Joshi, Rajpal Yadav, Raghubir Yadav, Vijay Raaz and others.”

Producer Guneet Monga Kapoor said, “When Yashowardhan Mishra and Ashok Mishra approached us with the idea of Kathal, I instantly knew this was a project Sikhya Entertainment could voice and lead. We made Kathal with the hope of speaking about the absurdity of our reality, and with the headlines we’re seeing now, it’s all the more validating that sometimes reality is stranger than fiction.”