The fall and rise of a rockstar

The web is where all the action is. Naturally, the biggies of Bollywood and television are making a beeline for the exciting new world of web series. When Bollywood producer, director and screenwriter Vikram Bhatt debuted on the digital platform last year with the erotic thriller Maaya, not many were surprised. Then came Gehraiyaan and Spotlight in quick succession. And now, he's out with Spotlight 2.

Touted as the 'first ever musical digital series', Spotlight 2 is not quite what you expect from the creator of films like Raaz, Ghulam, 1920  and Kasoor. While S1 of Spotlight was the biopic of a Bollywood starlet - with a heavy dose of sexual intrigue and drama - the latest season is a linear narrative about the fall and rise of a musical sensation. The goal is clear from the very first episode: to tug at your heartstrings!

Spotlight 2 tells the story of a musician's fall from grace and his gritty comeback, battling drug addiction, lost love and dirty politics. It has all the makings of a masala Bollywood movie - a dishy hero (television heart-throb Karan V Grover), a virtuous heroine (former Miss India Aditi Arya) and a vicious vamp (another former Miss India Ruhi Singh).

Karan, as rockstar Vicky Malhotra, is credible. As much as you may want to hate him for his narcissism and delusions of grandeur, you will most likely end up rooting for his strength of character, as he fights for success on his own terms. If he reminds you of John Abraham with his shoulder-length hair, you are not alone. Thankfully, he's a better actor. The same can't be said about the majority of the cast though; they come across as rather amateur, with Aditi shining in bits and parts as the affable, and sometimes unbelievable, Jyotika Verma. Their love story is as predictable as most onscreen love stories.

The USP of the second season of Spotlight, without any doubt, is an interesting mix of original compositions by musicians Harish Sanganay and Ankit Shah. If you are a fan of Arijit Singh melodies, you are going to appreciate this one. Especially, 'Na Tum Rahe Tum' and 'Ghar Se Nikla'. It's the kind of music you don't mind listening to on a loop.

My biggest disappointment with Spotlight 2 is the overdose of f*** words, peppered with expletives in Hindi. Yes, we get it. Rockstars use abusive language. We have seen Ranbir Kapoor essay the titular role on the big screen. However, in this web series, almost all the characters seem to be in some sort of a competition to utter the four-letter word the maximum number of times! And the winner, in my humble opinion, is Ruhi as Deeya Sarkar, the ruthless music company head and scorned lover. In the 13-episode (of 20-22 minutes each) series, the young lady cusses at least a hundred times.

Perhaps, that's the master storyteller Vikram Bhatt's way of making up for the lack of eroticism in this series. Despite a handful of smooches and love-making scenes, Spotlight 2 is mostly a clean entertainer. Director Siddhant Sachdev does a decent job of portraying the triumphs and tribulations of a musical genius lost in the trappings of stardom. If only someone had the prudence to tell the makers to mind the language!

(Spotlight 2 is now available online on Viu, a video-on-demand platform)