look news india
These days, there is a huge demand for crime, thriller and woman centric content on Indian OTT platforms. In this series, the much talked about new web series ‘Akka’ has been released among the audience. This series, starring National Award winning actress Keerthy Suresh, who has proved her mettle in South Indian cinema, and Radhika Apte, considered the queen of OTT, was in the news since its announcement. Seeing two such big and talented actresses sharing the screen together was a big attraction for every cinema lover. However, despite the strong star cast and excellent performances, the series fails to create the magic that was expected from it due to its weak writing process and scattered script. Let us know what is so special about this series and where it goes wrong.
The biggest strength of the series is the brilliant acting of its lead starcast i.e. Keerthy Suresh and Radhika Apte. The ease and depth with which Keerthy Suresh has portrayed the complexities of her character, her anger and her desire for revenge, is a living testament to her acting skills. On the other hand, Radhika Apte has once again proved how adept she is at playing difficult and mentally challenging roles. Both the actresses have given full life to their respective characters. Whenever these two powerhouse performers come together on screen, the tension and on-screen chemistry between them keeps the audience engaged. The supporting cast has also done full justice to their respective roles and on the technical front, the cinematography and background score look quite impressive.
The backbone of any thriller series is its story and screenplay, but this is where ‘Akka’ loses the most. The director and writers created two very powerful female characters, but failed to give them a tight and engaging story structure. The atmosphere of curiosity and mystery that is created in the initial episodes gradually begins to wane as it progresses. The story feels deviating from its main stream at many places. It seems to lack the kind of unexpected twists and turns and pacing required in the thriller genre. This is the reason why despite the excellent work of the actresses, the audience is not able to connect with the story with the depth that is required to become a cult series.
In the mid-episodes of the series, the pace of the story becomes so slow that the audience starts feeling bored. There are many scenes which seem to drag on without any particular reason, which weakens the suspense of the main plot. Apart from this, many excellent series have already been made on the theme of revenge and women empowerment, hence nothing new or innovative is seen in ‘Akka’. Most of the twists used in it are quite predictable. The writer has resorted to the clichéd methods of traditional revenge drama, due to which the audience’s enthusiasm completely cools down by the time the climax is reached.
If we talk about the technical aspects of the series, its cinematography and visual tone are quite excellent. The way the shots have been composed, it conveys the dark and thriller mood of the story very well. Background music also helps a lot in setting the mood of the scene. However, some laxity is clearly visible on the direction front. If the director had reduced the stretch of the screenplay and kept the editing more tight, this series could have become a memorable experience. Poor editing makes many episodes feel forcedly long, which detracts from the overall impact of the series.
Overall, the web series ‘Akka’ has become a project which had immense potential, but poor writing ruined it. If you are a die-hard fan of Keerthy Suresh and Radhika Apte and want to watch something just for their powerful performances, then this series is a must watch. But if you are expecting a tight, suspenseful and hair-raising crime thriller, then this series may definitely disappoint you a bit. Despite the presence of strong actresses, the weak story ultimately proved to be the biggest reason for the downfall of this series.