Series Name: Baarish 2
Baarish 2 Creator: Ekta Kapoor
Baarish 2 Cast: Sharman Joshi, Asha Negi, Manit Joura, Priya Banerjee, Sahil Shroff and Jeetendra
Baarish 2 Stars: 3/5
Who doesn’t enjoy a love story unfolding under the spell of rains? Ask any Mumbaikar and they would tell you that they either want to or have experienced their love bloom while the skies poured. Ekta Kapoor’s Baarish approached this very sentiment of love blooming under the monsoon skies of Mumbai with Sharman Joshi and Asha Negi in the lead. While the first season, like the first spell of rains, was all things mushy and romantic, the second season – like the torrential rains that sometimes floods the city – comes with its share of tides in the relationship.
Before we proceed with the review – WARNING: Possible Spoilers Ahead:
The first season was narrated from Gauravi’s perspective. The second season approaches the story through Anuj’s view and he has help from Jeetu Bhai (Jeetendra, making his OTT debut). The new season turns a new leaf in Anuj (Sharman) and Gauravi’s relationship. After spending months in the lockup to protect her husband, Gauravi is bailed out of jail. Sans the comforts of a luxurious lifestyle, the couple starts afresh with their relationship also witnessing new twists and turns. From pulling themselves out of joblessness to owning a small 1BHK and buying a plush villa, Anuj and Gauravi rebuild their lives together only to fall apart.
Amid their journeys to revive their reclaim a better lifestyle, Anuj and Gauravi grow apart. Their relationship witnesses its share of potholes and speed breakers but Anuj demands a divorce. Does it happen? Or do the couple manage to withstand the violent winds under an umbrella? We’ll let you watch and find out. What we could say is that Baarish season 2 serves a better watch than the first season. The first season felt unnecessarily long with the stereotypical romantic moments between the arranged married couple with almost nothing fresh presented. The second season doesn’t drive far away from the approach. However, the approach is crisper.
The Ekta Kapoor created show still banks on a few adorable moments in the first half of the series to bring together the twist. But, the moment the series hits the mid-season episode, Sharman takes the steering wheel and drives the new season straight to the finish line.
Sharman carries the series on their shoulders effortlessly with Asha giving him all the support. The writers give the two stars a wider character range to work on and present different facets of their acting talents. There is no denying that Sharman is the star of the second season. The actor goes from mellow man, falling head over heels for his wife, to angry to a suspicious husband in no time and boy, it is a treat to watch. Asha too had her moments to shine. There were a few scenes where Sharman overpowered the actress. Also, the first season was high on chemistry. But both the chemistry seems to fall short in the new season.
The subplots fall weak. Shreya and Aniket’s plot – the tension in their relationship and their need to find an end to their problems – was shallow. Vikram Singh Chauhan lacked conviction. I understand he plays a frustrated husband with a high-maintenance wife, but there were several places where he felt almost lifeless. On the other hand, Priya Banerjee (who plays Shreya) felt over the top in several portions. I am ready to give her the leeway that her character is supposed to be dramatic and psychotic. But there were some places where she just gets annoying.
Apart from the story and acting, another element that caught my attention was the music. An Ekta Kapoor show always has some good music, take Broken But Beautiful as an example. However, what was with the background score of Baarish season 2? Damn, the scene and the vibe did not match in several scenes. Especially the ones featuring Gauravi’s father. Honestly, the first time I heard the BGM for the character, it made me believe he was playing a negative role or a grey shade in the second season.
Despite these flaws, Baarish 2 serves as an entertaining, relatable to extent watch, especially when the daily soaps are on a break. It is might help you deal with the no-show blues on television.
Baarish 2 is streaming on ZEE5/ALTBalaji.