The effect of climate change has been a subject of Nila Madhab Panda’s earlier films. His first OTT project, The Jengaburu Curse is set in Odisha, which is not seen enough on screen. The scenario he works with, corruption in land deals and unchecked mining and trampling over the rights of tribals is something every aware viewer knows about, but it can never be emphasised enough through any medium possible.
In the series, Priya Das (Faria Abdullah), a financial analyst in London travels back to her native Odisha when Ravichandran Rao (Nasser), a friend of her father’s tells her he, Swatantra Das (Pavitra Sarkar), is missing. The cops believe that Naxals kidnapped or killed him, but there is, something else going on and Priya wants to find out what.
The local cops offer her protection and a constable Ram (Sukumar Tudu) is assigned to her, though it seems he has to keep an eye on her, rather than keep her safe. The industrialist lobby has grabbed land sacred to the Bondria tribe—to which Priya belongs—and according to an ancient curse, have awakened the dragon king asleep beneath the earth. Swatantra Das’s disappearance has something to do with his opposition to the mining. The cops and politicians are in cahoots with the rich and have little interest in following up the case. An IAS officer, Dhruv (Sudev Nair) was Das’s student and he means well but is a small cog in the huge, destructive machine. Priya decides to investigate on her own, even it means endangering herself and others.
The tribals are poor and exploited, their water sources polluted, their kids suffering from strange aliments caused by the mining operations. A Binayak Sen-like Dr Panigrahi (Makrand Deshpande) treats the poor at his one-rupee clinic, but what is going on is beyond his medical abilities. He keeps in touch with the tribal leader Kadey (Deipak Sampat), through a series of secret signals, and points Priya in the right direction.
Written by Mayank Tewari, the series is a thriller and social commentary rolled into one, with a dash of mythology. The series is similar in intent if not approach to recent shows like Aar Ya Paar and Dahan. It is a commendable effort, despite its problems of pace and over dramatic structure.
The Jengaburu Curse
Directed by Nila Madhab Panda
Cast: Faria Abdullah, Nasser, Pavitra Sarkar and others
On SonyLiv
