Is Killer Soup based on a true story? Plot and characters explored

Netflix released the much-anticipated dark comedy-thriller Killer Soup on January 11, 2024. The thriller stars Indian actors Konkona Sen Sharma and Manoj Bajpayee. It is directed by Abhishek Chaubey, a director known for his interesting takes on the dark-comedy genre.

Killer Soup's trailer was released by the streaming giant on January 3, 2024. Since the release of the trailer, viewers were incredibly excited about the series which had piqued their interest. Others were curious about the concept of Killer Soup and wondered if it was based on real events.

According to Netflix India, Chaubey said that the series wasn't a direct adaptation of any particular murder or criminal case. However, he added that it was "very, very loosely inspired by real-life events," per Netflix India. That being said, the series does have some similarities to a particular incident that took place in 2017 in Telangana, India, according to The Quint.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for the new Netflix series.

Trigger warning: The article contains mentions of murder and acid attacks. Discretion is advised.

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What does the narrative of Killer Soup entail?

As mentioned earlier, the dramedy is helmed by director Abhishek Chaubey, who has previously directed films like Udta Punjab and A Death in the Gunj. The series follows three characters, Prabhakar Shetty and his wife Swathi Shetty as well as her boyfriend Umesh Pillai.

The synopsis for the series, according to Netflix reads:

"Swathi Shetty, a talentless home chef, cooks up a bizarre plan to replace her husband, Prabhakar, with her lover, Umesh; when a bumbling inspector and amateur villains stir the pot, things don't go as planned and a recipe for chaos ensues."

In the series Swathi (Konkona Sen Sharma) is married to Prabhakar Shetty (Manoj Bajpayee). However, it is an unhappy marriage as Prabhakar pays no attention to Swathi's attempts to be a chef and she feels neglected and underappreciated. This leads to her finding solace somewhere else, which is in her boyfriend Umesh (also played by Bajpayee).

Since Swathi and Umesh are having an affair, the series shows them wanting to spend their lives together. However, in order for them to do that, they need to remove Prabhakar from the scene. What unravels after this is a dark comedy that involves murder, an acid attack, and some killer soup.

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Is Killer Soup inspired by real events?

Abhishek Chaubey has denied claims that the series is adapted from real-life events but noted that it is based loosely on certain events. However, The Quint and several viewers pointed out similarities between Killer Soup and an incident that took place in Nagarkurnool, Telangana in 2017.

The incident in question bears a resemblance to the plot of the series, Killer Soup. It saw M Swathi Reddy, a nurse, having an affair with B Rajesh, a physiotherapist in the same hospital. Since Swathi is married, the two devise a plan to kill her husband Sudhakar to take control of his property and spend their lives together.

While Swathi and Rajesh managed to kill Sudhakar and discard his body, the rest of their plan failed. After they killed her husband, Swathi went on to splash some acid on Rajesh's face so that he could get plastic surgery to alter his appearance and make him look like Sudhakar. However, their plan failed due to their lack of attention to detail.

Although the two managed to pass off Rajesh as Sudhakar for a while, the former refused a bowl of mutton soup in front of the latter's relatives. This reportedly drew suspicions from Sudhakar's relatives as it was his favorite soup. They went on to call the police who eventually got the truth out of Swathi leading to her and Rajesh's arrest.

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Who stars in Netflix's new show Killer Soup?

All eight episodes of Killer Soup were released on Netflix on January 11, 2024. The show stars Konkona Sen Sharma and Manoj Bajpayee in the main roles. It also features spectacular performances by actors including Nassar, Sayaji Shinde, Anula Navlekar, and Mohanlal.

As mentioned earlier, Konkona Sen Sharma plays the role of Swathi Shetty, an aspiring chef who wants to open a restaurant of her own. Manoj Bajpayee on the other hand has two roles, one as Swathi's husband Prabhakar, and the other as her lover, Umesh.

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All episodes of Killer Soup are available for streaming only on Netflix.