While everyone is still debating whether Shah Rukh Khan and The Kerala Story truly deserved their wins at the National Awards 2023, one thing everyone unanimously agreed on was that Kathal rightfully deserved the title of Best Hindi Film of that year. Kathal, starring Sanya Malhotra, Anant V Joshi, and Rajpal Yadav, was a hilarious story about a stolen jackfruit from a local politician’s garden. To recover it, the politician demands a full-blown police investigation.
But the film is much more than just humour. It’s a clever blend of social commentary and satire, addressing issues like caste, politics, bribery, and the kidnapping of women. It tackles deep-rooted systemic problems with such sharp wit that you find yourself laughing one moment, and then reflecting on society’s harsh truths the next. The film absolutely deserved the award.
In a recent interview, the film’s writer, Ashok Mishra, was asked whether Netflix interfered with the production or made any creative changes. He explained that the producers, Ekta Kapoor and Guneet Monga, took the script to Netflix, hoping they’d support the project. Netflix loved the script and greenlit it without asking for any changes or interfering in the process.
Ashok Mishra shared that when a film is good and made with responsibility, everyone welcomes it. The win of Kathal is more than just an award, it’s a victory for small-budget, heartland stories that dare to compete with big-budget blockbusters. Because at the end of the day, it’s not always about stars or spectacle, it’s about stories that touch hearts and stay with people long after the credits roll.
