Srivathsan Nadadhur

Arabia Kadali starts with an obvious disadvantage, basing its premise on incidents that have already inspired a widely watched Telugu film, Thandel (a major hit this year). It tells the story of fishermen from Andhra Pradesh arrested in Pakistan for straying into foreign waters, waiting tirelessly to return home and reunite with their loved ones, which feels like a distant dream by the day. The show, co-written by Krish Jagarlamudi (and Chintakindi Srinivas Rao), underlines the extraordinary grit and persistence of the fishermen, while a woman back home fights tooth and nail to ensure their release. The VV Surya Kumar directorial begins by casting light on the mundane realities of fishermen, their debt-ridden families, the air of hopelessness that pushes them to migrate to Gujarat for employment and the exploitation of the corporates.

Sanjay Kataria, a struggling lawyer in Ghaziabad, scrapes through his daily life with his wife and two children with great difficulty. He faces resistance from his father in letting out a room in his ancestral property for rent, and continues to bicker with his brother over monetary issues. When Sanjay’s rebellious daughter Naina suddenly goes missing on her birthday, his life comes to a standstill. Rajesh Tailang is a perfect casting choice to play the average Indian middle-class father who tries to keep the family together, come what may. He mirrors the role’s simplicity and lends warmth to the portrayal of a man hardened by situations. Sheeba Chaddha, expectedly, is fabulous, in the shoes of a wife whose life rolls along selflessly.

An upright army officer Vijay Menon, while being a caring husband to Meher, struggles to raise his son, Harman with the same compassion. When Vijay nabs two suspects in his pursuit of a terrorist, Mohsin, his son Harman is kidnapped. Torn between his motherland and blood, a conflicted Vijay is forced to make a tough choice, one that’s bound to have serious repercussions many years later. Prithviraj Sukumaran, in the shoes of Vijay Menon, is excellent as the stoic, tough father, hardened by circumstances. He infuses life and sincerity into the father-son drama with a tour de force act. The star receives ample support from Kajol, who returns to form in style with a memorable, crucial role, in what is like an antithesis to her part in Fanaa. Both the actors truly shine as performers.

Officer Rea Thomas and a former cop, Vikram Singh, investigate gruesome ritualistic killings marked by mandala symbols. The narrative connects to the 1950s, where a widowed scientist, Nandini, creates a wish-granting device upon a sinister warning from Rukmini. Ultimately, Vikram’s kidnapping for a sacrifice to revive the deity Yast forces Rea to confront her grandmother’s history to stop the deadly ritual. It feels like Vani Kapoor has built a wall around herself while playing Rea; the portrayal is too ordinary, and the character lacks a strong identity to make any impact. Gullak-fame Vaibhav Raj Gupta is decent as Vikram, but there’s nothing remarkable about the role. In an extended cameo, Shriya Pilgaonkar is the show’s most effective performer, who embraces her greys with immense conviction.

Adarsh, a journalist and the founder of a struggling newspaper, is shocked to discover his wife Naina’s sex tape with a male escort Sunny. In a vain bid for revenge, Adarsh resorts to Sunny’s help to turn a gigolo himself. While Adarsh surprisingly finds himself at home in an alien territory, at the cost of his professional career, Sunny’s life falls apart gradually. Vineet Kumar Singh, embracing newer challenges at every given opportunity, shines yet again in Rangeen, continuing his dream run in 2025 after impressive performances in Superboys of Malegoan and Jaat. As an average man, unaware of his casual misogyny and learns of his problems with time, the actor charts Adarsh’s evolution in the show with depth and confidence.

At a tech summit, AI scientist Dr Piyush Bhargav is kidnapped, and a RAW officer, Vinod Shekhawat, is killed. Months from his retirement, Himmat Singh is entrusted with the task of bringing Bhargav back. Meanwhile, his former superior, Subramanyam, who has lost his wife to a terminal illness, threatens dire consequences if bank defaulter Jignesh Dholakia isn’t put behind bars. Kay Kay Menon, much like his character, leads from the front with the right composure and level-headedness, scoring big in the tense, crucial moments, without missing out on the tenderness in the seemingly insignificant segments. A flamboyant Karan Tacker, a chiselled Muzammul Ibrahim, a no-nonsense Saiyami Kher, and an enthusiastic Shikha Talsania make for a solid team, contributing their bit to the show, doing what’s expected of them.

Chitti Jaya Puram, a village, faces a shortage of burial plots in its graveyard. Apoorva, the newly appointed village head, is struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her father, Subbaraju. She teams up with Chinna, the graveyard caretaker, to resolve the crisis. However, as time progresses, the village descends into chaos, losing its way, fighting over the right to a dignified burial. Keerthy Suresh struggles to find her element in a part as half-baked as her performance. She should’ve been the powerhouse that salvaged the film from its weak spots, yet her portrayal makes you feel quite the opposite. There’s no doubt about Suhas’s abilities, but one can’t simply make a career by doing different versions of the same role – the marginalised, vulnerable man craving for identity.

As the health of the middle-aged Kaalidhar declines, his family attempts to abandon him permanently. After orchestrating a will in their favour, they leave him at a Kumbh Mela. Lost and with nowhere to go, Kaalidhar discovers an unlikely companion in Ballu, an orphaned child from a nearby village, who instils new hope in his life and later reunites with an old flame, Meera. Abhishek Bachchan is finding his groove admirably in his recent outings, more so in the OTT space, with roles that befit his age, physicality and strengths. Kaalidhar Lapata extracts a controlled, mature performance from the actor, who slips into the skin of his role with flair. He has more than solid company in the form of Daivik Baghela as Ballu, who delivers a fabulously spontaneous act. The formidable supporting cast – comprising Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Vishwanath Chatterjee, Madhulika Jatoliya, Priyank Tiwari and Priya Yadav – and the sweet little cameo by Nimrat Kaur, contribute to its overall appeal.