Film:
Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein Season 2
Director: Sidharth Sengupta
Writer: Umesh Padalkar, Sidharth Sengupta, Varun Badola
Cast: Tahir Raj Bhasin, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Anchal Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Arunoday Singh, Brijendra Kala, Surya Sharma, Anantvijay Joshi, Sunita Rajwar, Hetal Gada
Platform: Netflix
Runtime: 6 episodes of 42 minutes
Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein Review
Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, when you read the title, you might start humming the iconic 90’s hit song from the film Baazigar. The words are based on William Shakespeare’s Othello phrase, “For she had eyes and chose me.”
The story of season 2 is like ‘all in the eyes’ on how you look at things beyond logic with emotions and connect all the dots that are left unsaid in season 1. As it takes off right from where it ended, Vikrant Singh Chauhan (Tahir Raj Bhasin), as usual, the helpless hero of our story, is in trouble again. He decides something and some other thing happens; this time it’s more than what we can imagine.
In season 1, Vikrant (Tahir), is an engineering graduate who lives in a small village. A politician’s daughter named Purva Awasthi (Anchal Singh) stalks him, falls in love with him and desires to want him for the past 15 years and 8 months of her life. In contrast, Vikrant falls in love with Shikha (Shweta Tripathi) and the complications of love, authority of power over oneself, and betrayal begin.
The season 2 states, ‘mohabbat mein hai nahi fark jeene aur marne ka’ since Purva Awasthi (Anchal Singh), despite his multiple attempts, is safe and the whole drama revolves around her kidnapping. On the other hand, it’s gripping to watch Vikrant’s hide-and-seek in the entire thriller, as he is always on the verge of getting caught. He often strives to escape Purva’s grasp, settle down with his real love, Shikha and save all his loved ones; the drama delves deeper into the web of love and obsession. What adds a plot twist to the story is the addition of characters Aditya Hafeez (Arunoday Singh) and Guru (Gurmeet Choudhary).
What Works
The season is entertaining and you can feel the helplessness of the protagonist, Vikrant. There are many conflict points and questions, like who kidnapped Purva? Who is Guru in the story? Why does Aditya, being a contract killer, kidnap Purva? Who is the mastermind behind all this? All that season 1 kept us hanging will be answered in this season. The season thrives on the complexity of each character and their weakness to act upon the situation in a certain way, as ‘nobody is born demon’ sometimes it’s the situation or the state that makes them fight for their survival.
In Vikrant’s story, he is definitely torn between the love of two women—one driven by obsession and the other by love. The pace of the season is catchy and will keep you hooked in your seat.
What Doesn’t Work
Season 2 starts off really well but it tends to lag towards the middle. Even being 6 episodes, it feels a bit of an extension of the drama. The main character makes fewer plans all the time to kill his wife and no one notices it even when they have loads of resources to find anything they can and being Guru behind him all the time fails to expose the truth. At times, you have to keep the logic aside to watch such a thrill.
Additionally, a few sequences lose their punch as the show seems to stall and the tension that was built up earlier fades in the 4th episode but it gets better with the 5th. The most disappointing aspect is the inconclusive ending, which leaves many questions unanswered, making the journey feel incomplete.
Technical Analysis
The direction by Sidharth Sengupta is one of the strong points of Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein. The writers Umesh Padalkar, Sidharth Sengupta, Varun Badola have worked well with the picturisation of the story, creating a world filled with psychological tension, plot twists, and compelling suspense.
The visual tone remains dark, fitting the suspense-driven plot. The camera work highlights the tension, using close-ups to settle the emotional conflict and wide shots to reflect the characters’ isolation is brilliant. However, there are moments where the editing could have been more fluid, especially in the dark scene of the kidnapping, while some sequence from the mountains gives the Hollywood feel. The music complements the narrative without overshadowing it.
Star Performances
Apart from a crisp script, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein boasts of solid performances. Tahir Raj Bhasin as Vikrant Singh Chauhan delivers a convincing portrayal of a man caught in a web of deceit and obsession. His performance adds depth to a character who is constantly struggling between love, survival, and revenge.
Aanchal Singh as Purva Awasthi is a standout, embodying obsession and madness with great intensity. Her portrayal of a woman who stops at nothing to get what she wants is both unsettling and captivating. Even after recovering from the major tragedy, she returns back to her charm.
Shweta Tripathi, as Vikrant’s true love, Shikha, offers a grounded and relatable performance that provides a sense of emotional balance to the chaos around her.
Arunoday Singh as the contract killer Aditya Hafeez was introduced towards the end of season 1 and has been explored well in season 2. However, he is a main character charm and should have added more layers of intrigue to the plot.
On the other hand, Gurmeet Choudhary as Guru was utilised well with the storyline. Some of his scenes felt like they added to the story but he kept the tension high throughout the series. He was the only smart head who knew it all but couldn’t get the catch since he was not the hero of the story.
Culmination
Overall, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein season 2 offers a compelling continuation of the story. The mix of suspense, obsession, action and emotional turmoil keeps the audience engaged, but the series loses some of its momentum in the later episodes.
‘Aur bhi dukh hain zamane mein mohabbat ke siwa, galat zamane mein dukh hai hi isliye kyuki mohabbat hai’, with this we would say despite its flaws, the performances and romantic crime thriller make it an intriguing watch, leaving viewers eagerly anticipating the next chapter.