Tejinder Singh aka Tango, travels from small-town Punjab to the United Kingdom on a tourist visa to fulfil his father’s one and only wish. But he has no idea that things aren’t as bright as he thinks, and that when his visa expires, he’ll be referred to as “kacche” (a euphemism for an illegal immigrant). As a result, the plot follows the trials and tribulations of Asian immigrants living in foreign countries illegally.
Produced and streaming on Zee5, United Kacche is created by Manoj Sabharwal, directed by Manav Shah, and produced by Yoodlee Films.
Sunil Grover is suitably restrained as Tango. He fits the role of the illegal Indian immigrant well, with his overall naive, innocent and clueless look. Manurishi Chadha is quite watchable as Pakistani illegal immigrant Sajjad( Indian actors never get the Pakistani basics right) . Nayani Dixit is very good as his wife Zareen. Nikhil Vijay is miscast as the Bangladeshi twins Shampy and Bumpy. His Bangla accent is the pits. Sapna Pabbi is unimpactful as Daisy. Her abominable accent is off-putting and irritating. Veteran comedian Satish Shah is wasted in the role of an eccentric Gujarati landlord, which is a shame.
The series starts as a well-written story focusing on the trials and travails of Asian immigrants living illegally in foreign lands is sorely needed. But cannot keep the plot.
Often, the narrative flirts with ridiculously banal subplots. Just when the story starts to get on your nerves, it throws in a few poignant moments that wring your heart and kind of keep you invested in the story. But only just. The characters in the story frequently break the fourth wall, in order to clarify their point of view to the viewer. The breaking of the fourth wall is a nice touch to the storytelling, but it cannot salvage the otherwise poorly fleshed out script.
For the most part, the writers barely manage to stick to their lofty ideals of showcasing the plight of people who leave the familiar comfort of home, hearth and family, and live illegally in foreign lands, in search of elusive riches. Instead, they serve up silly tomfoolery in the name of storytelling, with poorly written characters adding to the disaster that is United Kacche.
In moments that are few and far between, the story bares the vulnerability of illegal immigrants in foreign countries, exposed as they are to the whims and fancies of the immigration authorities in these countries. A few humorous moments catch you off guard and evoke a smile – like the time Nikhil Vijay’s Bangladeshi Shampy tells Tango not to infringe his space, though Shampy can infringe Tango’s space – “kyonki hum to aata hi hai”, he tells Tango. The sequence is a salvo at the numerous illegal Bangladeshis infiltrating Indian space at alarming rates.
The Pakistani couple’s sarcastic cracks on the lack of rules in their country Pakistan are quite funny too. But a few funny sequences do not a comedy make. The largely unfunny series — at ten tedious episodes —begins to test your patience after a while.
To sum it up, United Kacche is a commendable attempt at highlighting the travails of illegal immigrants, but too frivolous to take seriously.
The title song, by Dr. Zeus featuring Happy Singh and Shortie, is quite peppy and listenable. The background music by Upmanyu Bhanot is unconventional and suits the show well. Vineet Malhotra’s cinematography and Gourav Gopal Jha’s editing are average.
