All the Rage, Wrath and Chaos leave us unfazed - Om Kali Jai Kali Review | Vimal | JioHotstar Tamil

Om Kali Jai Kali promised to unleash the magic of a story set in the regional festivities of Goddess Mutharamman Temple's Dussehra celebrations and Director Ramu Chellappa fulfilled this promise with his grand visuals, shot in real locations.

Was that enough?

Actor Vimal in Om Kali Jai Kali

The story revolves around a young girl Neela, played by Queency Stanly, who is exploited by her brothers for their political gain. She falls in love with the driver of a potential MLA candidate, her brothers' boss, and he helps her escape her tortured life. She finds her freedom , family and home in a village called Vanadesam. They become a family of three and her brothers get a sniff of her new life.

The plot revolves around the town of people of Vanadesam protecting the young mother and daughter from her villainous brothers.

Ganesan, played by Vimal, the leader of the Dussehra Group and the one who adorns the coveted guise of Goddess Kali during the temple festivities, gets caught in the misfire between the siblings and the story kickstarts from there.

Om Kali Jai Kali Hotstar Series Review

Om Kali Jai Kali had the potential to grasp the audience in its fingertips. However, by the end of the 3rd episode, the plot wears down to a classic revenge plot between a group of villagers and thugs.

The action sequences were gripping and the blood bath spiked the adrenaline. But the audience failed to make meaningful connections with any character except Neela, played by Queency Stanly, and Kathadi, a jack-of-all-trades, played by "Bandit Queen" Seema Biswas. A well-thought out character sketch, written to milk the acting prowess of a legendary actor like Seema Biswas and she nailed the role to its pulp.

Bigg Boss fame Queency Stanly played her role with conviction as an innocent teenager, a menacing women and a fierce mother.

The lead actor Vimal is almost reduced to a side role in his own story due to the excessive screen time dedicated to a pack of textbook antagonists from the 90s' era except VJ Maheshwari. She adds a shiny grey stroke to blobs of black.

Pavni Reddy in Om Kali Jai Kali

The cast and their actions were predictable leaving no room for edge of the seat plot twists. Punches and stabs fly one after the other with a pack of wolves betraying each other with vile acts, only to leave the audience befuddled in a web of gore.

The dialogues and dialect sounded original and a first of its kind in a rural drama. However, the cuss words felt forced and unwarranted.

The series did not tap a half of its potential even with Actor Vimal, in the garb of Goddess Kali, enthralling the audience for a few brief moments. Director Ramu Chellappa reveals nothing about Ganesan, the Dussehra Group's Leader, played by Actor Vemal. The group's ecstatic show of spiritual revelry was highest point in the series. The bond they share with each other failed to reach the audience since their story was left unsaid.

Vimal in Om Kali Jai Kali

Ganja Karuppu, Vijay TV Pugazh and Douglas Kumaramoorthy, played an equal role in engaging the audience in a spiritual high as Saamiyadies. However, the supporting cast including Shivin Ganesan were robbed of a sizeable screen time since a meaty chunk of the episodes were dedicated to lengthy action sequences and puzzling narrative of the antagonists that failed to add strength to the story.

The second lead played by Dhivya Dhuraisamy played her role with a believable authenticity.

Pugazh and Pavani making a special appearance in the movie, left the highest impact on the audience. They were fun, likable and deadly in their performances. Their absence left gaping holes in the following episodes as the existing characters were severely under-used throughout the series.

Om Kali Jai Kali was marketed as a rooted regional webseries bringing to light the celebratory rituals of Goddess Kali. However, the Goddess makes only a brief encounter, never to re-appear again.

The 5-episode series was shouldered by Queency Stanly and legendary artist Seema Biswas and they pulled off a heist hastily, with time left in hand.

Seema Biswas in Om Kaali Jai Kaali streaming on JioHostar

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Watch Om Kali Jai Kali, directed by Rami Chellappa, starring Vimal, Pavani Reddy, Pugazh, Queency Stantly, Dhivya Dhuraisamy, VJ Maheshwari, Shivin Ganesan and Ganja Karuppu on JioHotstar.