Kolonko review: Ritwick and Raima’s relationship drama is a curious case of prejudice

2.5/5

Story: Before getting married, Chaiti (Raima Sen) and Rongon (Ritwick Chakraborty) get into an agreement of honesty. They decide to come clear to each other in case of any extramarital affair. After 20 years of marriage, both fail to handle the truth. That leads to the final disaster.  

Also read: Exclusive! Sahana Dutta on Kolonko: This show is all about conflict between truth and lies 

Review: Clearly, Kolonko is made for a certain ‘target audience’ (often identified as a TV audience), completely ignoring the rest of the demography. While that is fair, the constant flow of judgements can be a little overbearing for the rest. The eight-episode-long web series is primarily built on the cornerstone of prejudice. It is also dotted with ‘reverse-woke-ism’ keeping subtlety at bay.   

Throughout the series, there has been an undertone of bias against couples who choose to redefine the definition of commitments in many ways. In the name of delving into the characters’ hypocrisy and contradictions, the plot upholds conventional marriages that 'flourish' on 'strategic lies and deception. This, in a time when open marriages and polyamory are a legit reality all around the world, seems myopic and irrationally preachy. 

The show, like many other Sahana Dutta’s shows, also tries to touch upon toxic femininity. It goes without saying that like toxic masculinity, toxic femininity is harmful. The core idea comes from patriarchy and should be talked about. However, like almost all of Sahana’s series, this takes twisted turns and the problem lies in writing.

Also read: Raima Sen on Kolonko: Sahana Dutta is a brilliant creator known for her impactful storytelling 

However, despite the bias, Kolonko could have been a fun watch purely because of its making. It is not. The show is long, often dragged by underwhelming dialogues and repetitions. There are shots of characters in conversation with their conscience and those run for ages. The plot is weak as the makers give away the idea from the beginning. So you know what happens in the end. 

In fact, it could have been a tight thriller with the last accident taking centerstage. Incidentally, the ending hints at a thrilling second season, hopefully sans any relationship advice.     

In the series, Rongon is a ‘man of his word’ and Raima Sen is the queen of contradictions. Both the actors are good in their performance. In fact, Ritwick captures the character skillfully and makes Rongon rather believable. Aujopa Mukherjee impresses with her brief but organic and humorous presence. Ambarish and Ritwick’s conversations are the high points of the show. The character of Piya – Rongon and Chaiti’s daughter – lacks subtlety and hence becomes unconvincing. A bit more of Konkona, aka Srijla Guha, could have been refreshing. Srijla does justice to her character within her limited presence. 

Verdict: Kolonko is the same television-like content that Hoichoi produces, minus the social cause. Being borderline regressive comes organically with them. Watch it if you enjoy watching Bengali serials.