'Samantar 2' Web Review: Fine acts elevate tale of fate and furies

A still from Samantar 2

Samantar 2
On: MXPlayer
Dir: Sameer Vidwans
Cast: Swwapnil Joshi, Sai Tamhankar, Nitish Bharadwaj
Rating: 3/5

As Master Oogway of Kung Fu Panda puts it, one often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it. Samantar explores a similar principle as it follows the lives of Kumar Mahajan (Swwapnil Joshi) and Sudarshan Chakrapani (Nitish Bharadwaj), who are separated by 30 years. Kumar vows to change his destiny by reading Sudarshan's diaries and avoiding the mistakes he made. The first instalment focussed on Kumar desperately searching for Sudarshan, who eventually warns him that one can never outrun his fate.

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The second season opens with Kumar, after being guided by Sudarshan's warnings in his diaries, building his life exactly as he had hoped - complete with wealth, the love of his family and success at work. That is, until he flips the page to read about a new woman in his life. Enter Sai Tamhankar as Meera (and as Sundara in Sudarshan's life), wife to an affluent businessman in Kolhapur, who is stuck in an abusive relationship. While wary of Meera, Kumar is curious and finds himself drawn to her. As their relationship progresses, he ends up losing everything he gained, mirroring Sudarshan's world that had turned topsy-turvy decades ago. Stuck in limbo between the past and the future, whether Kumar manages to alter his destiny forms the rest of the story.

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The 10-episode series, adapted from Suhas Shirvalkar's book, plays out brilliantly as a fantasy-thriller. One question that plagued this writer throughout the series is: Kumar Mahajan ko gussa kyon aata hai? Every character in the show is enraged, leading to decisions that defy logic. Joshi, often said to ape Shah Rukh Khan, showcases his acting prowess here as his character goes through a sea of emotions, from anger to guilt, and pity. Tamhankar knocks it out of the park with her femme fatale portrayal of a scamster, obsessed lover, and murderer, all the while looking drop-dead gorgeous, sans much make-up. Bharadwaj showcases his mean streak with pregnant pauses and menacing demeanour.

Sameer Vidwans takes the directorial baton from Satish Rajwade, skillfully raising the bar with the sequel. The series, however, could have benefitted from crisper editing, with the story limited to eight episodes. The overuse of expletives on several occasions seems a bit unnecessary, but that is purely subjective. With its brilliant storytelling, performances, and dialogues, Samantar - sharper and more compelling than its predecessor - shatters the prejudice that sequels rarely match up to the promise of the original season. In a sea of new content every day, this series is a great watch. While it is available in multiple languages, watching it in Marathi is recommended as it truly captures the show's essence.

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