Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case
2023 Indian TV series or programme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case is a true crime documentary directed by Christo Tomy, investigating six deaths in the same family and the woman at the center of the Koodathayi Cyanide killing case.[1] It was released on Netflix on 22 December 2023.[2]
| Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case | |
|---|---|
The cover of the docuseries, depicting Jolly Joseph. | |
| Genre | True crime docuseries |
| Based on | Koodathayi cyanide killings |
| Written by | Shalini Ushadevi |
| Directed by | Christo Tomy |
| Composer | Tushar Lall |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Malayalam |
| Production | |
| Cinematography | Shehnad Jalal Hari K. Vedantam |
| Editors | Sruthy Sukumaran Praveen Prabhakar |
| Production company | India Today Originals |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | 22 December 2023 |
Background
The series is based on actual events in Koodathayi, a village in Kerala, India, between 2002 and 2016.[3] Jolly Joseph, a mother and wife, was accused of poisoning six members of her family, including her first husband, with cyanide-laced food. She allegedly did this to inherit the family property and to marry her lover, who was her husband’s cousin.[4] It is based on first-person testimonials of individuals involved in the case.[5]
Reception
Anuj Kumar of India Today noted that the documentary is gripping in parts but does not offer new insights into the case, relying largely on already familiar information.[6]
The Week described the series as engaging in parts, while pointing out that repetitive narration and limited psychological exploration reduce its overall impact.[7]
Princy Xavier of Cinema Express wrote that the documentary is chilling and heartbreaking, but felt that the story of the victims required a more layered and sensitive treatment.[8]
According to OTTPlay, the documentary was described as middling, stating that it does not fully succeed either as a detailed investigation or as an emotional narrative.[9]
The Times of India rated the documentary 3 out of 5, calling it a chilling recount of the crimes while noting that it remains surface-level in its treatment of the case.[10]
Times Now wrote that the documentary effectively conveys the disturbing nature of the crimes but lacks deeper investigative perspective.[11]
Zoom TV stated that while the documentary provides a comprehensive recounting of events, it misses important perspectives that could have strengthened the narrative.[12]
Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express wrote that the documentary is a dissatisfying true-crime effort, stating that it inelegantly exhumes the Koodathayi killings and lacks narrative finesse and depth.[13]
Controversy
In January 2024, the second accused in the Koodathayi cyanide killings case, M. S. Mathew, approached a court in Kozhikode seeking a ban on the documentary. He argued that the documentary, released while the criminal trial was still pending, contained misleading material and could prejudice the judicial process.[14]
In March 2024, the Kozhikode Additional Sessions Court rejected the plea and refused to halt the screening of the documentary on Netflix, holding that there were no sufficient grounds to grant a stay on its release.[15]