Undekhi season 2 review: Nandish Sandhu leaves you impressed and intrigued as new entrant Samarth

3.5/5

Story:

Rinku (Surya Sharma) tries to hide his Papaji (Harsh Chhaya)'s truth and protect him at all times. DSP Ghosh (Dibyendu Bhattacharya) has transferred back to Kolkata but a new revelation pulls him back to Himachal and dealing with the Atwals again, at a time when the most powerful are already facing trouble from their own.

Review:

Undekhi season 2 begins exactly where the first one ended - with Rinku and DSP being at the centre of the plot. As always, both Surya Sharma and Dibyendu Bhattacharya sink their teeth into the role. The latter especially leaves you impressed with just a smile, depicting how he has taken back control from the ever-so-powerful Rinku. Their clash, too, is still as awesome as the first time it happened.

Within minutes, Anchal Singh also leaves you impressed as Teji. The way she changes colour in a blink never fails to surprise you. In a few scenes though, she tones down to a great extent. Overall, however, Teji is a character you wouldn't want to miss watching even for a second.

The dialogues are top-notch too. In the first episode itself, there is a scene which lays out a setting on the basis of a cuss word. That scene is hilarious and has the full potential to become a meme.

While the dialogues are hilarious, the action in this series is on point too. The music, even if straight out of a video game, surprisingly fits well in the scenes.

Harsh Chhaya in the role of Papaji is just as the last season - crazy and power-drunk. He only speaks the language of power, which is evident through the scenes where he dares to pick up a hand on his own son, who is now married.

Ankur Rathee as Daman once again does not have much to contribute to the show. He is all about good looks and very rarely, uses common sense. Even those scenes appear forced since all characters around him are smarter in comparison and them not having common sense is slightly unbelievable.

Varun Bhagat as Lucky exhibits power from his first scene too. That almost sets the base for every scene featuring him ahead. As the series progresses, his character becomes more intriguing. You can never really figure out what he's thinking. While Varun's acting skills during the scenes help to a great extent, the background score also contributes in amping up the scenes. He also gets action scenes this time around which he pulls off pretty well.

Meiyang Chang's entry on the show is pretty normal but an important one. His action scenes are almost as effortless as Koyal's (Apeksha Porwal) since season 1. Unfortunately, though, the makers have stereotyped him as 'Jackie Chan'. This does not fit well with the theme of the show, which is to break out of the norm (many in Undekhi are fighting for justice). Nonetheless, he is a huge surprise package on the show. Just when you think you figured him out somewhat, an element comes in where he surprises you.

On the other hand, Nandish Sandhu impresses and intrigues as Samarth right from his first scene. As his character is slowly revealed, you see that there is so much depth to it. As an actor, Nandish does a fine job in playing Samarth. His power dressing plays a major role in that and the rest is handled by Nandish's ever-changing and effective expressions. He is a grey character who changes colour faster than a chameleon. However, there is a backstory to that too. His no-giving-a-f*** attitude also works very well for the kind of character that Samarth is. However, his accent just appears unnatural. There is a reason he has the accent but it is not valid enough to have such a heavy accent. Nonetheless, this character is all about power and how he takes it back is a scene to watch.

Rinku finally shows his human side in Undekhi season 2. The softie hidden behind the heartless demeanor is sure to appeal to people just as much. His simple gestures like holding his wife down while they fight the opposite party together, is super heartwarming.

The cinematography on the show also works really well. Not only does it bring the beauty of Himachal alive but also puts the focus on every character's emotions perfectly.

Apeksha is still lovely in the role of Koyal. Unfortunately, she has lesser action this time around but they are still effective. Her flashback scene is one of the most powerful scenes in the series.

Undekhi 2 has a lot of couples this time around, all of who are ready to kill who they think needs to be killed. It does make the series more interesting and feel-good.

Dibyendu as DSP has a cool re-entry. However, it doesn't feel that way since he is back in character within a blink.

Muskaan (Shivangi Singh), who is newly married to Rinku, blends in with the Atwals quite well. She controls the scenario more than anyone can understand or imagine. The best part is, Rinku gives her equal positioning and the two are literally hand-in-hand in everything, including killing people. The scene where they kill people together is one that will stay back with you.

The makers have gotten creative with the killings this time around. The last action scene, though, is a little unbelievable since people are dying even when bullets hit their safety jackets. It also becomes hilarious since one character after another enters the crime scene with bullets raging all over the place. However, the last shot in that scene will leave you stunned. The show, nonetheless, ends at a cliffhanger and leaves you with a lot of questions.

Verdict:

Every character in Undekhi season 2 is impressive. New entrants Nandish Sandhu and Meiyang Chang are just as good as the much-loved Rinku (Surya Sharma) or DSP (Dibyendu Bhattacharya). Undekhi S2 is not one without flaws but it is not something that you will regret watching. For those who have followed the show closely, a lot of scenes will stir up something in you and at times, leave your stomach churning. This is a world where the dark and the grey rule. It now remains to be seen who will eventually win this rat race.