In the first season of Maharani, the focus was on showing the growth of an ignorant Rani Bharti to the mainstream politics of Bihar. As a major conflict was created at the end of season 1, the second season, Maharani 2, shows us a politically mature Rani who is going head to head with everyone who plotted against her. The scenario looks exciting. But the Subhash Kapoor series is not that compelling as it depends on the Prakash Jha kind of drama than a novel approach to presenting the politics of Bihar.
Post the fallout between Bheema and Rani, things haven’t been that great for Rani. At one point, the murder of a beauty contest winner results in a scenario where Rani is forced to arrest the accused MLA despite his closeness to Bheema Bharti. With Rani no longer wanting to be a puppet CM, the stage becomes crowded and complex in the race for power. And all the dramas which unfold in that are what we witness in Maharani 2.
It took me a few days to finish the series, mainly because the story’s canvas is elaborate. The series is so long that when I try to recollect events in the series, I even get confused about whether it was in this season or the previous one. One thing I will have to give to the makers is that the show never becomes a dull experience. Even though the drama is somewhat predictable and there isn’t a major wow factor, the level of filmy drama in this series keeps you interested in how all of this will unravel in the process. Unlike the first season, where Rani Bharti is very much there in every phase of things, season 2 is more invested in showing the political demography of Bihar. And thus, there are too many characters making it almost look like a quality daily soap.
The character pool is acting as the positive and negative for this series. To accommodate them, subplots are being created, and not all of them look exciting. But in totality, it is helping this gigantic conspiracy to have shape. The series’ focus is constantly changing, and for a series with 10 episodes with an average duration of 40-45 minutes, there is too much happening for us to comprehend. And as I mentioned earlier, there is that Prakash Jha style dialoguebazi happening on a writing level. The investigation part that happens in the last 3 episodes of Maharani 2 was actually an exciting one, largely because of the character of Martin Ekka. I found it interesting when the drama shifted its tone from a whodunit to a Shakespearian idea with that “caesar was killed by the senate” dialogue.
Huma Qureshi gracefully shifted the pitch of the performance in the second season. And the evolution of Rani Bharti into a seasoned politician looked believable on screen. Somewhere I felt Sohum Shah, as Bheema Bharti, was unable to give us the same impression the script wanted us to have about the character. And the body language change to depict the eventfulness of his life feels a bit forceful. Amit Sial did a good job as Navin Kumar. The stand-out performance among the many faces that got good screentime in season 2 was Dibyendu Bhattacharya as Martin Ekka. They have established some past issues between Ekka and Bheema, and I feel Ekka is a character with spin-off possibilities.
Maharani 2 is engaging but not compelling. It is almost like watching something you have predicted. But the numerous subplots and their interconnected nature somewhere keep the series in an interesting phase where you will be curious to know what will happen in the next turn. I am more excited about the upcoming season as the level of evolvement of Rani has reached an exciting level, along with a terrific team backing her.
I am more excited about the upcoming season as the level of evolvement of Rani has reached an exciting level, along with a terrific team backing her.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
