Rating – ***1/2 (3.5/5)
Khalbali Records
Streaming on: JioCinema
Cast: Ram Kapoor, Skand Thakur, Saloni Batra, Prabh Deep, Salonie Patel, Kumar Varun, Vikaas Verma & more
Creator: Devanshu Singh
It’s fascinating to think the sheer impact Gully Boy managed to create on the musical circuit, where its success propelled the careers of plenty in one form or another. On its outset, JioCinema’s latest show, Khalbali Records seems to be yet another show that showcases the trials and tribulations of rappers with more and more rap battles – but as the episodes keep passing, you keep realising it is so much more than that.
A musical empire called Galaxy Records represents a rapper, Mauj (Prabh Deep), who is managed by the chairman’s son and Mauj’s best friend, Raghav (Skand Thakur). Things change drastically for the worse as one event leads to Raghav quitting his own father, MRS’ (Ram Kapoor) company and starts his own company, Khalbali Records with a specific motive.
Calling spade a spade here, the rap battles and consistent bombardment of one rap song after another feels dated and a huge overkill, everytime you’re hooked on to the plot and how things are progressing. Because just like every other music genre, some raps are good while some are just routine. The monotony sets in quicker than you anticipate even if you are an avid listener of rap in general.
But that’s about it. As the episodes progress, and the plot thickens, storytelling takes centre stage and you’re soon invested in the back-and-forth jabs and attacks that Raghav and MRS are at with each other. There is genuine effort taken to work on the screenplay and you understand why because you have a creator like Devanshu Singh at the helm of things. The man, who masterfully presented the film, Chintu Ka Birthday displays yet again what he’s capable of as a storyteller, where even a now-banal concept of rap world is taken on its stride and the focus becomes about the politics and interpersonal conflicts.
Singh also takes up a dangerous job to try and incorporate a bundle of things ranging from queer love, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, patriarchal approach to things, betrayal, friendships and of course, music – but somehow manages to strike a fine balance, doing enough to walk and balance the tightrope well.
It helps that the performances are phenomenal and you cannot fault anyone of them one bit.
Khalbali Records does lose some momentum in between where the track seems to get a little too indulgent and trope-like but it manages to pull itself back from that trap to exhibit a riveting climax. Amazingly, Khalbali Records is also now one of the few shows who leaves on a cliffhanger for Season 2 which seems genuine and organic, and not just done for the sake of it.
Amidst your crime dramas, mafia films, suspense thrillers, a few comedies – to be having a musical drama that fulfils the musical factor rather well courtesy the always reliable Amit Trivedi and blend it with some scintillating drama and politics that keep you engaged is rare and special. A side note, a little less use of the name ‘Mauj’ would have helped the case further – you can play a drinking game taking a shot everytime someone says ‘Mauj’ and in less than three episodes, you might be super drunk.
Other than that, Khalbali Records is the kind of show OTT is designed for – long format storytelling with unique concepts that might never be possible to being made into a film.
