Abhay Season 2 Review – A Passable Thriller That Fizzles Out Towards The End

What Is the Story About?

The second season of Abhay sees Abhay Pratap Singh (Kunal Khemu), the Special Task Force (STF) chief return to solving the shocking and gruesome crimes. This time though, he is thrown a massive challenge by a kidnapper (Ram Kapoor) who is always a step ahead.

The kidnapper gets caught, but Abhay requires his help in the missing children’s case.  What does he want and did Abhay find out his truth is the primary driving point of the story?

Performances?

Kunal Khemu nails the look entirely and the act satisfactorily as the no-nonsense work minded cop. He brings in the seriousness and intensity required for the role. The latter has been a familiar and well-appreciated trait for him since a child artist, and it is always useful. At times, when putting on a serious face, he does remind one of Aamir Khan, though.

The screen presence also plays a key role, and here it is a mixed bag. At times, Kunal Khemu looks perfect and balanced well, but there are times, especially as the series progresses, he lacks the same. Acting-wise, the character might appear a bit one-dimensional, but Kunal Khemu does his best not to let it entirely run in that direction. He deserves some appreciation for that, but mostly it is because Kunal Khemu appears to immerse himself in the role wholly.

Analysis

Ken Ghosh directs the series. He has been in the industry for a long time and has touched upon a variety of genres. However, the most common element has been style and superficiality. The same is visible in Abhay, as well. Luckily, other positives don’t make it a drab totally.

There are a total of seven episodes in the second season, and they come with a unique serial psycho killer subplot. The main plot involves a kidnapper who is also the ‘Joker’ to the leads act as the ‘Batman’.

Each of the psycho killers in the subplot gets a raw and hyper-stylized yet gory treatment. Some visuals and content might be stomach-churning and disturbing, too. However, if one looks beneath them, it follows the routine psycho-killer and cop on the track narrative.

The thing that holds the attention despite the formulaic nature is gripping narration and an air of unpredictability. The latter feels so due to the extent of wretched characterizations; the psycho-killers get. One is always on edge as to what they might do next, and it helps the narrative.

The second one is the suspense factor in the main story. While it is a clear desi-take off of the Joker and Batman duel (with some dialogues and action done as it is), it still has a hooking underlying thrill with it.

On the flip side, there is always a feeling of something inconsistent. The pacing, for example, is very erratic. At times, it is fast and thriller, whereas in places it everything seems rushed to the extent that it appears flat. The ‘inconsistency’ can be felt both within the individual episodes and on the whole, too.

The final couple of episodes are the biggest casualties in their regard. The whole thing carries a rushed vibe. Also at this point, the formulaic nature of the subplots involving the serial psycho killers becomes too apparent. The backstory each one gets seems so predictable and gives an impression that it is intentionally picked to contain gory elements, and ruffle some uncomfortable feathers.

After all the happening, the ending seems a lot underwhelming. It is mainly because of all the build-up given to the antagonist; it fizzles out. It lacks the proper finishing impact to elevate the whole narrative and turns out to be a near turkey that does the opposite, bring the entire effort down.

The final few minutes are still alright (and sets up for a potential third season), but no matter one says, it is hard to justify the fall in the character graph of the main antagonist.

Overall, if one is a fan of thrillers (involving serial psycho killers) with panache for gory visual, Abhay 2 offers a moderately engaging content. It is not exceptional, or memorable, but is a passable outing where some portions could be skipped.

Other Artists?

The casting of the series is a great asset. There are many familiar faces doing something out of their skins. Ram Kapoor, Chunky Pandey, Indraneil Sengupta, Aashema Vardhan, Raghav Juyal, etc.

Ram Kapoor plays the main antagonist character, which is a direct lift of Joker from The Dark Knight. He has done the part in his style where the smile plays a key role. it would have been sensational and memorable if there was more meat to it than just effects.

Among the serial psycho killers Chunky Pandey, Indraneil Sengupta and Raghav Juyal are good. They bring the additional creepiness to play. It gives the extra edge to the narrative. The rest of the recurring artists have been sufficient the first time around as well as now.

Music and Other Departments?

The background score by Ajay Singha helps in enhancing the thrilling appeal of the narrative. It is consistently competent although few bits might give the impression of massive inspiration. The cinematography by Hari K Vedantam is adequate in generating the mood. The editing is alright, although somewhat needlessly flashy in parts. The writing is par for the course.

Highlights?

Gripping Narrative In Parts

Casting

Background Score

The Final Few Minutes

Drawbacks?

Ending

Predictability

Repetitive And Stretched

Did I Enjoy It?

Yes, in parts

Will You Recommend It?

Yes, but with huge reservations

Abhay Season 2 Review by Binged Bureau 

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