Coming from the makers of Gangs of Puri and Pratikhya, Karma is a brilliantly directed new age suspense thriller which has managed very well to captivate the audience and ensure everyone is glued to their seats till the end and still thinking about the twists even after the movie ends. All the characters have been beautifully placed in the amazing story. It's beautifully shot with the director having managed to extract the best out of each actor esp. Anubhav Mohanty.
Technically pretty sound be it BGM, colour grading, cinematography, scene selection, set designs, scene sequencing, etc. They too have put in massive efforts into the publicity and marketing of Karma which has reached the masses.
Director Anupam Patnaik largely has managed to justify the overacting of Anubhav (as many might feel) to the films strength through the character played by him. Very clever of him. All actors have acted well basis their respective characters and have managed to leave a lasting impression. The casting has been awesomely done.
As many might think of a specific character as the main antagonist, however the fantastic story of Karma sends the message loud and clear that each of them is in some way or the other the antagonist due to their deeds. Songs are great and are timed well as per the storyline. There is also a post credit scene which is a first for Odia cinema and a hint for a sequel.
Yes, there are many areas of improvement, and the Director surely knows all of them. But given the limitations of the Odia film industry, budgetary constraints, lack of high-end technical processes, tight timelines, etc, Karma has been made well. I am sure he shall review each of the areas of improvement when he goes back to the drawing board for the sequel and discusses each of those with his team. Hope he reviews and aims at providing answers to all questions which the audience shall have after watching Karma in the forthcoming sequel.
Anupam Patnaik is the best amongst the new age directors who has the capability to make amazing creative content which delivers well commercially as well. He has got the formula which is the need of the hour for revival of the struggling Odia Film Industry. He has managed to convert many movie buffs like me to come back to theatres to watch quality Odia films. Looking forward to the sequel.