04-05-2025
‘Kull: The Legacy of the Raisingghs' review: Power struggle in the palace
An eight-episode game of thrones unfolds in the financially stretched palace of the royal Raisingghs of Bilkaner, a fictitious town in Rajasthan, in Kull: The Legacy of the Raisingghs (JioHotstar). Maharaj Chandra 'Chandu' Prasad Gulab Raisinggh (Rahul Vohra) is broke, apparently living with Alzheimer's disease, but adamant that his opulent palace should not be put up for sale. He is also about to make a long-held family secret public—news that perturbs his best friend and Chief Minister Jograaj (Rohit Tiwari).
The king has three legitimate children who tussle over their inheritance and future prospects. None seem to care much for their troubled father—except his illegitimate and deeply loyal son, Brij. Brij (Gaurav Arora) is the oldest, followed by daughter Indrani (Nimrat Kaur), who was betrothed as a child bride to Jograaj's son Vikram (Suhaas Ahuja). Vikram's own political ambitions lie by the wayside and the couple are often taunted for being childless.
Kavya (Riddhi Dogra) suffers from middle-child syndrome. She's orchestrating a business deal to save the family and their palace from bankruptcy. Kavya is barely acknowledged by her father and lacks the support her older sister unquestioningly showers on the youngest child, Prince Abhimanyu (Amol Parashar). After Queen Madhu died giving birth to Abhimanyu, Indrani has doted on him like a mother. Abhimanyu is the quintessential, tone-deaf, entitled brat, and Parashar embodies him without hesitation—especially when intoxicated.
In this series created by Ekta R. Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor and directed by Sahir Raza, the men are united by a shared flaw—they are all seeking validation from their respective fathers. The families are dysfunctional and plagued by toxic relationships. In modern times, the patriarchal traditions are challenged by the determination, sincerity, and shrewdness of the women. As one character says, 'This is not just the story of the royals—this is the story of every home'.
As the chess pieces are moved by wannabe kings, kingmakers, and politicos, the characters morph. Some grow, some pivot—like Indrani, Vikram, and Brij, who react and adapt to changing circumstances. Others, like Kavya, remain unchanged. Abhimanyu, who catalyses several of the events and crises, is the series' biggest misstep (written by Althea Kaushal and Tarana Raja), as his character never evolves out of black-and-white wrongdoing into the grey. A police officer named Bhagwan, assigned to a murder investigation at the palace, is bizarrely smug, and there's an orphaned child with whom Indrani has an inexplicably clingy relationship. The director is overly partial to vertical transitions, which becomes especially distracting during a crucial reveal in episode four.
Dogra is consistent as the frustrated yet reasonable Kavya—except in moments where she crumbles into a whining, complaining mess. Kaur gets the most complex arc with Indrani, who finally sets aside her dutiful, sacrificing, maternal instincts for some self-regard. Kaur is fantastic in the scenes where she claims agency and later when she realises she cannot manage or save the situation. The actors are the best part of a show that, despite some interesting plotting, falters on paper, muddling soap opera tropes into a web series.
First Published: 4 May 2025, 05:14 PM IST
