Web Series Name: Constable Kanakam
Rating: 3/5
Cast: Varsha Bollamma, Megha Lekha, Avasarala Srinivas, Rajeev Kanakala, Ramana Bhargav, Prem Sagar, and others
Created by: Prasath Kumar Dimmala
Streaming on: ETV Win
The ETV Win series Constable Kanakam attracted attention when its team accused a well-known streaming service of copying their work.
Directed by Prasanth Kumar Dimmala, the series is a crime thriller set in a rural setup and stars Varsha Bollamma (who was recently seen in Thammudu) in the titular character. Let us see what special things the series’ concept has in our review.
Story:
Set in the 1990s, the series’ story occurs in a town called Repalle, where young women go missing under mysterious circumstances. Kankamahalakshmi (Varsha Bollamma) is a new and only female constable who sets out to chase the case of missing women, including her friend, Chandrika (Megha Lekha).
Performances:
Varsha Bollamma delivers a sincere performance and makes one root for her character with the believable body language and expressions. Megha Lekha and Avasarala Srinivas are good, while Ramana Bhargav and Prem Sagar also make their presence felt, while Rajeev Kanakala stands as the sincere head constable who supports Kanakam at every step.
Analysis:
Directed by Prasanth Kumar Dimmala, Constable Kanakam keeps things simple for such an intriguing concept. It also has a few moments of humor now and then. Even with all the action going on, the show stays true to its character-driven nature.
Kanakam’s story centers on her battle against all the biases she faces while trying to uncover the mystery of the many young girls who have gone missing from her village. Her emotional bond with Chandrika is also good.
The series gets a nice boost from those cold open prologues, which often show unsettling snippets from a stranger’s childhood that enhance the mystery rather than just piecing things together. In these scenes, the director goes brave regarding the violence.
One of the prologues is hard-hitting, where a young child sets an animal on fire just because he is jealous, and it is pretty hard to stomach.
Though Prasanth maintains the intrigue around the murders, he could not make it a shocking revelation, as the narration gives away the hint too early. The scenes where Kanakam investigates, such as her trip to Delhi, could have been shown more effectively.
When the secret finally spills in the last episode, the backstory of the villain in Constable Kanakam drags on, and the director also keeps throwing in long/conversational flashbacks that turn out a bit boring.
Positives:
- Varsha Bollama and Rajeev Kanakala’s Performance
- Sincere Taking/Narration
- Background Score/Camera Work
Negatives:
- Generic Traits
- Lack Of Required Excitement
- Drags After Key Revelation
Constable Kanakam Review and Verdict:
Constable Kanakam is a regular but sincere crime thriller that has engaging narration, natural performances, and good technical values. Though it falters in having the required shocking feel for its genre, it still ends up as a good watch.