'Karmma Calling': Raveena Tandon's show needed to dig deeper to find its true calling

Cast: Raveena Tandon, Namrata Sheth, Varun Sood, Vikramjeet Virk, Waluscha D’Souza

Director: Ruchi Narain

Language: Hindi

Karmma Calling, the new show on Disney Plus Hotstar, is a remake of Revenge, a show that was made in the West. Raveena Tandon headlines this Ruchi Narain directorial that shows her as a starlet from the 90s who’s now the reigning queen of Alibaug. And that automatically allows the show to have a massive room for scale and style, grandeur, and because it’s all about revenge and karma, a sprinkle of grit too.

Unlike the heroes of the 90s, the actresses are showing far riskier traits by opting for roles that allow them to showcase their versatility and also embrace the fact they are of a certain age. Sushmita Sen did that in Arya, Kajol in The Trial, and now Tandon with Karmma Calling. They don’t feel the need to de-age themselves and romance heroes half their age. And Tandon here walks the tightrope of being charismatic and cold-blooded.

And then we have the younger lot- Namrata Sheth and Varun Sood (built like a tank). There’s palpable tension in the room and awkwardness in the air when the central characters of the show are in the same room, mainly because they have to give grounds for the title of the show they are a part of. There are hushed whispers, deceit, shocks, and traumas that make for a semi-intriguing series that only needed to be dug deeper.

Shades of grey

What’s also interesting is to see how the actresses aren’t only embracing shades of grey physically but emotionally too. Karmma Calling is a world where nobody can be trusted, and everyone is a suspect. There cannot be a world more imprecise and imperfect than the world of Bollywood and the supposed socialites, that reek of snootiness and self-conceit. As Karan Johar once famously said- “Behind the scenes and beneath the sheets .” And given the director has earlier helmed Guilty that starred Kiara Advani, there’s no question of predicting what’s coming your way next.

Too much restrain?

But Karmma Calling is marred by its quietness. There are certain senses where characters hold their emotions when there are opportunities for confrontations and conflicts. It raises a question as to how much restrain is too much restrain. Had the narrative loosened up a bit more, the show could’ve found its true calling.

Karmma Calling is now streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar