Kaala Review (2023): Avinash Tiwary, Rohan Vinod Mehra, Taher Shabbir, Jitin Gulati, Hiten Tejwani, Nivetha Pethuraj, Trishaan and others star in this crime-drama-thriller series created and directed by Bejoy Nambiar. The series has 7 episodes, each with a runtime of around 30-45 minutes.
Kaala Plot
IB Officer Ritwick’s hard work over a span of years comes crashing down when he is falsely accused in the hawala operation he just cracked after the operation goes sideways. However, he soon learns that his work goes deeper than just money laundering when the blood trail of money takes him to the Indo-Bangladesh border, and the past, surrounding the truth about his father, comes rushing back as a 30-year-old revenge saga threatens to destroy everything in its path.
– Kaala Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
Kaala Review
Ah – daddy issues. It can make or break a person’s life if not dealt with properly. Kaala isn’t so much a daddy issues thing as it is a revenge-thriller that spans generations, but, you know, it’s sort of about daddy issues.
Jokes aside, this dark thriller follows Bejoy Nambiar’s signature serious and gritty storyline that focuses on important issues. The series takes its time introducing several characters who have a very important connection with a bloody past that has the capability to destroy Ritwick’s present. Ritwick, played by Avinash Tiwary, who has been absolutely amazing in every show that he has starred in, is an IB officer who has been persistently going after a hawala operation for quite some time with an elusive informer. Unfortunately, the story starts to get murky when things don’t work out in his favour.
Kaala is an interesting watch that will keep you guessing about what will happen next from the first minute because it doesn’t always follow a linear storyline. We follow different threads that merge together into one. The series is thoroughly engaging, although some of the decisions these people make are sometimes a bit baffling. There are moments wherein the series’ interest drops off, especially when you start to learn about some random person out of the blue. But things pick up once they all come together sometime later.
With only 30 minutes of runtime per episode, the series is thankfully quite short and tight, so it keeps you occupied for its short runtime without stretching things out too much. That’s a good thing because most shows are far too long these days for their own good and add things unnecessarily to bloat the runtime. Kaala, in that respect, is a dark and short watch that keeps things moving at a decent pace and takes twists and turns that work in its favour.
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The series puts forth some excellent performances from not only the principal cast but also the supporting cast. The different storylines are all equally interesting, thanks to the actors who portray the characters. They seem like real people who have something to lose in this deadly game, and you somewhat understand their perspectives, although most are involved in the work of crime. Avinash Tiwary and Rohan Vinod Mehra are great as well, and Mehra’s makeup is also believable and doesn’t look funny. Gaurav Godkhindi’s background score is also great and ties the elements onscreen well.
Bengali viewers who are tired of listening to bad Bangla onscreen might just find themselves breathing a sigh of relief thanks to most of the extended cast being able to speak Bangla quite well. The series takes place most in West Bengal, with most of the people being Bengalis. In that logic, although, unfortunately, the principal cast speaks in Hindi, thankfully, no one butchers the language trying to enunciate words that they have no idea about. For people who are out of the state and missing Kolkata, there are moments wherein you will be able to see your favourite spots in the city, which are showcased nicely.
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In the end, Kaala ends on a cliffhanger that comes out of nowhere. Although I must mention that this twist isn’t anything too new, it does come as a shocking reminder that sometimes, all that we see might not be the truth. The ending is quite intense as you wonder whether or not Ritwick will be able to prove his innocence and close the case that he has been working on for so long. The end, thus, comes as a shock because things start to come together until they don’t, and the last twist leaves you rightfully at the end of your seat!
Kaala Review: Final Thoughts
All in all, Kaala is an interesting show with a great cast that keeps you hooked throughout the runtime. There are moments that will keep you glued to the screen, and the way the different people’s stories weave in and out keeps things moving quite well. There are some moments that, unfortunately, do lose the plot sometimes. But they are few are far between, and the series, for the most part, is quite engaging.
Kaala is streaming on Disney+ Hostar.
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Hi Archie, good review, but seems that you haven’t see episode 8 (50 minutes). All is cleared there. The son of Shakthi is poisoned by that extrange bearded man (Gullash?), All the truths comes out in the media, Ritwik’s father receives proper militar funeral with al the soldiers gunshooting to the air. He also comes to know that Aloka is not really his sister, but the one of the men his father killed, and as his wife and child were injured in the car, so he took care of them (that was his 2nd family), that’s wife his wife was in a wheelchair… There’s a hint of romance between Ritwick and Loka… and the traitor Sitara run out with her child after killing the old woman… Oh and Shakti is either captured or shot down by Interpol o some other force. I was a really fantastic series!