Ek Thi Begum 2 series review: Anuja Sathe and Hitesh Bojraj’s performances make the show compelling

3.5/5

Story:

Ashraf Bhatkar, who becomes a femme fatale for many gang leaders in India and abroad after her husband’s demise, has come back with another identity after recovering from a brutal murder attempt to complete her revenge. Ek Thi Begum 2 stars Anuja Sathe as the lead with Rajendra Shisatkar, Ankit Mohan, Vivek Aapte, Raju Aathavle, Vaibhav Ambekar, Hitesh Bojraj, Shahab Ali and Sauraseni Maitra among others.

Review:

The world of gangsters or the so-called underworld has always been fascinating to common people. Director Sachin Dharekar is one of them, who is not startled by the darkness of the underworld but the emotions and rules that criminals follow. The first season of Ek Thi Begum sees Ashraf Bhatkar on a spree to kill the people who were involved in her husband’s death and to reach the mastermind. Ek Thi Begum 2 continues the story of the last instalment, which ended on a shocking note with the lead actress being brutally stabbed and declared dead. But the trailer of the new season had revealed that Ashraf had managed to stay alive, however, her journey to seek revenge isn’t going to be an easy one.

Anuja as the lead has been consistent throughout the whole journey. She carried an attribution to her character which did justice to the show. While in the first season she was known as Ashraf, who shook the underworld from Mumbai to Dubai, she takes the show to another level after becoming Leela Paaswaan. Unlike the first part, the Peshwa Bajirao doesn’t indulge in even a single second of unnecessary saucy scenes, which made the watch real and better.

The show yet again proves that crime doesn’t discriminate on the basis of gender and can be brutal with anyone at any time. Though it might seem like the story is exaggerating a lot, the fact that it is based on a true event makes you continue to sit and stay eager for the end. A bilingual series, most of the Marathi cast can be seen speaking in Marathi, while the maximum part still remains in Hindi.

Hitesh is a strong player in this game of war as the alpha male that work directly with the head of the state. The actor-singer, who’ll be seen in Ranveer Singh’s 83’ soon, have performed well as a gang leader, Ashwin Surve.

Ek Thi Begum 2 hasn’t only featured Anuja’s Ashraf aka Leela as the strongest woman but also showcases Sauraseni’s Anita Surve as a gang leader after her husband.

The second and final season has seen a barrage of backstabs, blood baths and gun-wars. The trailer, which shares glimpses of the involvement of politicians in the show did get us all curious and believe it would be a good watch but it doesn’t include much of the political angle. A few scenes assure to feature how politicians misuse their designated power.

People might expect more from the actor Shahab as one of the head gangsters, while the limited screen time and fewer action sequences of The Family Man actor couldn’t let him explore much with his role.

Verdict:

Ek Thi Begum 2 ends tragically with an incomplete revenge story, however, being a real-life story it doesn’t provide the audience with a chance to crib about it. The season could have provided more screen time to some of the actors and at the same time, ensuring to not drag the show. Nonetheless, Ek This Begum 2 makes for a good watch.