Karm Yuddh Review : "Saddled by multiple convoluted storyline, struggles to be salvaged by committed performances"

Battle for property and supremacy. Fraternal fracas.Twisty Power games.A beautiful Kolkata at the backdrop. Karm Yuddh, directed by Ravi Adhikari of Sri Adhikari Brothers Productions fame, has all the essential elements of an intriguing thriller involving warring brothers to take over the reigns of the powerful Roy business dynasty that has multiple threads in the family.

 

The show begins with an interesting anecdote around Lion in the jungle and Croc in the waters. It is the story of one throne that has many takers. At the helm, there is Bhisham Roy( Sathish Kaushik) , the elder son of the late Yash Roy who is at loggerheads with Indrani Roy( Paoli Dam), second wife of the quadriplegic younger son, Vardhan Roy( Rajesh Khattar). And there is Yash Roy's illegitimate son, Guru Shastri,  played by Ashutosh Rana.

 

When the factory owned by Bhisham is burnt and 40 workers are massacred inside triggering a police investigation( headed by Anjana Sukhani and Akash Dhar) to find out if it was an accident or a premeditated operation, the needle of suspicion points to many, including the head of a Naxals gang. Caught in the quagmire is the friendship between Abhimanyu( Ankit Bisht) and Samar( Pranay Pachauri) who are the stepson of Indrani and younger son of Guru Shastri. While Abhi, with an image of a compulsive molester and stalker, has a strained equation with Indrani, Samar has nosedived into youth politics and stands against Bhisham.

 

Karm Yuddh has an interesting premise but the story, written by Rehan Khan and Sarim Momin, has too many threads which is difficult to absorb by the viewer. Adhikari stages the confrontations between the characters well, but it gets tedious and stretchy after a time. I felt entangled with the mess of this political game where everyone is using the other as a pawn. Karm Yuddh, soon, wears off it's novelty.

 

Shot sumptuously amidst the tea plantations and hilly areas of Himachal ( DoP Sunita Radia), and often with the backdrop of the imposing Howrah Bridge, the characters don't resonate with the ethnicity and the deep-rooted culture of Bengal, that we have seen so intricately imbibed in films like Kahaani or Piku. Just a few lines in Bengali here and there that strictly doesn't add up to the ethos.

 

The performances are earnest and try to salvage it's shortcomings. Paoli Dam embodies a subdued yet fiery Indrani, who is all set to conquer the game. In the battle of power, it's the men who fight but it's the queens who rule. She says it with an unmistakable and gritty gaze. Ashutosh Rana struggles hard to breathes fire into this part. Chandan Roy Sanyal as the shrewd and opportunist journo head is an equally delectable watch. Rajesh Khattar is cornered. I found Sathish Kaushik a complete misfit to the world of Roys. The younger brigade comprising Pranay Pachauri, Ankit Bisht, Madhurima Roy, Soundarya Roy and Tara Alisha Berry render earnest performances.

 

On the whole, Karm Yuddh is a good tale of revenge exciting moments are in deficiency. You can only enjoy it if you watch it scattered parts, taking good amount of breaks.