{"id":20824,"date":"2020-11-14T03:43:40","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T03:43:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shows4.com\/mobile\/?p=20824"},"modified":"2021-03-08T09:26:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-08T09:26:28","slug":"aashram-2-an-interesting-play-out-of-events-grimmer-and-sharper-than-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shows4.com\/?p=20824","title":{"rendered":"Aashram 2: An interesting play out of events; grimmer and sharper than before"},"content":{"rendered":"
In Kashipur (Uttar Pradesh), Baba Nirala Ji Maharaj aka Baba Kashipur Wale\u2019s (Bobby Deol) reign of terror continues and, in fact, gets grimmer than ever. With Baba\u2019s hand over his head, there\u2019s obviously no stopping Bhopa (Chandan Roy Sanyal) either. Babita (Tridha Choudhury) is a changed woman now, and Pammi\u2019s (Aditi Pohankar) life has completely changed. On the other hand, characters that remained silent throughout season one \u2013 like Sanobar and Kavita \u2013 are now mustering up the courage to vocalise their back stories. Ujagar Singh\u2019s (Darshan Kumaar) on a mission, spearheaded by Dr. Natasha Kataria (Anupriya Goenka), and Akki (Rajeev Siddhartha) is not the one to bog down. The part two of this crime-drama sheds light on two aspects of Baba\u2019s many organised crimes: sexual exploitation and drugs fostering.<\/p>\n

Unlike its maiden instalment \u2013 where a plethora of social evils were being juggled simultaneously\u2013 in the latest offering, Prakash Jha focuses on two glaring issues: both alarming and urgent, detailed and impactful. While the tonality remains more or less the same \u2013 Baba wreaking havoc in his usual calm demeanour \u2014 with droopy eyes and arched eyebrows \u2014 Bhopa instilling fear with his sharp tongue and the duo\u2019s \u2018chamchaas\u2019 abusing one and all. However, this time around, the deviation lies in its execution: the pace, slow, and the undertones, vividly explained. Set at 30 to 35 minutes each, all the nine episodes of \u2018Aashram 2\u2019 are much tighter than its predecessors although the story moves rather leisurely.<\/p>\n

Writers Madhvi Bhatt, Avinash Kumar, Sanjay Masoomm, Kuldeep Ruhil have inculcated the sub-theme of love in some of these beaten and dejected characters\u2019 lives and interestingly, Baba shows signs of harbouring emotions in his heart, too \u2013 though twisted. Characters like Sanobar (Preeti Sood) and Kavita (Anurita Jha) undergo an ocean of change in their personalities and the intrigue around them diminishes as they get their closures in the form of confrontations. Even before Baba declares, \u201cYeh chudail hain, sabko kha jayegi,\u201d we kind of know his \u2018vinaash\u2019 is just round the corner but, thanks to some clever writing, with so many planners and plotters, we could not predict who is exacting revenge and how.<\/p>\n

The theme of systematic abuse of women and the tactics administered to prevent them from speaking up is one that needs to reach far and wide, and Jha, with his gang of writers, leave no stone unturned to drive this point home. The smaller characters could have done away with the melodrama but, then again, there\u2019s no mellow way of portraying a drug addict or a religious fanatic.<\/p>\n

Bobby Deol is still in his top-notch form and holds on to the spell he had cast in season one \u2013 both literally and figuratively. Chandan Roy Sanyal turns out to be the henchman no sane person would want to cross paths with. The women brigade \u2013 comprising Aditi Pohankar, Tridha Choudhury, Anurita Jha, Preeti Sood and Anupriya Goenka \u2013 render stellar performances, especially the breakdown scenes of Aaditi\u2019s and Tridha\u2019s face-offs. Goenka\u2019s Niharika takes a backseat in terms of pushing the narrative forward but is nonetheless a key player in bringing the culprits down. Darshan Kumaar is an out-and-out undercover junkie and his hunger for justice is palpable, and Rajeev Siddhartha is seething for he has been wronged; the actor is his finer self in season two. Adhyaman Suman, on the other hand, is a troubled rockstar on a collaborative tour with Baba; because of all the screaming and jumping around he does, we do not really get to see much of Suman as an actor.<\/p>\n

A special mention to Chandan Kowli for an excellent work behind the camera and giving the series the royalty feels. Likewise, kudos to production designer Udai Prakash Singh for erecting a set straight out of a period drama without making the visuals overbearing for its viewers. One scene in particular comes to mind, where the megalomaniac of a Godman, Baba ji, goes to a ghat for an event \u2013 the lake is beautifully lit with diyas all over its water body, with garlands adorning its bricks and walls, when Deol turns around and says, \u201cJapnaam japnaam\u2026\u201d That portion was shot so wonderfully that it\u2019s etched in our minds. Inder Bawra, Sunny Bawra and Advait Nemlekar\u2019s background score is blending but too dramatic on several occasions.<\/p>\n

\u2018Aashram 2\u2019 is rage, revenge and redemption, but most importantly, it internalises the saying that silence is never the answer. In conclusion, we would like to say that yes, the second part of this cult-centred drama doesn\u2019t have anything new to offer in terms of plot progression but it was refreshing to see these battered souls deriving peace one way or the other. And, just to that, we say, \u2018Japnaam!\u2019\n<\/p><\/div>\n