Cast: Nimrat Kaur, Ridhi Dogra, Amol Parashar, Gaurav Arora, and others
Creator: Sahir Raza
Director: Sahir Raza
Streaming On: JioHotstar
Runtime: 8 episodes of 40 minutes each!
 
A sprawling palace, a fractured bloodline, and secrets buried under generations of silk and shame — Kull: The Legacy of the Raisingghs is a royal drama that had all the ingredients for a compelling slow-burn thriller, but somewhere along the lavish halls of Bilkaner, it loses its grip on substance in pursuit of spectacle. Directed by Sahir Raza and produced by Ektaa Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor, this JioHotstar original aims to deliver a Game-of-Thrones-meets-Kyunki-Saas-Bhi-Kabhi-Bahu-Thi hybrid. It mostly lands somewhere in between.
 
The story begins on a grand note — Raja Chandrapratap Raisinggh, the patriarch of the crumbling Raisinggh royal family, is preparing to celebrate his 60th birthday. The celebration, however, is anything but joyful. His children return to the palace bearing not love or nostalgia, but simmering grudges, unresolved trauma, and thirst for power.
 
There’s Indrani (Nimrat Kaur), the eldest daughter, stoic and suffocating under the burden of being the most loyal — and most dismissed — heir. Her inability to bear a child is used against her like a weapon, with her father’s traditional values constantly undermining her strength. She is married to Vikram (Suhaas Ahuja), the son of the chief minister, which adds political tension to an already explosive environment.
 
Then we have Kavya (Ridhi Dogra), the more pragmatic and modern sibling, who proposes leasing the palace to an international hotel chain in a desperate bid to rescue their legacy from financial ruin. Her approach is practical but seen as betrayal by the family elders.
 
Abhimanyu (Amol Parashar), the only legitimate son, is reckless, entitled, and battling addiction. His relationship with power is toxic — he craves it not out of duty, but because it's the only identity left to him in a household that never nurtured him. His disdain for Brij (Gaurav Arora), the illegitimate son who grew up in the shadows of the palace, adds yet another layer to the dysfunctional family hierarchy.
 
When Chandrapratap is found dead — murdered in the palace pool with a saree tied around his neck — the stage is set for the Raisingghs’ secrets to spill like red wine on white marble. And then, rather surprisingly, the series reveals the killer far too early in the game, turning what could’ve been a gripping whodunit into a "now what?" melodrama.
 
What Kull does well is atmosphere. The palace is a character in itself — haunted, hollow, and filled with echoes of past glory. The production values are excellent, with regal sets, intricate costumes, and cinematography that captures both opulence and decay.
 
However, beneath this shimmering surface lies a script that struggles to find its footing. The first few episodes try to build character dynamics, but they're weighed down by expositional dialogue and overwrought emotional beats. Once the murder occurs, the pace picks up, but instead of sharpening the suspense, the show opts for shock value.
 
Plot twists are thrown in like confetti — there’s a gay son being forced into a sham marriage, political conspiracies that emerge out of nowhere, secret affairs, financial ruin, and manipulations that belong in a primetime soap opera. Some of these elements could’ve worked if they were woven carefully into the narrative, but the show seems more interested in cliffhangers than coherence.
 
The biggest letdown is the emotional disconnect. We are told these characters are damaged, desperate, and drowning in expectations — but rarely are we allowed to feel it. Their vulnerabilities are hinted at but never truly explored. For example, Indrani’s grief and unspoken pain are overshadowed by repetitive confrontations, while Abhimanyu’s cry for validation is rendered comical due to inconsistent writing.
 
Nimrat Kaur is easily the MVP of the series. She brings a quiet dignity and simmering intensity to Indrani, a character that is often underserved by the script. She manages to humanize a woman torn between tradition and survival, motherhood and leadership, obedience and agency.
 
Ridhi Dogra is effective as the headstrong Kavya, and Gaurav Arora delivers a nuanced performance as Brij, navigating the fine line between insider and outcast. Amol Parashar’s portrayal of Abhimanyu is a mixed bag — when it works, it’s powerful, but often it veers into overacting, turning his breakdowns into borderline parodies. Suhaas Ahuja and the supporting cast do their job, but none are given enough screen time or depth to leave a lasting impact.
 
Thematically, Kull tries to tackle weighty issues — legitimacy, inheritance, the toxic pursuit of power, and the psychological wreckage of patriarchy. But these ideas remain at the surface, never fully realized. The series dances around moments of genuine tension and tragedy but undercuts them with melodrama and clunky dialogue.
 
The decision to reveal major plot points early on — including the identity and motive of the killer — is bold, but not executed with enough finesse to sustain intrigue. Instead of deepening the drama, it deflates it. The remaining episodes become more about who gets the throne than why we should care.
 
Kull: The Legacy of the Raisingghs is a royal saga with glossy ambition and dramatic flair, but the storytelling never fully rises to match its potential. While the show offers moments of intrigue and a visual treat for fans of period-tinged family feuds, it ultimately buckles under its own weight. The legacy it leaves behind is not one of power or prestige, but of missed opportunities.
 
It’s watchable, occasionally gripping, and at times darkly funny — but it never quite becomes the epic it wants to be.