Fishy tale – Desi Lupin: My quick take on Mx Player’s “Matsya Kaand”
If you liked the French mystery thriller "Lupin" on Netflix, I'm sure you'll like this story about a desi conman named "Matsya" who, like Lupin, is a master of disguise and pulls some daredevil cons in order to exact personal revenge. I'm not sure if the series is based on this well-known French story, but there are numerous parallels between these two-web series.
What I liked about the series was its cast of many new faces that I had not seen before, except for Piyush Mishra and Ravi Kishan. The most impressive of these new faces is beautiful Zoya Afroz, who reluctantly becomes a side kick to the Con master, played by Ravi Dubey. I am confident that Zoya will be the most sought-after actor after Matsya Kaand. TV Personality Ravi Dubey (he resembles Tamil star Vikram at times) is a well-known face in some popular TV soaps, and he, too, jumped at the chance to play the lead man. He perfectly fits the bill of an intelligent cerebral con man, who, like a chess player, always considers four-five moves ahead of his bete-noirs. Veteran actor Piyush Mishra plays Matsya Thada's mentor, inspiring him to enter this real-life Mahabharat and seek justice/revenge. Ravi Kishan plays a corrupt but ambitious cop on the hunt for Matsya and wants to apprehend him for all of his 'Kaand.'
It's a typical cat-and-mouse plot, with Matsya always having the last laugh. The series labors through 11 episodes to reach its climax, which seemed a little over-stretched in my opinion. I loved the titles of each episode, which are based on our mythology (for example, Mohini Avatar, Pitamah Bhisma, Ashwatthama, Bhasmasur...), and each title gives a hint of what is to come. Unlike Lupin, the con events in Matsya Kaand are "tall tale"ish and unconvincing, but the director manages to maintain intrigue, which is essential in such crime thriller web series.
Many writers appear to be seeking refuge in our rich mythological tales and borrowing plot points from our puranas. We've seen it in Asur and Pataal Lok, and the writers have done a great job of incorporating Mahabharata and Pauranik references into the screenplay here as well.
The series is available on Mx Player and on You Tube in 11 separate episodes; if it had been released on popular platforms such as Netflix or Amazon, I am confident that it would have become a true 'Kaand' among other so-called crime thrillers available on OTT platforms.
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