Arabia Kadali Review: A real-life story told in a realistic way

Arabia Kadali tells the story of fishermen from Srikakulam who inadvertently wandered into Pakistani waters during a routine trip in 2018 and were trapped there for almost two years.

Arabia Kadali, Prime Video's newest Telugu original, stars Satyadev and Anandhi. The show is currently available in several languages and gives a genuine and passionate account of an event that shook the fishing community of Andhra Pradesh.

The Plot

Arabia Kadali tells the story of fishermen from Srikakulam who inadvertently wandered into Pakistani waters during a routine trip in 2018 and were trapped there for almost two years. Nuragala Badiri (Satyadev), a smart and educated fisherman from Chepalawada, wants to have a better life with his love, Ganga (Anandhi), who lives in the nearby village of Matsyawada. Local fisherman move to Gujarat to work because the infrastructure at home is bad.

On one of these trips into the Arabian Sea, Badiri and his friends accidentally enter enemy territory, which leads to a series of exciting adventures.

What Works

You could think of this year's Tollywood movie about the same event, but Arabia Kadali is different since its tale is more down-to-earth and measured.

The filmmakers strike a good mix between being accurate and adding just enough drama to make it feel like a movie. They don't go overboard with the drama. The series not only shows the struggles of the fisherman, but it also talks about structural problems and suggests ways to stop them from happening.

This gives it both emotional and social weight. Once again, Satyadev shows how versatile he is by giving a performance that is both quiet and forceful. Anandhi and a solid supporting cast that includes Nasser, Poonam Bajwa, Amit Tiwari, Dalip Tahil, and Raghu Babu make their roles feel real.

The show also makes characters from other countries more human, which adds complexity to the story. Paying attention to the little things, like dialects and cultural differences, makes it more real. The choice to let characters who don't speak Telugu speak in their own languages instead of broken Telugu makes it more real.

What doesn’t

Timing is the main problem. The plot might feel too similar for some viewers because a popular movie about the same event came out earlier. This could make the movie less interesting. Some of the VFX-heavy scenes, like the storm sequence, should have been done better from a technical point of view. Some episodes also move too slowly and might have had crisper editing.

Behind the Scenes
Krish Jagarlamudi is the showrunner, and the series has his trademark honesty in narrative. V.V. Surya Kumar's direction stays loyal to the subject, while Chinthakindhi Srinivasa Rao's script tells the story in a way that is both accurate and interesting. He even plays a good cameo role. The production is finished off with good work by Nagavelli Vidyasagar's music and Sameer Reddy's cinematography.

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Verdict: Arabia Kadali is a serious, well-acted, and socially relevant show that compassionately shows the problems that fisherman face when they become caught up in political conflicts. Some people might not be surprised by it because they are already familiar with it, but people who see it for the first time will find it moving and worth seeing.

Starring : Satyadev, Anandhi, Nasser, Ravi Varma, Poonam Bajwa, Amit Tiwari, Dalip Tahil, Nihar Pandya, Alok Jain, Prathyusha Sadhu, Raghu Babu, & others

Director : V.V. Surya Kumar

Producers : Y. Rajeev Reddy, J. Sai Babu

Rating: 3/5