Killer Soup is created by directed by Abhishek Chaubey best known for Ishqiya, Udta Punjab, Sonchiriya and more. Glimpses of his previous work can be seen in the raw and rustic nature of the storytelling and the color palette, however the show had most to offer in its casting. Led by Manoj Bajpyee, Konkona Sen Sharma, along side Nassar and Sayaji Shinde, the crime thriller begins with a promising start. Though predictable, the show is at its best in the mid with twists and turns that bring out the best from its actors.

At first look Prabhakar Shetty and Swati Shetty have a cosy little life in Manijur, their only problem, she isn’t that good at cooking. It’s so bad, Prabhu, as she calls him has to dumb the soup into the sink while hiding it from her. But not wanting to break her heart he pretends it’s too good to be true. But this is just the beginning of their problems, which go as far as to scamming money from the elder brother, going bankrupt, cheating on each other and more. As the story moves forward, the problems aren’t just exposed their triple in numbers, as more people get involved.

Prabhakar has but one aim in mind to get his brother to invest in his dream plan of Hotel California, the biggest spa resort in all of South Asia but no matter what he does his brother won’t budge. Meanwhile, Swati has one dream to own her own restaurant where everyone will praise her food, but all she does is watch everyone around her avoid her food including her husband and her lover, who by the way look some what alike.

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According to reports the story is loosely inspired by a real incident from 2017, where a woman tried to pass off her boyfriend as her killer spouse. But that’s as close as it will get to the true story. Killer Soup takes it a notch up with dramatic family members, massive drug empire and kids who are often oblivious of what is going on in their parent’s lives.

Konkona Sharma as Mrs Shetty is the definition of womanhood in the show. She does everything she can to survive the whole thing. So convinced of her own lies, at times it is hard to tell if she is the mastermind or has she lost herself in the ruse. Typically, a wife in front of her husband, she turns into a woman of her own when away from him. After he is gone, Swati is a new woman, owning one mistake after the other.

In one of the final moments, she absolves herself of all that’s happened and all that she has been put through. But it is sad to watch her lose everything moments after achieving it. On the other hand, Manoj Bajpayee gives yet another performance that’s worth your time. As Prabhakar, Umesh and Umesh who is Prabhakar, we watch him change between shades of the characters so well, it leads you to question if Prabhakar is in fact dead?

The writing eventually falls short. The makers offer a good start with an even more fun twists. But the dark comedy isn’t to the point, the film refuses to pick sides in being serious or being comic with its storyline. Its dramatic and over the top but it can only take the characters so far. After episode 5, things seems to fall apart slowly. The placing changes, the direction of the story changes and the end finally tries to cover every aspect of the story in one liners.

One thing that holds the ending together is Nassar’s character who is essentially losing his mind in the show. And Sayaji Shinde’s Bava continues to keep the screenplay light-hearted even when he is the most dangerous person to be around in the Killer Soup world.

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Overall, Killer Soup is a fun watch about a couple, who loses themselves in schemes to fulfill their and each other’s dreams. At times its funny and at times its satire, but the show gives its best to the actors who are the silver lining for the show. The ending seems almost brilliant (key word here: almost). But it leaves you with a sense of closure and the choice to choose for yourself.

Cover artwork by Patrick Gawande/Mashable India