Karmma Calling Review: Raveena Tandon’s Revenge adaptation is a delightfully unpleasant show with a White Lotus vibe | Web Series News
A mysterious young woman parachutes into the highly perfumed, tight-knit community of Alibaug, a small oasis of privilege and wealth near Mumbai, and everyone is going crazy: Who is Karma? where is it from How did he manage to buy a big house on the beach next to the richest Kotari family?
Many a hornet in many a nest is well and truly excited and as the sleek, elegant Karma (Namrata Shetty) begins to strut her stuff – after seizing upon resident diva Indrani Kothari. (Raveena Tandon) who ruled Bollywood in the 90s and is now the undisputed empress of her exclusive little patch and eye-popping Kottar handsome Ahaan (Varun Sood) – we know there’s something naughty coming this way.
The big reveal, a childhood tragedy in which Karma’s righteous father (Rohit Roy) is unfairly implicated in a scam, comes pretty quickly. And to begin with, when we know the depth of depravity of some of the main characters, we sympathize with this wounded young woman as she follows those who ruined her father’s life and therefore hers. But soon, as he continues to cross one line after another, we’re forced to ask, like the character in the series, how much is too much? How long can he keep doing this without it turning over?
For the most part, everything is kept well in seven episodes of “Karma Calling,” officially adapted from Mike Kelly’s “Revenge” by series director Ruchi Narain. It’s the kind of delightfully silly show that revels in its craft, and the cast seems to have gotten the memo: a range of characters keep popping up to keep our interest fixed, and aside from a few places where some laziness creeps in, I kept up with this well-crafted, well-crafted tale of vengeance and revenge. A cleverly formed fairy tale.
It has a “white lotus” atmosphere, which is largely lit, darkened for nasty bits – there are gunshots and a body on the beach in the first episode – and things expand just as they should for daytime soap dummies. No one will find it difficult to understand the motives and consequences: “Karmma Calling” does not cause any ambiguity. The actors match the tone and tenor. As a woman with buried insecurities that surface when she looks back, Raveena Tandon has her moments and her star persona is clearly the reason the show got the green light.
It’s lesser known faces like Shetty in the lead role of Karma, a girl who will leave no one unscathed in her quest for revenge, that make an impact. There’s a nice confidence to his Karma, although you’d like a bit more modulation in his delivery. Varun Sood as a rich young man who wants to be better, Amy Aela as a pole-climbing girl who knows full well how greasy she can be, Masi Wali as a rich boy’s oily friend, as well as Piyush Khatt. , last seen in “The Class,” as a working-class youth who wants to make it big, all stand out. A special mention for Viraf Patel as the sly, clever ginger who is Karma’s only ally: every time he comes, things jump.
Repetitive loops and awkward bits abound, but I didn’t mind as that’s par for the course for a series like this. An array of swishy designer clothes, scheming monsters about to make their climbs, and bare daggers beneath sweet smiles: it doesn’t weigh down the pulsating vision of the brain, which is easily dislodged.
Karmma Calling actress: Ravena Tandon, Namrata Shetty, Walusha, Varun Sood, Rohit Roy, Gaurav Sharma, Viraf Patel, Amy Aela, Masi Vali, Piyush Khat,
Rachit Singh
Karmma Calling Director: Ruchi Narain
Karmma Calling rating: three stars
