What Is the Story About?
Jio Cinema’s latest original series ‘Kaalkoot’ centres on a reluctant cop Ravi Shankar Tripathi (Vijay Varma), in small town Uttar Pradesh. When an unknown assailant throws acid on feisty college student Parul (Shweta Tripathi Sharma), Ravi Shankar Tripathi pursues the case relentlessly, aided by his higher-up, Inspector Jagdish (Gopal Datt), and his junior, Inspector Yadav (Yashpal Sharma).
Kaalkoot is created by Arunabh Kumar, directed by Sumit Saxena, and produced by Viacom 18’s Tipping Point Films.
Performances?
Vijay Varma is undoubtedly the MVP of Kaalkoot. He steals the show as the reluctant but relentless cop Ravi Shankar Tripathi, standing head and shoulders above the rest of the cast by miles. Yashpal Sharma is superb as the wise and sagacious Yadav, ever ready with a quip on the tip of his tongue. Gopal Datt is equally good as senior cop Jagdish Sahay. With his trademark deadpan style of dialogue delivery, and body language to match, he, along with Yashpal Sharma, lends gravitas to the series.
Seema Biswas is terrific as Ravi Shankar Tripathi’s mother. She brings meaningful poignancy to a character that could have simply existed on the fringes of the show in the hands of a lesser performer. Shweta Tripathi Sharma is good in her limited role. Suzanne Mukherjee, Sudev Nair, and the rest of the cast, are average.
Analysis
At its core, Kaalkoot is a powerful indictment of the inherent rot in Indian society; a rot that goes so deep and is so well-entrenched that it stands no chance of being stemmed. It is the deep-rooted misogyny and patriarchy prevalent in our culture and in our homes, more so in small town India, which is where the story of Kaalkoot is set in. A culture that tells its men that a spirited woman must be shown her place by any means possible – and that throwing acid on her is the easiest way to go about it.
Kaalkoot is also that rare crime show where reel imitates real life, rather than the other way around. We’ve all read and heard about the numerous real-life acid-throwing incidents that take place with shocking regularity in our teeming cities and towns. By bringing to life one such incident, Kaalkoot forces us to introspect, with its gut-wrenching storytelling and uninhibited narrative.
Each character in Kaalkoot exists to showcase the myriad and sordid ways of patriarchy and misogyny in Indian society — the cops who think nothing of beating their wives; the sexual predator who thinks he’s done a favour by marrying his victim; the widowed mother, who seeks her son’s permission for even basic things such as stepping out — because that’s how she’s always lived her life until then, even with a seemingly progressive husband. Even the protagonist Ravi doesn’t miss a beat in berating his to-be-wife Shivani for laughing and talking too much – girls like that get acid thrown on their faces, a la Parul, he tells Shivani’s parents.
The story in Kaalkoot builds up slowly, resonating at a deeper level as it progresses. Each episode opens with a shocking act of violence. The depth and complexity of the premise make themselves clear as the plot unfolds. The writers avoid exposition — showing, not telling; letting the audience draw their own inferences on the happenings in the narrative.
Thankfully, Kaalkoot handles the grave topic at hand in a breezy manner, with none of the sense of foreboding that essentially pervades narratives of this genre. The narrative is peppered with hilarious dialogues and funny sequences that lighten the gravity. Ravi Shankar Tripathi is shown to be a mini celebrity, courtesy his trail-blazer poet cum professor father. The plot device is used for laughs, as well as to convey the heftier essence of the story. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the series has been created by Arunabh Kumar of The Viral Fever, who brings his trademark humour and distinctive characterisation to Kaalkoot.
The series is surprisingly well-written. Each character is etched out in great detail, and bestowed with unique quirks and traits. The story brings out the small-town ethos with flawless perfection, along with its emotional pathos. It is narrative-oriented, rather than a haphazard hash of anecdotes. There is no stifling hierarchy– each character gets its space in the limelight.
As the story plods along, however, it loses its grip on the tautness, and gets increasingly messy and convoluted. Subjects such as female foeticide, phosphorus poisoning, the stigma of epilepsy, among others, add to the chaos, and the narrative begins to feel bloated and overstuffed. Yet, the thing that keeps us glued to our seats, and compels us to keep watching the series is Vijay Varma’s accomplished performance. Even as the story gets increasingly in-your-face, Vijay Varma’s Ravi Shankar Tripathi manages to keep us engaged in the narrative till the end.
However, even Vijay Varma’s sparkling presence cannot redeem the atrocious climax of the series. The climax is silly, outrageous, and blatantly over-the-top. It also leaves a lot of loose ends that niggle at the back of the mind – Parul’s missed periods, for instance.
To sum it up, Kaalkoot is a good one-time watch, made eminently watchable due to its stellar cast and their terrific performances.
Music and Other Departments?
The background score and music of Kaalkoot is excellent. Raghav – Arjun have made use of innovative beats and riffs to enhance the impact of the story. Maneesh Bhatt’s choreography is superb, capturing the essence of small town India well. Konark Saxena’s editing does its job well.
Highlights?
Performances of the primary cast
Well-paced narrative
Drawbacks?
Later episodes are a drag
The latter half feels overstuffed and bloated
The climax is atrocious
Did I Enjoy It?
Mostly yes.
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, for Vijay Varma
Kaalkoot Series Review by Binged Bureau
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