The Jengaburu Curse Review: The Jengaburu Curse is a thriller TV series created and directed by Nila Madhab Panda and written by Mayank Tewari and stars Faria Abdullah, Nasser, Makarand Deshpande, Sudev Nair, Deipak Sampat, and Hitesh Dave in pivotal roles. The series has 7 episodes, each with a runtime of around 45 minutes.
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The Jengaburu Curse Plot
A shadowy mine in the middle of Odisha, a woman trying to find her missing father and Naxals creating a problem everywhere… or are they? Everything seems to be going wrong for Priya, who realises that her worst nightmare has come true when her father mysteriously disappears. When she goes back to Bhubaneshwar from London to find him, she finds herself right in the middle of a conspiracy that has its tentacles in everything and everyone. Will she be able to find her father in time in the midst of all this mess?
The Jengaburu Curse Review
The Jengaburu Curse delves into illegal mining in the Jengaburu region of Odisha and the plight of a small tribe in the area as they get the short end of the stick in this whole ordeal. In the midst of a huge scandal that spans several stages of the bureaucracy and the lives of several people, Priya goes deeper and deeper into a convoluted scandal that leaves her shocked when she finally reaches the middle.
The thriller series with a social message is extremely watchable, yet a series that has been made a few times over the past couple of years. Ok, not the exact one but one wherein a scandal is taking place surrounding locals/tribals in a small town. SonyLIV’s The Jengaburu Curse is something similar and keeps you guessing what the frick is in those goshdarn mines – it’s a question that haunts the audience and everyone on the show.
The tightly controlled mines serve as a mysterious entity in this series that holds many secrets inside it. The series peppers in many moments wherein you are left at the edge of your seat as Priya slowly tries to understand her father’s motivations and those of the tribals who are going against the government in order to secure their land. In a story that spans several countries, the series is able to hold on to its moments of intensity quite well.
There are several moments in the 7-episode runtime that will leave you anxious, and the small cliffhangers that each episode end on are quite interesting to watch as well and adds to the mystery. That being said, this thriller isn’t too new, but it is twisted enough to keep you invested. It sometimes feels a bit repetitive, and it will almost make you lose interest at times, but it does pick up right afterwards to make up for it. However, the thing that annoyed me the most was how bad our protagonists are at making decisions in the face of adversity.
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It’s so annoying watching them make so many incorrect decisions in the series that is already bloated with so much happening – which is also another point I have. There is just too much happening altogether, so much so that nothing is discussed fully. There’s some sci-fi stuff happening in the mines, there are tribals getting displaced and abused, and then there are international deals happening on a magnanimous scale. Apart from these, there are also smaller issues taking place in every other scene. As a result, we see nothing well and are left confused by the end of the series’ runtime.
Frustratingly also, none of the people associated with the law seem to do anything good. It’s as if we are living in a daze wherein everyone is bad. And I agree, it might be the truth when it comes to the mining business and all, but like, how is everyone the bad guy here? And, in the midst of all of these bad guys, everyone just makes such horrible decisions. It takes you right out of the watching experience.
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In the end, The Jengaburu Curse‘s point of view ends up being the same old you might have seen time and time again. It’s an important lesson to be learned, for sure, but without the backup, it doesn’t create the necessary impact and ends up feeling preachy. However, if we try to stay positive, the series does make some important points regarding the endless pursuit of radioactive materials and the destruction that greed can cause.
Faria Abdullah as Priya Das is great. She is constantly frazzled and angry as well as extremely stressed (obviously), and it shows. She looks truly at her wit’s end and is very believable in her role. We also have Nasser, who, for some reason, is playing a bad guy once again here. He’s great, obviously, but weird that he plays bad guys so often.
The Jengaburu Curse Review: Final Thoughts
The Jengaburu Curse has some moments that will intrigue you, but for most of its runtime, it tries to say too much without focusing on one thing. Even though the series has quite a hefty runtime, it doesn’t create the mysterious atmosphere and thrilling impact that you’d expect it to.
The Jengaburu Curse is streaming on SonyLIV.
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