Kull Review: A royal drama with a modern body but a soap opera soul

Kull Story:

In a fictional town in Rajasthan, three siblings — Indirani (Nimrat Kaur), Kavya (Riddhi Dogra), and Abhimanyu (Amol Parashar) — have all come under one roof because their father/King, suffering from a mental illness, is about to make an important announcement. The next morning, the king is found dead, and everyone present — especially the three children — are the main suspects. The investigation opens many cans of worms, and now they must find out who the killer is and what exactly is happening.

Kull Review:

Ektaa Kapoor, who backs Kull – The Legacy of the Raisinghs, a new show on JioHotstar, has been one of the most prominent names in telling these stories on television. Her body of work on satellite has pretty much been dissected, criticized, and even looked down upon by many. But the Balaji head honcho has stood strong by the said content and is still producing a lot of it. So when she decides to tell a story in the streaming format that is everything ‘not television,’ she has to bring some of that grammar here and create a blend that brings new audiences to her and also caters to her old audience. But then, do cuss words and a sanskari bahu sit together right — and without looking forced? Well, Kull is that out-and-out attempt, and let's dissect whether it works or not.

Created by Sahir Raza (The Married Woman, Highway Love) and written by Chiranjeevi Bajpai (Highway Love, Feels Like Home), Kull is written by the same pen that has been trying to blend the lines between the format and grammar of TV and that of streaming. Whether that is the right battle to fight or not is a completely debatable subject, but that these stories are being commissioned in itself says they have takers. It is a show about a dying palace that desperately needs funding to not just stand tall but also help its dwellers have a life. The three siblings (four, if you count an illegitimate brother) have their own problems and daddy issues, but going bankrupt and being snatched of the power of being royals are the primary ones.

Kull, on the face of it, is packaged well. There is a decent budget, a visually compelling palace, and some very good actors playing characters that have nothing to do with the real world. They are purposely written to be caricatures of rich people we see around — a spoilt brat prince who knows nothing but drugs, womanising, and creating problems; an elder sister who looks after him no matter what and aspires to become something big; a middle sister who is technically holding this charade together by bringing funds and running the show.

The writing in parts in Kull is indeed very interesting — when it shapes Nimrat Kaur as Indrani, a woman who has partially succumbed to the orders of patriarchy but has also found her way up the ladder and demands an equal chair at the table. There is also a woman in her who can ignore all the wrongs in her younger sibling because she has nurtured him ever since their mother died in her third labour. The arc is captured in the most stunning way, as you see her greed for power growing and that affecting the mother in her for Abhimanyu. The final act of their relationship lands so well that it makes one feel — why was this not the poster conflict of this show?

Now, this conflict is padded by many things, and not all of it is very unique or consequential. That there is enmity between siblings — where one stayed back to build the empire and another only returns to eat the fruits — is a plot device done to death now, and when it unfolds for the umpteenth time in Kull, it feels repetitive. Kull is written in broad strokes, with no room for breathing parallel plots or nuances, because it is only hell-bent on reaching the end of the story.

The fact that it follows the blueprint where the culprit is revealed midway, and everything after that is an aftermath of the situation, doesn't help at all. Because once the mystery is out, everything after that is something you have seen in bits and pieces in a lot of shows. No one is bothered about the pace or the idea of telling a three-dimensional story. Everyone just wants you to look at the drama and nothing else. This is exactly where Kull stops being a streaming series and becomes another daily soap opera — until the final arc of Indrani and Abhimanyu's story begins.

The pretentious and completely uncomfortable way the show looks at sex and the queer community is a problem that has been consistent in content backed by the production house — and this is no different. Talking of acting, Nimrat Kaur is having fun with her part, and you can see it. Riddhi Dogra does what she has done before but is still very impressive. Amol Parashar gets to be the anti-hero for once and takes full advantage of the opportunity. His dialogues are pretty well written.

Kull Verdict:

Backed by Ektaa Kapoor’s Balaji Digital, Kull is a half-full bag situation where a lot of things work and a lot don’t, and that is not exactly how a well-made show is shaped.

Kull hits JioHotstar on May 2, 2025. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.