Maharani season 2 review: Power-packed performances keep Huma Qureshi's slow-burner series afloat

3.5/5

Story:

After sending her husband and former CM to prison on corruption charges, Rani Bharti takes full control of the Chief Minister's throne for the betterment of society and the people of Bihar.

Review:

The technical CM has become a powerful ruler of Bihar and is even more confident and know-it-all this time. After sending the former CM and her husband to prison on corruption charges, Rani Bharti seems to have become a naive political puppet turned social reformer. In reality, she is concerned with the development of Bihar, education, health, and all of the other things that a politician promises the public while collecting a vote bank but never delivers.But the path to truth and evolution doesn't come easily.

The first begins with one of the scenes from the last episode and reveals that Bheema Bharti is no more and Rani Bharti is under suspicion for the conspiracy to murder the former CM. The initial sequence itself intrigues you and makes you reach the end.

The creator of the show, Subhash Kapoor, has co-written it with Nandan Singh and Umashankar Singh. The trio must be applauded for unfolding each and every development in the story one after another in a way that doesn't make you scratch your head and gives you time to take it all in. All the major and minor happenings take their own sweet time. However, sometimes it might seem to test your patience as this season is a little too slow-paced, which makes it a little difficult to binge on in one go.

The latest instalment is packed with controversies and scandals. For starters, one of the politicians from Rani's party comes under the radar of the police after he rapes and murders a young girl who wins a beauty contest at the state level. However, the authorities couldn't get any evidence against him. It is Rani who reopens the case and asks the law to investigate it again mindfully. Moving on, the current powerful woman of Bihar gets to deal with multiple disputes in her political as well as personal life, including communal riots and her husband Bheema's affair with another woman, respectively.

Huma as Rani was seen picking up the pace of her character, which might seem a little under-studied in the first season. However, Maharani 2 gives you a completely changed Rani Bharti, who doesn't only want to but actually takes steps to fight the evils of society. The uneducated CM of Bihar is much more confident, politically correct and fearless. Huma's command of her character's body language, accent, and power-packed dialogue delivery is definitely praise-worthy and something that makes you want her on the screen all the time.

Meanwhile, Sohum Shah appears to be improving his performance with more screen time. Talking about Amit Sial as Naveen Kumar, at first, the actor appears to be on the show just for the sake of the crowd. However, moving towards the second half of the show, he gets to make a point of his existence as a political leader, who has been waiting to become CM for 17 years and is ready to do anything in order to achieve the status.

Another one of the most powerful characters like Rani is Kaveri, the secretary and adviser to the CM, who doesn't only support her leader professionally but also personally due to her principles and stays with her like an educated and intelligent little sister. In one of the scenes, she can also be seen scolding Rani for her foolishness, which might prevent her from achieving what she wants for the betterment of society. Played by Kani Kusruti, Kaveri is another watch-worthy character to look for in the show.

Dibyendu Bhattacharjee has been given less screen time in the show, although the aura and depth the actor brings to the table are commendable. A few more cast members, including Anuja Sathe, Atul Tiwari, and Vineet Kumar, keep the show engaging.

Director Ravindra Shewale has definitely achieved his vision to take the show up a notch with all the right spices in the dish, including the story, the apt locations and set designs, and, of course, the power-packed performances by the right cast.

Verdict:

Huma Qureshi has proved to be one of the most impressive performers in the industry. Apart from being a little slow-paced, the Ravindra Shewale directorial has all the right flavours to make for a must-watch political thriller series.