The film carries a good idea but definitely lacks proper execution as it about two villages in rural India, which have a split with regard to caste and money. Well, nothing but the natural resource water becomes the new currency as the plot struggles between social class divides and the rural hierarchy. The politics of water, wasteful consumption and its usage in agriculture is what the movie brings out. The director, Nila Madhab Panda is truly committed towards social values, which is visible in the film through his dedicated efforts. Water turns up to the movie’s biggest game changer in everything whether it be love, marriage or rural life economics. The satire is integrally present in the film from its opening to its end. Kaun Kitney Paani Mein could have been great as a short film, but is a bit too stretched as a feature. Yet despite its pitfalls, Kaun Kitney Paani Mein has moments of fun and a subject that is relevant. Watch it for Saurabh Shukla. 

Water is important, and there are many ways to convey it to a film audience. You can go for a really serious documentary on conservation or you can weave a satirical story around the idea. If you’re interested in a crash course on the latter, here’s director Nila Madhab Panda’s 110-minute film Kaun Kitney Paani Mein. To begin with, it’s an intelligently executed film. The strength of this film lies in its idea. It’s so well thought-out that you are hooked to it from the very first scene. But, thanks to the caricatured character of a state minister, the climax is regular and very much anticipated except the ‘Bihai Mata’ angle which tries its best to hold the resolution part together. In all this, guess what's the best thing about Kaun Kitney Paani Mein? Well, it’s the stand against the caste and class barriers which makes it a special film. The director’s commitment to social values is clearly visible in the film and he deserves praise for his efforts. It’s his conviction that makes the audience overlook the Bollywood-ised version of Rangabati. And, of course, the idea of water conservation. It’s a film worth your time.

I Am Kalam director Nila Madhab Panda's fourth outing Kaun Kitney Paani Mein makes a spirited but patchy drama built around a precious, fast depleting natural resource that sustains life on this planet. The film takes a cross-eyed look at the deepening water crisis and changing social order in rural India, specifically in a parched part of Odisha. Kaun Kitney Paani Mein takes on too much - politics of water, wasteful consumption, crisis of agriculture, soil toxicity, caste oppression, short-sighted patriarchy, even honour killing. The storyline is engaging enough and a few of the performances are compelling. And the film's folksy, absurdist spine holds up well for the most part. The film has a bunch of oddballs. A wily priest grows marijuana in his temple's backyard, a feisty sex-worker receives water pouches by way of payment for her services, and a gritty weaver is intent on digging a tunnel to gain access to the water source that will help him get rich quick. So neither Kunal Kapoor nor Radhika Apte has much to do beyond floating around talking about soil re-mineralisation. Soil re-mineralisation? That is unprecedented for a Hindi film. Kaun Kitney Paani Mein goes where Hindi cinema rarely ever does. For that alone it deserves to be seen.

After briefly touching upon the issue of water shortage in his follow-up film Jalpari, the fillmaker’s new film -- the Kunal Kapoor and Radhika Apte starrer satire Kaun Kitney Paani Mein -- revolves around water politics in a fictional Odisha village. While the film mostly consists of satirical set pieces to stress just how water politics takes shape, the film’s story only gains momentum with the entrance of the film’s protagonists -- Deo's Raj (Kunal Kapoor) and Kharu’s daughter Paro (Radhika Apte). Given how water politics has reigned supreme in several parts of India for many decades, a satire based on the issue comes with endless possibilities and expectations. Unfortunately, the storytelling in Kaun Kitne Paani Mein uniformly starts out with much force but falls short of realising its potential.

Good idea, faulty execution. Using water as a trade commodity is a powerful concept, especially given that there is so much drought and so little accessible clean drinking water in so many parts of India. Livelihoods, and lives, depend upon having water to hand. And the director knows how to spin a yarn with fable-like qualities, which was so evident in the impactful ‘I Am Kalam’. But ‘Kaun Kitne Paani Mein’ is marred by its plodding pace, heavy melodrama, and a needless vulgar streak. Too bad the film is not.