'Undekhi 2' series review: Surya Sharma shines in intense thriller

The series makes an impact due to its intense presentation and effective performances

Cast: Surya Sharma, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Aanchal Singh, Harsh Chhaya and Meiyang Chang

Rating: 3.5/5

Platform: SonyLiv

Director Aashish R Shula's latest release Undekhi 2 is a reasonably compelling thriller that works mainly because of Surya Sharma's intense performance and its riveting screenplay. The series, which starts off where the first season had ended, revolves around what happens when police officer Barun Ghosh decides to hunt down the arrogant Rinku in order to settle a past score. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that nothing is what it seems as all characters have their fair share of secrets. The basic storyline is quite easy to relate to as it explores the quest for power and vengeance, a universal theme that was previously used in Mirzapur and even the cult show Game of Thrones.

Undekhi 2 reaches its potential as the chilling screenplay does justice to the inherently engaging premise. The series starts off as a slow burner as the opening episode re-introduces one to the main characters and highlights the complex equations between them. The writers succeed in recreating the aura of the first season courtesy of the scenes between Rinku and his 'Papaji'. Similarly, the track involving the Saloni and Sashwat adds the cat and mouse element, the hallmark of the first season, to Undekhi 2. The series features a liberal dose of violence but, just like in Mirzapur, the bloodshed isn't glorified. The same applies to the strong language used on the show as it gels with the situation. In other words, there is absolutely no sensationalism.

The confrontation scenes hit the right notes with their organic intensity. A key sequence involving Harsh Chhaya's Papaji and a lawyer, in particular, stands out because of the realistic presentation. The makers also need to be lauded for the way they have handled Aanchal Singh's character. Teji's graph takes one by surprise, which makes it quite hard-hitting.

That said, Undekhi 2 is not a flawless attempt at storytelling by any stretch of the imagination as the new additions to the series namely Meiyang Chang and Nandish Sandhu, don't make the desired impact as their characters haven't been fleshed out as well as expected. Moreover, some of the twists feel a bit predictable. These, however, are not major issues in the grand scheme of things.

Coming to the performances, Surya shines as Rinku, the character that helped him find a foothold in the industry. The actor uses his eyes to bring out the Atwal scion's unhinged nature. His approach here is similar to the one he adopted in Hostages where he played the role of a kidnapper. Harsh plays the loud and aggressive Papaji with effortless ease. His intensity in several intense scenes is hard to miss. Dibyendu Bhattacharya is sincere but does not make the type of impact he made in the first season. He, however, deserves full marks for mixing it up as this character is completely different from the ones played by him in Criminal Justice and the recently-released Rocket Boys. Meiyang and Nandish deserved better. The former Indian Idol contestant, however, shines in a slick action scene.

Aanchal sinks her teeth into a well-written character, which goes from being 'in danger' to (occasionally) being 'the danger'.

Undekhi 2 features several strong dialogues that add depth to the characters while highlighting the gravity of the situation in question. It features lines in Hindi, Punjabi and Bengali, which makes it a pan-India offering. The action scenes are raw and realistic. The other technical aspects are up to the mark.