Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- warm
- irreverent
- lazy sunday
- lighthearted movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an amusing and socially aware police satire, with its performances and offbeat premise stronger than its uneven execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The disappearance of two prized jackfruits receives disproportionate political and police attention, exposing how authority operates.
Inspector Mahima Basor pursues the case partly to prove herself within a male-dominated policing environment.
The police inquiry unfolds through comic encounters with a local politician, officers, and residents in a socially specific Indian setting.
The central mystery concerns missing jackfruits rather than a conventional serious crime, making the premise deliberately incongruous.
Films like Kathal, and why
Dahaad
satirical police comedy combining small-town absurdity, social critique, and an unconventional investigation
A Thursday
witty Indian procedural with an outsider investigator confronting institutional absurdity and gendered expectations
Peepli Live
warm, socially observant comedy-drama rooted in Indian bureaucracy, eccentric characters, and understated satire
Khosla Ka Ghosla
comic crime investigation driven by eccentric local characters and a critique of class and authority
Movie Details
- Director
- Yashowardhan Mishra
- Release Date
- 2023-05-19
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (51)
Cast
- Sanya Malhotra
- Anant Joshi
- Vijay Raaz
- Rajpal Yadav
- Neha Saraf
- Govind Pandey
- Gurpal Singh
- Brijendra Kala
- Ambrish Saxena
- Apoorva Chaturvedi
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Kathal about?
- A determined young inspector turns a politician’s missing jackfruits into an unexpectedly revealing small-town police investigation.
- What is Kathal like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Kathal as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Kathal violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Kathal as mild.
- What did critics think of Kathal?
- Critics broadly found the film an amusing and socially aware police satire, with its performances and offbeat premise stronger than its uneven execution.
- Which films are like Kathal?
- Films with a similar feel include Dahaad, A Thursday, Peepli Live, and Khosla Ka Ghosla.
- How long is Kathal?
- Kathal runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch Kathal?
- In United States, Kathal streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
