Trailer review: Carma seems like an ambitious crime thriller

Trailer of Pakistan’s first new-age revenge thriller Carma is out and it claims to be inspired from American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino’s style of filmmaking. The director with cult classics like Kill Bill, Desperado, Pulp Fiction amongst many more is known for his frequent references to pop culture, non-linear storylines, dark humor, stylized violence, pervasive use of profanity, cameos and ensemble casts.

Carma tries to fit all the above mentioned characteristics in this “neo-noir revenge thriller” where we see an ensemble cast including Adnan Siddiqui, Navin Waqar, Zhalay Sarhadi, Osama Tahir, Paras Masroor, Umer Aalam, Arjumand Rahim, Khaled Anam, Lili Caseley, Vajdaan Shah, Emaan Khan, and Anum Gauhar. The trailer’s first shot is an ode to Tarantino; a car accessory with his face and the statement “violence is one of the most fun things to watch”. And the film tries to endorse it somehow.

The title is a word play on ‘Karma’ as the film’s screenplay has been shot entirely in and around cars. Directed and produced by Kashan Admani, the film explores a new genre in Pakistan. Filled with crime, violence, car chases, kidnapping, deception, revenge schemes, drama, action and romance, Carma also touches upon sensitive subjects like child labor, adultery, women empowerment, pedophilia, betrayal and greed. It is yet to be seen if it maintains its thrilling tempo while unfolding these numerous theme in a non-linear narrative.

The story seems to revolve around a young and successful professional being abducted by gangsters and taken for a ride, but it appears that there is much more to his abduction than what meets the eye. Carma seems to be a brave attempt but the trailer has done the biggest disservice to the film.

The 2-minute 48-second trailer can itself be released as a short film because it narrates the complete story. The editing is not crisp and does the deadliest sin of displaying all the cards in the trailer. Not only it reveals the premise but the twists and turns, and even the climax, turning all the craziness into boredom for a cine-goer. It is unnecessarily dialogue-laden, reveals all the character arcs and leaves nothing to a viewer’s imagination, which should never be the case in a revenge thriller.

Cinematographer Farhan Golden has done a commendable job on making the film look mysterious with night shots and the color grading is also quite dark. Writer Fawad Hai has tried to use many Tarantino traits in the film, which may or may not prove to be fruitful. A tighter grip on the narrative and an original and more localized treatment, complimenting its great pool of actors, could have given this film potential to come as a breather in between romantic-comedies.

Carma is presented by Dream Station Productions.

Watch the trailer here: