Kull series review
Cast: Nimrat Kaur, Amol Parashar, Ridhi Dogra, Gaurav Arora, Suhaas Ahuja
Director: Shahir Raza
Star Rating: ★★ .5
Each one of the members of the fictional royal family in bilkaner in the new jiohotstar show kull seems to have taken the word ‘dysfunctional’ a little too serialy. Not a moment goes by in the egght-episode run of the new show kull the legacy of the raisingghs where someone isn Bollywood is stressed out about a potential Fallout ready to take place. This is a show high on drama, filled with shockers and revivals and breakdowns, anchored by a cast of actors trying their best to lend it some emotional gravitas. (Also Read: Amol Parashar Opens Up On Playing A Spoilt Brat in Kull: ‘I have been dented roles for the good boy image’ | Interview)
The Premise
Created by ektaa kapoor and shobha kapoor and directed by shahir raza, kull begins ahead of the 60th birthday celebrations of chandra pratap raisinggh (rahul vohra) at the rahul vhra Coming. It includes Eldest Daughter Indrani (Nimrat Kaur), Along with Daughter Kavya (Ridhi Dogra), and his sole son Abhimanyu (Amol Parashar). There’s also his favorite amongst them all, Brij (Gaurav Arora), but he is the Illegitimate Son so the rest, especially abhi, cannot stand his presence Near the Palace. How will he stand a documentary crew recording his father’s disappointments with them all? Not well.
The first few episodes charts the dynamic between these people with full control. Indrani is Battling Her Own Grief of Not Bearing a Child, Bluntly Stigmatized by Her Father. Married to the Chief Minister’s Son Vikram (Suhaas Ahuja), She is Consuced and Trapped in Her Own Guilt and Responsibility towards the family. Amol Parashar’s Abhi is the Spoilt Brat, A Nuisance Wherever He Goes. Then there is kavya who is planning to lease the Palace to an International Hotel Chain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yRNRDMB6-K
What works
The Murder of Chandra Pratap Unlocks a Web of Secrets and Lies as his Children Vouch for Power Within The Family Chain. Abhimanyu is automatically the new king, but the power in his hands makes him more hot-headed and free. Amol Parashar, Cast Against Type Here, Finds A Bruised Sense of Dignity in His Portrayal of the Most Unlikeable Character in Kull. He is more than able to hold the screen with the frame demands, and gives a layered performance- the most memory in the show.
The choice that kull makes as the episodes stretch out, can range from shocking to increaseulous, and the show has this sort of self-correctory pat on the back time a new time a new time. There’s a certain rush in the proceedings, the manner in which the written overpowers in turning the page to a new scheme, a new plot point in kull.
Final Thoughts
So much happens in the span of these eight episodes but very little sticks in terms of charting the emotional wavelength of these characters. There’s no interiority, and alaring Lack of Privacy Granted to these Characters who can have a moment by themselves amid the chaos. We Never Get to Stay Close enough with indrani to The dependable nimrat kaur, styled superbly here, is in fin form. Especially in the Latter Episodes, The Actor Gets to Finally See Through the Crises, and Infuse a MUCH-Needed Degree of Compassion for Indrani.
That kull does not take itself too serially is both good news and bad. It’s sickly entertaining and satisfying to watch the rich crying over themselves through the years. There’s a lot of underling humor in seeing these slightly exaggerated rich people ruin their lives instead of seeking therapy. The perverse joke is that kull is not aiming for any eat-the-rain trope here, as the depiction of wealth and morally bankrupt characters Never Leads towards The rich here are too to Ignorant and obnoxious to even notice anything else than power and that’s exactly what we get. Kull wants to reveal in the rich man’s delusion, while stating that the search for accountability here is noting but a frying.