‘Aashram Chapter 2’ Review : A disappointing stretch to the first half.
So if you have been reading my blog, I am an admirer of Prakash Jha’s Aashram. The first chapter of the series was a compelling watch, and it ended in a way which kept viewers hungry for more. I wondered why MXPlayer released this series in two chapters, but after watching the second chapter I realised it was because of lack of material.
Here is a spoiler-free review of Aashram Chapter-2. It contains references to Chapter-1 and the official trailer.
The storyline :
Babita (Tridha Chaudhary) reeling from the effects of her rape, decides to use Baba’s lust against him and becomes his paramour. She incites the bitter envy of Aashram Power Rangers. Other than that, nothing.
Meanwhile Dr. Natasha (Anupriya Goenka) manages to sneak Ujagar Singh (Darshan Kumar) and Sadhu (Vikram Kochhar) in the Aashram, pumped full of drugs. Unbeknownst to them, journalist Akki (Rajeev Siddhartha) also enters and exits the Aashram as an electrician. Hear me out : a disguise is meant to serve as a cover and a camouflage. Hippie Ujagar, hippie Sadhu and fake-Sardarji Akki are conspicuous. There are almost no Sikhs in the Aashram, and Sikh disguises are an old Bollywood trope. Natasha herself enters the Aashram and provides hidden cameras and intel to them. Her disguise consists of glasses, shorter hair and a fake-accent.
They all manage to prick some holes, get some really crucial information, and then nothing happens.
Baba Nirala (Sada hi jai ho) is somewhat pushed to the background in this season. He communicates himself with bored stares. It works in many scenes – that is exactly how a psychopath would react to major events. Cool and indifferent, with a ‘yeah, so?’ attitude. Bobby Deol sells it pretty well.
Most of his scenes are people applauding him as he sits like a king. Just sitting, reclining and walking. He does musical satsang concerts where he uses Superstar Tinka Singh (Adhyayan Suman) as his personal emcee/orchestra singer who belts out, “Baba layenge kranti” (Baba will bring a revolution), to the youth. The whole thing has an /r/fellowKids vibe.
Baba also invites the opposition minister Hukum Singh (Sachin Shroff) and Chief Minister to the stage, showing ostensible solidarity with both of them, leaving them confused in the middle of political mud-fight.
The most consistent storyline remains that of wrestler Pammi (Aaditi Pohankar). She goes through recollections of intense trauma, and is confounded by the terrible pain inflicted on her body. Caution : It is shown in a gruesome way which can be extremely triggering for some viewers. As the true identity of her rapist is revealed, Pammi finally accepts that Baba is an evil psychopath, and the story takes us back to the very first scene of the pilot episode, and the events which unfold thereafter
The storytelling :
We watch wide-eyed, taking in the thrill, looking out for new information as major events unfold. All these events seem to have almost no consequences. Why?
The episodes are short and haphazardly edited. Time is squandered by repetition. Yes, we get it Prakash Jha – Kashipur wale Baba is seen as a saint. That is established by the devotees touching his feet, throwing petals on him and what not. It does not have to happen every two minutes. In contrast – not enough time is given to scenes which lead to plot development.
The writing gets cheesy in some places. Baba talks about giving his aashirwad, kripa, maha-prasad referring to sex. His goons state that Baba is in samadhi, referring to Baba engaging in sex. Shuddhikaran is castration.
Anupriya Goenka disappoints big time. Her dialog delivery is so mechanical it feels like she was dubbed over, not to mention her NPC-like, lazily written dialoges.
Chandan Roy Sanyal is an excellent actor who is terribly underused. There are no developments in Bhopa’s character at all – he is the same bearded henchman right-hand dude who cleans Baba’s crap.
Bobby Deol does exactly what his character demands – be a laid-back and evil, powerful guy decked in Maanyavar apparel.
Aaditi Pohankar deserves ALL THE CREDIT. She plays Pammi so well, first the optimistic wrestler and then the determined, disillusioned rebel. Her expressions, dialogs, body-language is just perfect.
The music is annoyingly catchy. As I type this, I can hear Baba layenge Kranti in my head. The background music is starting to feel overdone now, mainly because a lot of scenes are without any dialog or significance – just tastefully shot scenes and intense music.
Conclusion :
The second part of the series tries to piggyback on the entertainment-quality of the first-half. it succeeds on doing so, but it is only halfway there. A lot of substance is missing, there is a terrible lack of story. The direction and cinematography are well-done, but the editing is not up to the mark.
Rating :
