Story and direction along with screenplay are awesome. Some parts are predictable and storyline could have been faster. It could have been wrapped in 5 episodes instead of 8 with 5 main protagonists headlining each episode. This is tightly woven around main character so the direction has been marvellous in that sense. Cinematography suits the flow and build up. Well written, minimal dialogues are not heavy and absorbing around the storyline itself. This is tightly woven around main character so the direction has been marvellous in that sense. Cinematography suits the flow and build up. Well written, minimal dialogues are not heavy and absorbing around the storyline itself.
10 Reviews
Good gripping story
pallavipriya-3359829 September 2023
Good story With top notch acting of some actor not only raw investigative narrations some emotional filling between character , chase scene I liked it. Again Avinash tiwary nailed fan from Niraj Pandey khakee, bulbul he deserve much more , same week two totally different character , Dawood to deshbhakt IB Officer, watching kolkata real street is pleasure., some scene are unwanted. But at least u can forward in home , must watch , applaud to director , team , producer., some funny scenes is also there in sarcastic way , by some side actors , so many known faces from Tv industry , good platform for them as , web series 👍
Some good performances
leothoughts23 September 2023
Kaala flip-flops between brilliance and cliches and is at times exhilarating and at times exasperating. But Avinash Tiwary and Jitin Gulati - man, especially the later - absolutely steal the show and make you realise how not-so-known Indian actors are absolutely rocking the OTT space. Can watch the show for Jitin only.
Coming to the plot, financial thrillers are always fun to watch but Indians have not been too adept in it. Reverse hawala is a good concept and one can easily see why Hotstar wanted this show, but the money laundering bit leading to the end is not explained well. I found the pacing inconsistent as well, which made it a satisfactory watch, not a great one.
Coming to the plot, financial thrillers are always fun to watch but Indians have not been too adept in it. Reverse hawala is a good concept and one can easily see why Hotstar wanted this show, but the money laundering bit leading to the end is not explained well. I found the pacing inconsistent as well, which made it a satisfactory watch, not a great one.
Good story, great character build up
shakibhossainsh20 September 2023
"Excellent screenplay! This series stands out as one of the best in recent times, making it a must-watch for any avid viewer. While the first episode might appear overwhelming with its intricate plot, I urge you to invest some time and focus, for you will be rewarded with a captivating narrative filled with unexpected twists and unique storylines that are a rarity in today's content.
The direction of the series is top-notch, a testament to the talent of Bejoy Nambiar. His vision and execution shine through, keeping the audience engaged from start to finish. The photography adds another layer of depth to the storytelling, creating a visually stunning experience.
Moreover, the ensemble cast delivers commendable performances, breathing life into their respective characters. Each actor contributes significantly to the series' success, making it a well-rounded production.
In conclusion, this series is a masterclass in storytelling, direction, and acting. If you appreciate a finely crafted screenplay with layers of complexity and intrigue, this is a gem you shouldn't miss.
The direction of the series is top-notch, a testament to the talent of Bejoy Nambiar. His vision and execution shine through, keeping the audience engaged from start to finish. The photography adds another layer of depth to the storytelling, creating a visually stunning experience.
Moreover, the ensemble cast delivers commendable performances, breathing life into their respective characters. Each actor contributes significantly to the series' success, making it a well-rounded production.
In conclusion, this series is a masterclass in storytelling, direction, and acting. If you appreciate a finely crafted screenplay with layers of complexity and intrigue, this is a gem you shouldn't miss.
Kaala..the dark
sameerlodaya20 September 2023
Sameer lodaya
The series is made in a good dark fusion of crime
Bejoy casted avinash ,saurabh ,jitin which were seen in last release series called bambai you can feel the vast difference as what director can actually do..all this actors have played very well in this series rather than the last one specially avinash and jitin ..the content is about money laundering for cross border activities which is investigated by a special force all this is displayed very well and goes in a good pace with great bgm .. The series is brilliantly made in dark presentation
The series lacks in some episodes as it is dragged by giving details about characters and their past also the climax was not up to the standard what the series has managed to do so
It's a good watch if you like dark concepts.
The series is made in a good dark fusion of crime
Bejoy casted avinash ,saurabh ,jitin which were seen in last release series called bambai you can feel the vast difference as what director can actually do..all this actors have played very well in this series rather than the last one specially avinash and jitin ..the content is about money laundering for cross border activities which is investigated by a special force all this is displayed very well and goes in a good pace with great bgm .. The series is brilliantly made in dark presentation
The series lacks in some episodes as it is dragged by giving details about characters and their past also the climax was not up to the standard what the series has managed to do so
It's a good watch if you like dark concepts.
Kaala deserves much appreciation!!
rajat_12425 September 2023
A well made series that chronologically goes back & forth from 1980s to 2018. The best hero of this series are the performances, not a single actor have under delivered their role.
A movie style series that uncovers true colors of each character slowly.
Starting with leads - Avinash Tiwari who has played IB officer flawlessly, sometimes over the board but overall well acted.
But the finest came from Jitin Gulati, and his shades of character. A slow transformation that goes from various turfs.
All others have played their characters really well.
Background score, casting and production values are top notch.
Some flaws though - bit draggy in parts, unnecessary characters exposure and too much of timelines shift that may make few watchers impatient .
Overall, a very solid drama about money laundering that should have more takers.
A movie style series that uncovers true colors of each character slowly.
Starting with leads - Avinash Tiwari who has played IB officer flawlessly, sometimes over the board but overall well acted.
But the finest came from Jitin Gulati, and his shades of character. A slow transformation that goes from various turfs.
All others have played their characters really well.
Background score, casting and production values are top notch.
Some flaws though - bit draggy in parts, unnecessary characters exposure and too much of timelines shift that may make few watchers impatient .
Overall, a very solid drama about money laundering that should have more takers.
Quite engaging with some flaws
Biswas_24 September 2023
This is the second Avinash Tiwari series that released last year along with Bombay meri Jaan. Kaala is a series about money laundering and much more. It is a story of two generations of enmity. The series focuses on Ritwik an IB officer who is involved in tracking the money laundering case. As he tracks down a big consignment of black money being transferred from India to Bangladesh, he starts to know more about his past, a past that involved his estranged father and his enmity with a person called Balwant who made him a traitor . What this past was actually and how it gets linked to the current money laundering case is the whole story .
I have to say that Bejoy Nambiar is a very interesting filmmaker . His creative choices are quite often spot on. Even in this series, in every episode he would give us glimpses of a certain events only to give its explanations later. A good thing that he does is that he doesn't keep any unwanted intro for this series . The action sequences are pretty well choreographed except that one chase sequence in the second last episode involving Ritwik being chased by two bikers . It involves so many awkward jump cuts that you lose interest out of it.
Coming to the past of Ritwik which involved his father Shubhendu and Balwant . It's pretty interesting . Jitin Gulati plays Balwant whose character is something that will make your jaw drop as the series progresses. For many it might come across as really awkward and hard to digest. But boy, Jitin plays that character of Balwant so well almost that he becomes the star of this series. Shubhendu aka Adinath's story is also really interesting as he tries to hunt down his enemies . His character too has many layers.
The slightly non linear screenplay makes sure that you are always in hunt for answers and the series has them ready at proper moments. The emotional quotient often does not work than does . They are not properly fleshed out.
What I found surprising was that characters spoke less slangs in this series (which is a forced trend in every series these days). The Bengali accent use is a bit of hit and miss with many nailing it while many missing it. Mita Vashisth's Bengali accent sometimes sound spot on sometimes awful.
The pacing tbh is a bit uneven. I lost interest at certain points due to this but it's not a big concern I eventually watched the whole series quite comfortably. Apart from Balwant , the other villains like Naman, Bismil etc are poorly shaped by the series. The songs used at many places are really good. The failure to establish proper emotions results in certain sequences like Shubhendu being cremated feel lifeless.
Overall, a decent one time entertaining series .
I have to say that Bejoy Nambiar is a very interesting filmmaker . His creative choices are quite often spot on. Even in this series, in every episode he would give us glimpses of a certain events only to give its explanations later. A good thing that he does is that he doesn't keep any unwanted intro for this series . The action sequences are pretty well choreographed except that one chase sequence in the second last episode involving Ritwik being chased by two bikers . It involves so many awkward jump cuts that you lose interest out of it.
Coming to the past of Ritwik which involved his father Shubhendu and Balwant . It's pretty interesting . Jitin Gulati plays Balwant whose character is something that will make your jaw drop as the series progresses. For many it might come across as really awkward and hard to digest. But boy, Jitin plays that character of Balwant so well almost that he becomes the star of this series. Shubhendu aka Adinath's story is also really interesting as he tries to hunt down his enemies . His character too has many layers.
The slightly non linear screenplay makes sure that you are always in hunt for answers and the series has them ready at proper moments. The emotional quotient often does not work than does . They are not properly fleshed out.
What I found surprising was that characters spoke less slangs in this series (which is a forced trend in every series these days). The Bengali accent use is a bit of hit and miss with many nailing it while many missing it. Mita Vashisth's Bengali accent sometimes sound spot on sometimes awful.
The pacing tbh is a bit uneven. I lost interest at certain points due to this but it's not a big concern I eventually watched the whole series quite comfortably. Apart from Balwant , the other villains like Naman, Bismil etc are poorly shaped by the series. The songs used at many places are really good. The failure to establish proper emotions results in certain sequences like Shubhendu being cremated feel lifeless.
Overall, a decent one time entertaining series .
Another squandered opportunity by Bejoy
bluebloodripper26 October 2023
Ok let's understand why the same directors keep getting multiple opportunities even after they have shown so much times in the past they have no idea how to tell a story?!
Yes you want to keep churning out cheap pointless content as an ott just to show something new is available on your platform but please maintain some standards.
Either be Netflix or Apple tv but hotstar India content is questionable and seems lost. They keep releasing the same looking shows of applause and the others are also remakes.
My conclusion is - don't even watch this show if you have an existing hotstar paid account.
Yes you want to keep churning out cheap pointless content as an ott just to show something new is available on your platform but please maintain some standards.
Either be Netflix or Apple tv but hotstar India content is questionable and seems lost. They keep releasing the same looking shows of applause and the others are also remakes.
My conclusion is - don't even watch this show if you have an existing hotstar paid account.
How the syndicate controls...
agnomen-agnomen24 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Loved how the entire series was created, the going back n forth between the past to the present, plus it had the modernisation feel by showing regular love affairs, gay love - both male/female, patriotism can also be done if the person has the will... I'd definitely recommend. A very good example of how the people sitting in the US try to control the lives, politics, government of all other countries despite the fact that their own country is in the dump. Then shows how easy it is to get things done in our country by bribing officials... the list of officials includes people in all departments.
KAALA:-I liked it but could have been a love material
puranjanbasak30 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Kaala is a crime drama thriller show directed by bejoy nambiar.
A show devoid of emotional connection but high on technical flamboyance is a one very confusing. You don't get to know whether the latter is a device to cover for the former, or whether its a serious shortcoming. But what you cannot fault is jitin gulati's performance as balwant bir rana aka shakti arya. A person who is paranoid, shackled in her own character is a very difficult one to play, it can easily turn into a caricature, but gulati masters the balance between the two genders. I also liked the way avinash remains emotionless during his father's reemergence, signalling towards his emotionally distant childhood. He keeps pushing away at his mother too. But I cannot hail it as his best. Hiten tejwani does his best in an underwritten role. Other characters don't get that much space to leave a mark. A certain nod to the actual CM of west bengal by mita vashisht's character was great.
The writing and pacing of the series is inconsistent for sure. In the initial episodes, we feel the length despite them being around 30mins long. The major reason is the apparent confusion in the screenplay, and the flashbacks not making sense till that point. But from the 4th episode onwards, the non-linear screenplay structure starts making sense, we connect the timelines and events. The 7th episode is a writing masterclass in terms of tension building and suspense structure. The twist at the end of it will shock you. The series fails to connect us with the city of kolkata, and west bengal in general. There is a plethora of bengali actors in the series, some good names like biswanath chatterjee and suhotra mukherjee, but their role is very small and insignificant. The character writing of shakti arya and ritwik mukherjee are two of the show's strong points. Both of them have had a troubled childhood, daddy issues and both make their choices. Shakti arya's character arc genuinely makes you feel, him being a transgender makes sense, incorporated in the screenplay with a cause. Ritwick's arc is good, but emotionally distant like his character. We cannot feel for him, even if we want to.
The show excels in technical departments. The cinematography is breathtaking. The shots that they have used in the chasing sequences, the colour pallete of the series gives it an edge. Red colour in the paranoic scenes of ritwik and shakti's lives symbolises the inner turmoil and rage within. Green at the end of the series behind ritwick signifies a kind of peace. Blue in certain raid sequences gives us a sense of cold detachment. There is a though process behind these colours and bejoy nambiar gets it on point. The editing style is very stylish and sleek. Every episode starts with a cut-in scene where the sound and visual go hand in hand. The throdding editing during the paranoia scenes resemble the turmoil that the characters are going through. The background score is great, exhilarating during the chase and raids, while a synth music gives a peppy, sleek feel to the series. But the music is average. Some songs are good, but i m sorry to say that the rabindra sangeets have been badly tinkered with.
Some subsplots could have dealt with in a different way. Aaloka being a lesbian does not serve the story any purpose, the other partner could have been just a friend too. Also, the angle of a palpable flirty romance between the bankers shirish and varsha fails terribly. Its just a comic relief and nothing else.
A possible rating can be 7.75/10.
A show devoid of emotional connection but high on technical flamboyance is a one very confusing. You don't get to know whether the latter is a device to cover for the former, or whether its a serious shortcoming. But what you cannot fault is jitin gulati's performance as balwant bir rana aka shakti arya. A person who is paranoid, shackled in her own character is a very difficult one to play, it can easily turn into a caricature, but gulati masters the balance between the two genders. I also liked the way avinash remains emotionless during his father's reemergence, signalling towards his emotionally distant childhood. He keeps pushing away at his mother too. But I cannot hail it as his best. Hiten tejwani does his best in an underwritten role. Other characters don't get that much space to leave a mark. A certain nod to the actual CM of west bengal by mita vashisht's character was great.
The writing and pacing of the series is inconsistent for sure. In the initial episodes, we feel the length despite them being around 30mins long. The major reason is the apparent confusion in the screenplay, and the flashbacks not making sense till that point. But from the 4th episode onwards, the non-linear screenplay structure starts making sense, we connect the timelines and events. The 7th episode is a writing masterclass in terms of tension building and suspense structure. The twist at the end of it will shock you. The series fails to connect us with the city of kolkata, and west bengal in general. There is a plethora of bengali actors in the series, some good names like biswanath chatterjee and suhotra mukherjee, but their role is very small and insignificant. The character writing of shakti arya and ritwik mukherjee are two of the show's strong points. Both of them have had a troubled childhood, daddy issues and both make their choices. Shakti arya's character arc genuinely makes you feel, him being a transgender makes sense, incorporated in the screenplay with a cause. Ritwick's arc is good, but emotionally distant like his character. We cannot feel for him, even if we want to.
The show excels in technical departments. The cinematography is breathtaking. The shots that they have used in the chasing sequences, the colour pallete of the series gives it an edge. Red colour in the paranoic scenes of ritwik and shakti's lives symbolises the inner turmoil and rage within. Green at the end of the series behind ritwick signifies a kind of peace. Blue in certain raid sequences gives us a sense of cold detachment. There is a though process behind these colours and bejoy nambiar gets it on point. The editing style is very stylish and sleek. Every episode starts with a cut-in scene where the sound and visual go hand in hand. The throdding editing during the paranoia scenes resemble the turmoil that the characters are going through. The background score is great, exhilarating during the chase and raids, while a synth music gives a peppy, sleek feel to the series. But the music is average. Some songs are good, but i m sorry to say that the rabindra sangeets have been badly tinkered with.
Some subsplots could have dealt with in a different way. Aaloka being a lesbian does not serve the story any purpose, the other partner could have been just a friend too. Also, the angle of a palpable flirty romance between the bankers shirish and varsha fails terribly. Its just a comic relief and nothing else.
A possible rating can be 7.75/10.
See also
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