‘Khalbali Records’ Review: A Musical Drama That Goes Beyond the Usual Rap Battles and Makes an Impression

Judgement – ***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 and more

Creator: Devanshu Singh

It’s fascinating to think how much of an impact Gully Boy managed to make on the music circuit, where his success has somehow helped boost the careers of many. At first, JioCinema’s latest show, Khalbali Records, seems like another show that showcases the trials and tribulations of rappers with more and more rap battles – but as the episodes roll by, you keep realizing that it’s so much more than that.

A music empire called Galaxy Records represents a rapper, Mauj (Prabh Deep), which is headed by the chairman’s son and Mauj’s best friend, Raghav (Skand Thakur). Things take a drastic turn for the worse when an event leads Raghav to leave his own father’s company, MRS (Ram Kapoor), and start his own company, Khalbali Records, with a specific motive.

If I call it by its name here, the rap battles and constant bombardment of one rap song after another feels dated and a huge overkill, every time you get hooked on the plot and how things are developing. Because like any other genre of music, some raps are good, while others are just routine. The monotony sets in faster than you expect, even if you are an avid listener of rap in general.

But that’s about it. As the episodes progress and the plot deepens, the storytelling takes centre stage and you soon find yourself caught up in the back-and-forth punches and attacks that Raghav and MRS trade with each other. There is genuine effort put into the script and you can understand why, because you have a creator like Devanshu Singh at the helm. The man who masterfully presented the film, Chintu Ka Birthday, once again shows what he is capable of as a storyteller, even taking a now banal concept of the rap world and putting the focus on politics and interpersonal conflicts.

Singh also takes on the dangerous task of trying to reconcile a lot of things, ranging from queer love, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, a patriarchal approach to things, betrayal, friendships and of course music – but somehow manages to strike a good balance, and does enough to walk the tightrope and balance well.

It helps that the performances are phenomenal and you can’t fault anyone.

Khalbali Records loses some momentum in between, where the song seems to become a little too indulgent and trope-y, but it manages to pull itself out of that trap and deliver a compelling climax. Amazingly, Khalbali Records is also now one of the few shows to end Season 2 on a cliffhanger that feels genuine and organic, rather than done for no reason.

Amidst your crime dramas, mafia films, suspense thrillers, a few comedies – to have a musical drama that gets the musical factor right thanks to the ever reliable Amit Trivedi and combine it with some scintillating drama and politics that keeps you hooked is rare and special. On a side note, a little less use of the name ‘Mauj’ would have helped matters further – you can play a drinking game by taking a shot every time someone says ‘Mauj’ and in less than three episodes you could be super drunk.

Additionally, Khalbali Records is the kind of show OTT was designed for: long-form stories with unique concepts that might never make it to film.

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