Karmma Calling Review: Melodramatic Crime Series is Full of Plot Holes

In this drama-thriller series, there are a lot of hateful stares and passion for revenge as Karma Talwar tries her best to avenge her father’s wrongful conviction (and death) years ago. Now facing off against the feisty Indrani Kothari, who doesn’t shy away from letting everyone know that she hates everyone, will she be able to get what she wants without falling under Indrani’s dangerous scrutiny?

Karmma Calling is, surprisingly, a good story.. at first. The intricacies of Karma’s revenge are quite interesting to watch and the moment the series starts, you immediately come face-to-face with a threatening and tense rivalry that, even though not new, is deliciously entertaining. The thing about thrillers is that we always love watching a rivalry; the question of who will win at the end and whether or not justice will prevail is a delicious bit of entertainment that always works, of course, if done right.

Raveena Tandon’s entry to the small screen suits her well. She looks great as Indrani Kothari and carries a charisma that is hard to ignore. Although she’s a negative character, it’s difficult to not watch her or even sometimes root for her because she does the bad guy stuff so well. The backstory of the rivalry between her and Karma is simple enough, one that we have watched many times in the past, so there’s nothing new or shocking there. The reason you keep watching this drama-thriller, however, is because you want to see how far Indrani goes or when she gets to know about Karma’s truth and whether or not the latter comes out as a winner in the end.

That being said, Namrata Sheth, as Karma Tandon, isn’t able to sell the conviction of being someone ready to die for revenge. Most of her dialogues are delivered in such a way that she sounds stiff like cardboard. She exudes confusion rather than rage and determination. I understand what they were going for, but Sheth doesn’t fit that part although she looks at everyone with a quiet hatred that works in her favour. The dialogues aren’t also that great and don’t sell the thrill and resolve of a revenge saga all that well.

The real problem starts after the first few episodes of Karmma Calling and it goes down unnecessarily complicated paths that just feel stupid after a bit. There are moments in the last three episodes, for example, the necessity of Ahaan’s odd friend or Sameer’s obsessive need to please Indrani, that will make you scratch your head. They added an extra layer of twists and turns that the series frankly did not need. Keeping it a little less silly would’ve benefited it quite well but alas, Hindi thrillers can hardly ever understand when they go overboard with the spices that they add to their soups.

Plus, Indrani becomes a dumb and confused child and far from the feisty woman that we expected her to be. She gets swayed easily and isn’t able to figure things out on her own. It takes away from her character and makes me wonder whether a rivalry between Karma and Sameer would’ve benefited viewers more.

But, the biggest issue with this series is that there is no resolution. It literally ends on a random note, with no tie-ins with the first scene that apparently will now be discussed in the second season for some reason. It’s infuriating that all shows do this these days without giving the audiences anything to latch on to. No resolution for anything happens and all the big questions are left unanswered for you to sit and wonder!

Karmma Calling Review: Conclusion

Full of plot holes and unnecessary twists and turns, Karmma Calling is a silly and dramatic watch that you will enjoy if you expect less from it. At the end of this rather short, yet long, watch, we are left with no resolutions and a series that is not good enough for you to wait for another season for the answers.

Karmma Calling is streaming on Disney+ Hostar.

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