OTT Review : Vyavastha

Cast: Avinash Chakraborty, Sampath Raj, Vamsi Krishna, Karthik Rathnam, Yamini, Hebah Patel, Gayatri, Kamna Jetmalani, Kalpika, Sukrutha Wagle

Director: Anand Ranga

Release Date: 28-04-2023

Streaming On: Zee 5

Zee has been churning out some interesting series one after the other. Next in line is a courtroom drama titled Vyavastha. Created and directed by Anand Ranga, this show has Sampath Raj, Kamna Jethmalani, and Karthik Rathnam in key roles.

Plot

The show starts with the wedding of Yamini(Hebha Patel). Cut to her first night, Yamini shocks everyone by shooting her husband. Her case is handled by a reputed lawyer named Avinash Chakraborthy(Sampath Raj). During the court hearing, Yamini changes her statement saying that she does not want Avinash anymore on the case and asks his assistant Vamsi Krishna(Karthik Rathnam) to take up the case. Who is Yamini? Why did she choose a rookie lawyer in the form of Vamsi Krishna? Will Vamsi take on the might of Avinash Chakraborty? That forms the story.

Performances

Vyavastha makes sense only because of the performance of Sampath Raj. He as the popular criminal lawyer is just amazing and holds your attention. Whenever he is on screen, things become interesting as his aura, body language and command of craft dominate others. Kamna Jethmalani makes her comeback and plays Sampath Raj’s wife. She is pretty decent in her role as well. The young played by Karthik Rathnam is a bad choice. Karthik is a very good actor but he is asked to stammer in his role and could not bear the weight of his crucial roles. Also, he looks weak to take on a powerful person like Sampath Raj. He is a total miscast in the series and made to look silly.

Technicalities

Vyavastha has eight episodes in total and is dragged for no reason. There are so many unwanted scenes that should have been chopped off by the editor. The courtroom visuals and production design is quite impressive. The dialogues are also fine but the screenplay is disappointing. There are two layers in the show and too much importance is given to Sampath Raj’s role which disappoints. The camerawork was impressive and the costume design was also neat. The last few episodes are dragged for no reason and the writing is boring.

What’s Good

Sampath Raj’s performance
A few twists

What’s Bad

Dragged scenes
Illogical scenes
Lack of proper conflict

Analysis

Vyavastha is touted to be a courtroom drama and the trailer has also been cut in the same manner. But when you start watching the show, the proceedings are something else. It is only about the rise of Sampath Raj and how he dominates the show with his power-hungry dynamics. Anand Ranga has added so many scenes that the show goes on another tangent altogether.

The show runs on a crime angle mode and even that does not impress that much. Vyavastha also has issues with a lack of clarity. Director Anand Ranga adds too many subplots that it is hard to keep track of what is going on. There was absolutely no need to go into such detail in the show. The idea of having such interesting backstories is good but the way it is executed is quite disappointing.

After seeing so many subplots, one would think that the last episode and the way the climax will be unleashed is going to be racy. But that does not happen one bit. In fact, the climax is one of the biggest letdowns of the show as it is rushed and the basic twist that is revealed looks outright silly.

Going by the trailer one would think that there would be a very strong confrontation angle between Sampath Raj and Karthik Rathnam but that does not happen and what we see is boring scenes and a scary Karthik Rathnam when he faces Sampath Raj. In all this, a few twists only save the day but the rest of the series is very disappointing and drags on and on.

Bottom Line: Outdated and Boring Crime Drama