BOTTOM LINE: Uneven And Boring Narrative With A Decent Beginning And End
Rating: 5/10
| Platform: ZEE5 | Genre: Thriller |
Skin N Swear: Frequent Usage of Cuss Words, One Sexually Loaded Sequence
What Is the Story About?
After the mayhem that Kaali unleashes on the Kolkata drug mafia (at the end of the first season), she has made a lot of enemies. The consignment of drugs under siege by police becomes the bone of contention for the concerned parties.
For Kaali the only goal then and now is to save his son’s life. How Kaali hounded by the triad and trying to protect her son balances on both the front? Where it leads her, in the end, is what the series is all about?
Performances?
Paoli Dam shines in the role of Aparna aka Kaali. She does well in what is given to her and manages to convey the ruthless emotion neatly. There are anger and rage when trying to save his son. The smooth and wily talk, when stuck in an impossible situation, gives a lot of dimensions to her character. Paoli is convincing most of the time. It could have been a bit better in fights, but that would be a minor issue in the larger scheme of things.
Analysis
Rohan Ghose and Aritra Sen have created and directed Kaali. Abhimanyu Mukherjee acts as additional director along with them. It has a straightforward story when we think of it linearly. It is about the rise of an unexpected force against the establishment in the mafia world. The circumstances force her to become one.
The core story is typically seen in the gangster setup with a male protagonist. Here the most significant change if that the lead is a female. It presents the different factor that, on the surface takes it away from the routine space.
The screenplay and the lead character of Kaali is the make or break deal of Kaali. It follows a non-linear approach. The sequences are arranged neatly, overall, but one can’t help but feel the narrative veering into the muddled zone very often. Similar to it is the characterization of Kaali. It is very unpredictable. It is therefore fun and at the same time annoying because one never is sure of what’s on Kaali’s mind.
The progress could get confusing at times due to the duality mentioned above. But as nothing out of the box is happening content-wise, there is not much of uneasiness. The talk, which happens a lot sometimes feels so unnecessary and hinders the flow of the series. Some parts feel very repetitive and occurring in a loop.
It is the screenplay combined with the twists (from the unpredictable nature of the lead) that hook the viewers. It is not out of the world, but sometimes they are too far-fetched from the believability perspective. It takes out the sheen. However, they keep coming, which keeps the proceedings fun. The ending especially is better in this regard.
Overall, Kaali is a standard action thriller which has a female lead in place of male. The twists towards the end make it a passable watch. But, a lot of patience is required.
Other Artists?
Kaali has many characters, but not all are interesting or well defined. Abhishek Banerjee who vowed one and all with his act in Pataal Lok is seen here as well. He does a similar psychotic part but is more talkative. The poor writing, in his case, takes away the seriousness that the action displays.
Rahul Arunoday Benerjee has more screen time and a better character arc after Kaali. He does well in parts. Chandan Roy Sanyal impresses with his calm and easy-going demeanour without missing the intensity. Vidya Malvade starts well but seems to be sidetracked for the large part of the narrative. The rest of the actors are fine in their small but critical roles.
Music and Other Departments?
The music and the background score is by Nabarun Bose. It is not particularly memorable or impressive. But, some bits do provide the rush needed for thrilling action. The cinematography by Srijit Basu feels adequate for the scale of the series. The editing by Sumit Chowdhary is alright. Things could have turned messier if it has been off by a small margin. The writing should have been better. It is felt more for the Hindi dubbing.
Highlights?
Unpredictable Kaali’s Action
Twists
Screenplay Idea
Ending
Drawbacks?
Muddled Narrative In Parts
Boring Middle Segment
Weak Antagonists
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in a few parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, but with huge reservations
Review by Siddartha Toleti
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