Kasaragod Embassy series review: A bland look at forgery that does a disservice to its milieu

Kasaragod Embassy series review:

Kasaragod Embassy on ZEE5 aims to capture the quirk and eccentricity of a gangster series like Krishand’s Sony LIV show The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang, but the execution is way off the mark. The series revolves around two youngsters, Azi (Abu Salim) and Chemmu (Govind Pai), who get into the fake passport business in Kasaragod out of desperation for a livelihood, only to find themselves neck-deep in a major crime racket. “Kasaragod is like an onion. It has all fake layers,” a character tells one of their allies early on in the show. Everything from educational certificates to even police officers has duplicates in the district. Living in such a world means that, for the youngsters, their long-term aspirations are as simple as consuming ganja. To quote Maslow's hierarchy of needs, their self-actualisation need may be someone else’s basic psychological need. In other words, it is the kind of life they want to live, because they only know about such a life. This is one of the series’ many interesting ideas worth deeper exploration, but unfortunately, the makers don't fully immerse you in its world. As a result, the show stereotypes Kasaragod and its people, doing a disservice to them. 

Director: Atish M Nair

Cast: Deepak Parambol, Abu Salim, Govind Pai, Kabir Duhan Singh, Sudheesh, Rony David

Streamer: ZEE5

Each character in Kasaragod Embassy receives a sketchy treatment, a set of moods and behaviours rather than a full-fledged arc. Consequently, watching it feels like scrolling through one reel after another on Instagram. When you reach the fourth or fifth reel, you may not even remember the first one because it hardly matters to you. There is a police officer (Deepak Parambol) trying to nab the head of a major syndicate (Marco villain Kabir Duhan Singh), which is into all kinds of vices, including fake currency, duplicate passports, human trafficking, and so forth. The cop is conducting a parallel investigation to determine the syndicate’s involvement in a plane crash. However, the series never really shows how he finds certain characters, and randomly appears to threaten them with a gun. This means that every point of investigation is communicated to us, not shown. Likewise, we are told that the syndicate head panics when he realises that Azi and Chemmu know a little too much about his business. Why would the boss of such a powerful organisation be so concerned about two random youngsters? There may be an explanation for this, but Kasaragod Embassy does not give it.

Further, the series does not make you root for Azi and Chemmu as they begin to question the morality of their choices, though it is an interesting turn of events on paper. At these points, the lack of immersion and the performances are so disappointing that you instantly remember Madhav Suresh’s rant from Kummattikali: “Enthinada konnittu… nammal anathaaranu, gundakalalla” (What is the point of killing? We are orphans, not goons). Only, here you do not have the same laugh at the characters' deeds as you do with the Kummattikali scene each time it pops up on Instagram.

Kasaragod Embassy continues ZEE5’s streak of series with great potential but ineffective execution, following shows such as Kammattam (also about a financial conspiracy) and Inspection Bungalow, among others. A series about fake passports is a novel concept in Malayalam, but it never really offers any insights into the ins and outs of the business. It makes the process appear a bit too simplistic. These people have been in the business long enough to do their work efficiently, but that doesn't mean the process should appear as easy as simply acquiring the raw materials and printing the passports. This is part of the bigger issue of very little feeling earned and inspired in the series.

And unfortunately, every actor, except for Deepak and Sudheesh, appears way out of their depth here. Most of them aim to portray their roles as a mix of colorful, flawed individuals. Still, they do not help themselves by sleepwalking through their roles, notwithstanding the one-note writing and cardboard-like characterisation by the makers. Even some of the Mangalore and Kasaragod accents don't ring true, which is the biggest irony in a series about forgery and deception.