{ "id": "epnqngmz9b", "slug": "kaala", "title": "Kaala", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries", "label": "Indian and South Asian web series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "India · 2021 and later: Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021", "label": "India · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Kaala (काला) is a 2023 Hindi Disney+ Hotstar crime thriller web series, 8 episodes, created and directed by Bejoy Nambiar, starring Avinash Tiwary as an IB officer investigating a reverse hawala money-laundering scam.", "snippet": "Kaala (काला) is a 2023 Hindi Disney+ Hotstar crime thriller web series, 8 episodes, created and directed by Bejoy Nambiar, starring Avinash Tiwary as an IB officer investigating a reverse hawala money-laundering scam.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries", "markdown": "# Kaala\n\n**Kaala** (काला) is a 2023 Hindi-language action crime thriller web series created and directed by Bejoy Nambiar, released on [Disney+ Hotstar](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-hotstar) on 15 September 2023. Its plot follows an Intelligence Bureau officer investigating a \"reverse hawala\" money-laundering scheme, a process in which white money is converted into black money, and unfolds across timelines stretching from the 1960s to 2018.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/kaala-review-this-web-show-on-money-laundering-is-an-incoherent-mess-8941304/) • [2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-120939) • [3](https://www.ottplay.com/review/kaala-review-bejoy-nambiar-crafts-a-layered-financial-crime-drama-with-standout-acts-by-avinash-tiwary-and-jitin-gulati/96839457cc347)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Hindi-language scripted series, 8 episodes, average runtime about 41 minutes[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/71353/kaala) |\n| Release | 15 September 2023 on Disney+ Hotstar; dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and Bengali[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-120939) |\n| Creator / director | Bejoy Nambiar, his first series as showrunner and solo director[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-120939) • [5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/kaala-review-all-sound-and-fury-a-shot-in-the-dark-that-misses-the-mark-2-stars-4391657) |\n| Writers | Nambiar with Francis Thomas, Pryas Gupta, Mithila Hegde, and Shubhra Swarup[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/kaala/kaala-season-1/seasonreview/103511588.cms) |\n| Lead cast | Avinash Tiwary, Rohan Vinod Mehra, Nivetha Pethuraj, Taher Shabbir, Hiten Tejwani[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-120939) |\n| Production | T-Series; producers Bejoy Nambiar, Bhushan Kumar, and Krishan Kumar; music by Gaurav Godkhindi; cinematography by Siddharth Srinivasan[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-120939) |\n| Reception | IMDb rating 6.7/10 from about 1.1K votes; critical reviews ranged from 2 to 3 stars[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28744346/ratings/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and plot\n\nThe series centers on Ritwik Mukherjee ([Avinash Tiwary](https://www.edgepedia.org/avinash-tiwary)), a young Intelligence Bureau officer who is drawn into investigating Naman Arya (Taher Shabbir), a business tycoon whose waste-recycling empire is a front for money laundering and reverse hawala, in which white money is turned into black.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/review/2023/Sep/15/kaala-series-review-dazzling-and-confused-47664.html) Arya cultivates a clean public image, gracing magazine covers and VIP functions, while politicians, including the [West Bengal](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-bengal) chief minister played by [Mita Vashisht](https://www.edgepedia.org/mita-vashisht), must be kept happy to get close to him.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/kaala-review-this-web-show-on-money-laundering-is-an-incoherent-mess-8941304/)\n\nA second storyline runs a generation earlier. On 21 October 1988, a group of soldiers was killed in a surprise attack near the India-Bangladesh border; Shubhendu Mukherjee (Rohan [Vinod Mehra](https://www.edgepedia.org/vinod-mehra)) survived but was declared a traitor.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/web-series-review-kaala/) Balwant Singh (Jitin Gulati), a corrupt border police officer, was instrumental in labeling Shubhendu a traitor after a secret operation went wrong, and the two sons have unknowingly inherited their fathers' enmity.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/review/2023/Sep/15/kaala-series-review-dazzling-and-confused-47664.html) Thirty years later Shubhendu, living under the new identity of Adinath Bagchi, secretly feeds information to his son Ritwik without revealing who he is, and Ritwik's investigation of Naman Arya begins from that intelligence.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/web-series-review-kaala/)\n\nThe sum at stake in the scheme is Rs 140 billion (Rs 14,000 crore), money that is supposed to be taken out of India's borders, though reviews note that the financial crime functions mainly as a catalyst for the emotional story of the three central characters.[3](https://www.ottplay.com/review/kaala-review-bejoy-nambiar-crafts-a-layered-financial-crime-drama-with-standout-acts-by-avinash-tiwary-and-jitin-gulati/96839457cc347) The narrative's center point is set in 2018, with timelines jumping back to the 1980s and 1990s and, in one flashback to 1965, to Balwant's origins.[3](https://www.ottplay.com/review/kaala-review-bejoy-nambiar-crafts-a-layered-financial-crime-drama-with-standout-acts-by-avinash-tiwary-and-jitin-gulati/96839457cc347) • [10](https://scroll.in/reel/1055944/kaala-review-gone-with-the-hawala)\n\n### Cast and characters\n\nAvinash Tiwary plays Ritwik Mukherjee, and [Nivetha Pethuraj](https://www.edgepedia.org/nivetha-pethuraj) plays Sitara, a sharpshooter on his IB team.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/kaala-review-this-web-show-on-money-laundering-is-an-incoherent-mess-8941304/) Taher Shabbir plays Naman Arya, and Jitin Gulati plays Balwant Singh, a role that spans two timelines and that several reviewers singled out as the series' strongest performance.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/kaala/kaala-season-1/seasonreview/103511588.cms) • [3](https://www.ottplay.com/review/kaala-review-bejoy-nambiar-crafts-a-layered-financial-crime-drama-with-standout-acts-by-avinash-tiwary-and-jitin-gulati/96839457cc347) Rohan Vinod Mehra plays Shubhendu Mukherjee, and Elisha Mayor plays Aloka, Shubhendu's daughter and a budding footballer.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/kaala-review-this-web-show-on-money-laundering-is-an-incoherent-mess-8941304/) The large supporting cast includes [Hiten Tejwani](https://www.edgepedia.org/hiten-tejwani) as Bismil, Shakti Kapoor as the hawala dealer Ghulam Saab in a dialogue-free part, Saurabh Sachdeva as Colonel Himmat, Madhyama Segal as Ritwik's wheelchair-bound mother Madhu, and Anil Charanjeett as a CBI officer.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/web-series-review-kaala/) • [10](https://scroll.in/reel/1055944/kaala-review-gone-with-the-hawala)\n\n## Production\n\nKaala was produced by T-Series, with Bejoy Nambiar, Bhushan Kumar, and Krishan Kumar as producers, and was written by Nambiar with Francis Thomas, Pryas Gupta, Mithila Hegde, and Shubhra Swarup.[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-120939) • [6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/kaala/kaala-season-1/seasonreview/103511588.cms) Nambiar, whose film debut was *Shaitan* (2011), directed all eight episodes; NDTV noted that this was his first stint as a showrunner and solo director of an entire series.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/web-series-review-kaala/) • [5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/kaala-review-all-sound-and-fury-a-shot-in-the-dark-that-misses-the-mark-2-stars-4391657) The series was filmed across settings including Kolkata, the hills of North Bengal, and areas near India's border with Bangladesh, with additional locations in Punjab, New York, and London.[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/kaala-review-all-sound-and-fury-a-shot-in-the-dark-that-misses-the-mark-2-stars-4391657) • [1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/kaala-review-this-web-show-on-money-laundering-is-an-incoherent-mess-8941304/)\n\n## Reception\n\n**Critical response.** Reviews were divided on the same qualities. [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express)'s Shubhra Gupta called the series an incoherent mess, arguing that flashbacks and leaps across many locations and a large cast of characters overwhelmed the central cat-and-mouse chase.[1](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/kaala-review-this-web-show-on-money-laundering-is-an-incoherent-mess-8941304/) NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee gave it 2 stars, describing a frenzied blend of suspense, adventure, and dramatic highs that never settles into a rhythm.[5](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/kaala-review-all-sound-and-fury-a-shot-in-the-dark-that-misses-the-mark-2-stars-4391657) Cinema Express also rated it 2/5, calling it a pretty, confused mess whose heavy visual styling does not clarify the plot.[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/review/2023/Sep/15/kaala-series-review-dazzling-and-confused-47664.html) The Times of India was more positive, crediting Nambiar and his co-writers with stretching one strong idea across eight episodes while judging the narrative convoluted and overbearing.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/kaala/kaala-season-1/seasonreview/103511588.cms) Bollywood Hungama gave 3 stars, praising the performances, direction, and technical work, and OTTplay, also at 3/5, called it a well-crafted, layered financial crime drama.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/web-series-review-kaala/) • [3](https://www.ottplay.com/review/kaala-review-bejoy-nambiar-crafts-a-layered-financial-crime-drama-with-standout-acts-by-avinash-tiwary-and-jitin-gulati/96839457cc347)\n\n**Common criticisms and praise.** Reviewers across outlets agreed that the many back-and-forth timeline jumps and characters who float in and out were the series' biggest problem, and that the reverse hawala premise recedes into the background after the early episodes.[11](https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-review/) Performances were a consistent positive: Tiwary's committed turn, Gulati's Balwant, and Pethuraj's Sitara drew praise, while Mita Vashisht's chief minister was widely described as a caricature.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/kaala/kaala-season-1/seasonreview/103511588.cms) • [11](https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-review/) Scroll.in found the best material in the character relationships rather than the conspiracy, particularly the sequences around Shubhendu, Balwant, and Ritwik, and noted the wry depiction of turf wars between the IB, the CBI, and the Kolkata police.[10](https://scroll.in/reel/1055944/kaala-review-gone-with-the-hawala)\n\n**Audience ratings.** On IMDb the series holds a weighted 6.7/10 from about 1.1K votes, with an unweighted mean of 7.4; per-episode ratings peak at 8.0 for episode 5, the longest of the series at 56 minutes.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28744346/ratings/) • [3](https://www.ottplay.com/review/kaala-review-bejoy-nambiar-crafts-a-layered-financial-crime-drama-with-standout-acts-by-avinash-tiwary-and-jitin-gulati/96839457cc347)\n\n## Availability\n\nKaala streams on Disney+ Hotstar in India, where the platform was later rebranded JioHotstar.[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-120939) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/71353/kaala) As of mid-2025 it was also available in India through VI movies and tv, and in the United States through Hulu and the Disney+, Hulu, and Max bundles, with a TV-MA age rating.[12](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/kaala) • [13](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/kaala)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Shubhra Gupta (15 September 2023). Kaala review: This web show on money laundering is an incoherent mess. The Indian Express.](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/kaala-review-this-web-show-on-money-laundering-is-an-incoherent-mess-8941304/)\n2. [Kaala Web Series (2023): Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer. Gadgets 360.](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-120939)\n3. [Aishwarya Vasudevan (15 September 2023). Kaala review: Bejoy Nambiar crafts a layered financial crime drama. OTTplay.](https://www.ottplay.com/review/kaala-review-bejoy-nambiar-crafts-a-layered-financial-crime-drama-with-standout-acts-by-avinash-tiwary-and-jitin-gulati/96839457cc347)\n4. [Kaala, TVmaze show page.](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/71353/kaala)\n5. [Saibal Chatterjee (15 September 2023). Kaala Review: All Sound And Fury, A Shot In The Dark That Misses The Mark. NDTV.](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/kaala-review-all-sound-and-fury-a-shot-in-the-dark-that-misses-the-mark-2-stars-4391657)\n6. [Kaala Season 1 Review: Chaos rules in this dark and desperate thriller. The Times of India.](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/kaala/kaala-season-1/seasonreview/103511588.cms)\n7. [Kaala (2023) Ratings, IMDb.](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28744346/ratings/)\n8. [Kartik Bhardwaj (15 September 2023). Kaala Series Review: Dazzling and confused. Cinema Express.](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/hindi/review/2023/Sep/15/kaala-series-review-dazzling-and-confused-47664.html)\n9. [Web Series Review: Kaala. Bollywood Hungama (15 September 2023).](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/web-series-review-kaala/)\n10. [Kaala review: Overspiced OTT series has strong turns by Avinash Tiwary and Nivetha Pethuraj. Scroll.in.](https://scroll.in/reel/1055944/kaala-review-gone-with-the-hawala)\n11. [Prabhatha Rigobertha (18 September 2023). Kaala web series review: An overstuffed thriller that is low on both drama and thrills. The South First.](https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/kaala-web-series-review/)\n12. [Kaala (2023), JustWatch India.](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/kaala)\n13. [Kaala, JustWatch US.](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/kaala)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Indian and South Asian web series*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/kaala", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/kaala.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Kaala\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/kaala. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Kaala](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaala)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/kaala](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaala). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Kaala\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/kaala. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Kaala is a 2023 Hindi Disney+ Hotstar crime thriller web series, 8 episodes, created and directed by Bejoy Nambiar, starring Avinash Tiwary as an IB officer investigating a reverse hawala money-laundering scam." }