Chamak Series Review – Good Music & Performances, Messy Plot

Posted on December 10, 2023

BOTTOM LINE: Good Music & Performances, Messy Plot

What Is the Story About?

SonyLIV’s newest sequence ‘Chamak’ is ready within the backdrop of the colourful music scene in Punjab, together with the ills that plague it. The sequence can be a homicide and crime drama, within the guise of a musical.

Kaala (Paramvir Singh Cheema) lands in Chandigarh after fleeing cops in Canada. He aspires to be successful singer-rapper in Punjab, however is waylaid by an earth-shattering revelation about his previous, linked to legendary Punjabi singer Tara Singh and his mysterious homicide years in the past.

Chamak is created, written and directed by Rohit Jugraj, and produced by Geetanjali Mehelwa Chauhan, Rohit Jugraj Chauhan and Sumeet Dubey.

Performances?

Paramvir Singh Cheema is excellent as Kaala, particularly in his unhinged moments. He performs the mercurial character with flare and flourish. Gippy Grewal is suitably charismatic in his cameo because the legendary singer, Tara Singh. Isha Talwar lends commendable help as one other aspiring singer, Jasmine Narula, aka Jazz.

Suvinder Vicky returns as one more heavyweight character after his latest Kohrra on Netflix. He has an arresting display screen presence as Jugal Brar. Manoj Pahwa is environment friendly as ever, in his position as music tycoon Pratap Deol. Mohit Malik delivers a nuanced efficiency as his son, Guru. Navneet Nishan is a delight to look at as Rocky. Why she is just not seen on display screen extra is sort of mystifying, and a shameful waste of her great expertise. The remainder of the solid is suitably ample.

Evaluation

Chamak begins intriguingly in 1998, with the gunning down of a well-liked singer within the midst of a packed efficiency in a Punjab village. The motion fast-forwards to current day Canada, and we see Kaala in a Vancouver jail. He has a propensity for bed-wetting and violence, however can be a gifted rapper. Out on bail, he has a run-in with the cops once more, as a consequence of which he has to flee to India by way of the US and Mexico. The method is labeled the progressive time period “reverse Dunki” within the sequence.

As soon as in Punjab, Kaala slogs it out to attain his dream of changing into successful singer – rapper. Alongside the way in which, he makes associates with one other wannabe singer, Jazz. A surprising discovery about his previous and lineage sends Kaala down a rabbit-hole of vengeance and the hunt for the reality.

Sundry characters pop as much as propel Kaala alongside in his journey to the reality – a hard-nosed journalist, a music tycoon with a dysfunctional household, a doyen of music, and extra. The sequence ends on a cliffhanger, with neither Kaala nor the viewers any nearer to the reality.

The terrific music is the spotlight of the sequence. Stalwarts akin to Gippy Grewal, Mika Singh, Malkit Singh, MC Sq., Afsana Khan, Asees Kaur, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kanwar Grewal, Shashwat Singh, and Harjot Kaur chip in so as to add heft to the glowing soundtrack of the sequence. Just a few even make cameos within the story.

A number of instances within the sequence, the spectre of honour killings raises its head. Punjab’s raging drug menace additionally finds place within the narrative, together with deal with homophobia amidst poisonous masculinity. By the tip, the makers appear confused concerning the style they’re aiming for – is it a triumph of the underdog story, or a revenge saga; a household drama or a message-driven chronicle. The very fact is that Chamak is one thing else altogether – a loopy mish-mash, with pulsating music at its core.

The characterisations within the story are good. No character is black or white – shades of gray dominate the narrative. One’s coronary heart goes out to the tiny child that’s Guru’s childhood model, however equally to Prabhat Deol and his discernable loneliness. The opposite characters are fleshed out effectively too, making the sequence a research in human nature.

The languid tempo of the storytelling is problematic, as is the overly lengthy runtime. Why Indian content material creators ape their western counterparts and preserve one-hour lengthy episodes once they don’t have anything a lot to relate is past our understanding. The messy storyline is a downer too – the plot is solely in all places. Watch Chamak if you happen to should, however preserve one finger firmly on the fast-forward button to hurry up the tediously sluggish sequence.

Music and Different Departments?

Manna Singh, Sunny M.R., Parth Parekh, and Vikram Montrose’s music is excellent. The music of Chamak is the spotlight of the sequence. Sandeep Yadav’s cinematography is nice, however not excellent by any means.