Raima Sen reunites with her Shabdo co-star Ritwick Chakraborty in Abhimanyu Mukherjee’s mystery drama Kolonko, but even their chemistry fails to salvage this Hoichoi series exploring relationship complexities. A peachy tone, sketchy characterisation and unimpressive dialogues make it a tedious watch, undermining the commendable performances by Raima and Ritwick.

The eight-episode series revolves around Rangan (Ritwick Chakraborty) and Chaiti (Raima Sen), two college friends who got married on the condition that they would always remain truthful to each other. After a decade of marriage, they have daughter Piya (Beas Dhar) and son Leo.

Fast forward another decade and cracks appear in their relationship after Rangan has an affair with a colleague. Chaiti comes to know about it on their twentieth wedding anniversary and she is devastated.

Moreover, the couple find the words ‘Happy Anniversary Liar’ inscribed on their celebratory cake. The rest of the series is about trying to uncover the identity of the liar, the nature of their deception and their underlying motive. Rangan and Chaiti’s marital discord starts to take a toll on their daughter, Piya. In the midst of this, a pivotal character is murdered.

Since neither Chaiti nor Rangan is a well-rounded character, it is difficult to root for any of them. Their inconsistent behaviour is confusing rather than engaging, and Raima and Ritwick’s best efforts are in vain.

Kolonko suffers from a patronising tone and didactic approach to man-woman relationships and marriage. Breaking down the characters’ innermost thoughts leaves no room for the viewer to decipher the relationship dynamics for themselves. Even the ending, which hints at a second season, begs the question — why make this show?