Pavitra Rishta 2 review: Ankita Lokhande and Shaheer Sheikh’s reprisal of the original show is ​​unmemorable

2/5

Archana (Ankita Lokhande) goes through a series of broken relationships till she meets Manav (Shaheer Sheikh). Together, the duo face numerous obstacles to save their relationship.

Pavitra Rishta is an iconic show. However, the reprisal, it seems, merely banks on the popularity of the original rather than focus on building a good story. 

The first episode, Brew for Love, begins with glimpses of Lord Ganesha, as Archana (Ankita Lokhande) says, “Pyaar kabhi marta nahi aur uss pyaar mein agar Bappa jude ho, toh wo “pavitra rishta” bann jaata hai.”

The first glimpse of Pavitra Rishta 2, for no specific reason, is of the Mumbai local. Archana is introduced after her engagement ring falls off, but it almost feels like she is deliberately trying to lose it (inspired by Jab Harry Met Sejal).

As soon as she exits, Manav (Shaheer Sheikh) enters the scene, and chooses Archana as the only one deserving of an umbrella he just bought. Almost as conveniently, Ankita stands in one place during the rains, using her dupatta as a cover and smiling when she receives the umbrella. Mind you, she also just got out from the same place. This cliched meet-cute would never happen in real life. 

Additionally, an unknown man purchasing an umbrella for a woman wouldn’t elicit a smile from her in real life. Her first instinct will be to instantly label this behaviour as creepy.

The show’s writers make Manav and Archana run into each other several times, and thinly disguise each encounter as a coincidence. This either proves that Manav is a stalker or the writers just took the lazy way out and did not want to put too much thought into making their meetings natural. It’s a pattern that the original TV show followed as well. It’s right here, at the very beginning, when the show becomes boring. 

Archana is also engaged to a man named Satish; he’s cheesy and clingy, but his character has a brief moment of growth towards the end.

Usha Nadkarni, who reprises her role as Savita Deshmukh, revives the signature swag of her character in this sequel. She often takes the spotlight off of Shaheer, and gives a spurt of energy to the overall plot. 

Shaheer is almost serious throughout the first episode. Thus, when he smiles towards the episode's end scene, that comes across as genuine.

His emotional scenes are moving, in comparison to Ankita who appears rather mechanical. A few meaty scenes miss the mark owing to her disjointed lip-syncing of dialogues. Her addressing Manav by his name every single time before a statement is too much to handle.

The second episode begins with Manav and Archana tying the knot out of the blue, soon after her engagement with Satish ends. Even though the makers do end up showing how the wedding actually happened, it takes too long and becomes boring till the D-Day arrives. Even Usha could not save this scene, which had the potential to be beautiful. The haldi scene, though, is quite refreshing as compared to innumerable monotonous scenes in the show.

Archana's family creates a big ruckus, primarily because Manav works a blue collar job. That’s a factor that throws off Archana as well. Witnessing a situation like this in the modern world is heartbreaking. Whether a manager or a mechanic, love needs to rise above everything. Seeing such a backward line of thinking being promoted on a show like Pavitra Rishta is simply disheartening.  

The story is so monotonous and absurd that it gets to you after a point. Archana is so adamant about not talking to Manav but suddenly, she blushes upon hearing him say her name. The whole plot moves forward without any arms or limbs, making Pavitra Rishta dull.

Even though the love story has an absurd start, it gets adorable soon enough. Ankita is still not on point, but Shaheer shines throughout his scenes.

Like a typical Indian mom, Archana's mother also practically forces decisions down her throat and then says, "You do what you feel right." Her character is boring and predictable, unlike Usha's usual demeanour. Usha's body double is quite clear in the last scene. The makers have put absolutely no effort into making the scene believable.

The show is predictable even towards its end. The makers did not give Manav and Archana their happily ever after despite promising so in the beginning. This leaves scope for a sequel of the series.

Pavitra Rishta 2 barely offers anything new or memorable. Unless you are a die-hard Shaheer Sheikh fan, be sure to give this show a miss because it is not worth your time.