Undekhi season 2 starts on a high note with as much suspense as in the first one. However, things almost fall apart as the show progresses.
How rare is it for a sequel to be as much or equally successful as the first season of a web series? Five minutes into the first episode of Undekhi Season 2 and you get hooked. With the return of the entire original cast for the sequel, director Ashish R Shukla makes a decent effort to recreate the same magic, but after the first half, it is a struggle to maintain the same standard.
Harsh Chhaya is Papaji – a filthy-mouthed alcoholic. He is accompanied by his no-nonsense godson Rinku (Surya Sharma), who is as evil as ever. They are trying to cover up their tracks by eliminating links one after the other to hide the murder of a dancer at a wedding party. As the second season begins, the only surviving Witness is back in safe hands after a nearly fatal fall, but those looking for him are unaware of his condition. Dibyendu Bhattacharya's DCP Ghosh is saddened for not being able to find him. While he wants to take her to Bengal alive, Rinku, the main antagonist, is bent on killing her. There's enough fodder to keep the fire burning with nail-biting suspense, drama, and action, but when Unseen 2 doesn't sink to the bottom, it certainly struggles to stay afloat.
Undekhi 2 comes with a small dose of humour, too. It is interesting to see how rich women, who don't bat an eyelid while listening to filthy abuses or chattering about murders, try to look polished and pristine in front of a new daughter-in-law. A funny scene that needs to be mentioned is the one in which Papaji takes oath in Punjabi and his rival speaks the English version of it in the next scene. You might not accept the abuse, but somehow, you forgive them for how committed the actors are. It is also worth seeing how the violence and chaotic scenes are often balanced by the stunning views of the Buddhist monastery.
Halfway down the line, the plot shifts the track from a suspense thriller to a war between two business tycoons that eventually turns into a boring cat and mouse game. The plot suddenly becomes unnecessarily complicated.
Harsh Chhaya remains the soul of the series and continues to be entertaining despite its repetitive antics. A real life junkie, Harsh Chhaya continues to light up his every scene with his impeccable attitude. Almost everyone has impressive performances in the series, including the horror inspired by model-turned-actor Surya Sharma. Apeksha Porwal as Koel and Meiyang Chang as Abhaya add a dose of action but fail to save the story which almost gets derailed by the end. Meanwhile, Dibyendu Bhattacharya's strong presence in the second season goes to waste. As the focus shifts to Papaji's rival Samarth (played by Nandish Sandhu), the soul of the series is somewhere lost in trucks shutting down and an endless business gamble.
It is clear that few casualties have been avoided to ensure the third season. But can you really earn brownie points by being mindful of the risks? It's a shame to lose the eager audience and the story will need some revamping to bring back the loyal audience. And looking at the standards set in the first season, it might not be impossible.
Undekh 2
Director: Ashish R. shukla
Cast: Harsh Chhaya, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Meiyang Chang, Nandish Sandhu, Aanchal Singh, Apeksha Porwal