The Tamil show Sweet Karam Coffee is directed by Bejoy Nambiar, Krishna Marimuthu, and Swathi Raghuraaman and stars Lakshmi, Madhoo, Santhy Balachandran, Bala Suresh, Kavin Jay Babu, Dev, Vamsi Krishna, Samyuktha Viswanathan, Alexx O’Nell.
How to watch Maamannan in the UAE
Sweet Karam Coffee is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the Middle East. Amazon Prime Video is included in your Amazon Prime membership, costing AED 16 per month or AED 140 per year. Besides the streaming service, you will also get free deliveries and access to Prime Gaming- click here for a free 30-day trial.
Sweet Karam Coffee review
- Acting by the leading women
- Twist in the end
- Typical fare
- Weak characterisation
- Lack of imagination
When the trailer of the Tamil web series Sweet Karam Coffee arrived, it showed three women breaking free from the shackles of their family, going on a road trip and having fun in a typical manner. It looked like the barely passable 2017 Tamil flick Magalir Mattum 2. In that cliches-filled film, the women were friends, and here in the trailer, they were from different age groups.
- Best new Tamil movies and TV shows to watch
- New Indian movies and TV shows on Prime Video
- Top 5 Indian movies and shows to watch this week
Two episodes into this 8-episode Amazon Prime Video series, you understand that your worst suspicions were true. Despite its earnestness, Sweet Karam is predictable to a T. Okay, here, the three women are closely related. Nivi (Santhy Balachandran), Kaveri (Madhoo) and Sundari (Lakshmi), representing three different generations, live in the same house. The first is the daughter of Rajarathinam, presented as your garden-variety patriarchal family head. The second (Kaveri) is the wife, and the last is his mom.
Rajarathinam is not a bad person, per se. But he is the domineering man whose notions of women don’t sit well with those women themselves. The three have different personal issues to sort out. Sundari, her old age notwithstanding, feels that her life still has something more, something his son doesn’t relate to. Kaveri, too, is unhappy about being taken for granted. Nivi, a budding cricketer, is having trouble with her boyfriend, who, then again, predictably has problems with her choice of sport.
The three, in short, are looking for a break. And they take it by summoning the courage to go on a trip to explore what the outside world offers. On paper, three different age groups of women on an adventure getaway should be fun. But here, it turns out to be stereotyped again. The inner coming-of-age syndrome through outside experience is all on the beaten path. They run into the usual suspects that you encounter on such trips. The experience, the emotions, and the ideas all are nothing new. The characters they see are all from the 101 manual of road trip stories. Even the three’s excitement is generic, venting to their inner cravings.
But things perk up in the last two episodes as we have a plot twist that is indeed a surprise. To deal elaborately with the last two episodes is to betray the story. But the final portions and the acting, especially of the lead three, salvage this middling family series —- touted to be the first such on Amazon Prime Video.
Lakshmi steals the show with her maturity, and the sense of joie de vivre she brings to her elderly role is what experienced acting is all about. Her annoyance with her own son’s lack of understanding is beautifully true. Madhoo as the dutiful wife with her own aspirations, is solid. The vulnerability in her frame lends itself well to the character. Santhy has the most complex role, where she brings a dash of realism, and her insecurities are portrayed with dignity. Kavin Jay Babu is a bit under par as the man of the house.
The series could have been an edgy and enterprising ride, but we get a typical cooped-up overnight train journey — a lot of shakes and jerks and only a few fun moments.
What are the other critics saying about Sweet Karam Coffee?
