Rudrabinar Obhishaap season 2 review: Joy Sarkar’s soulful music and Sougata Basu’s captivating story steal the show

3/5

Story: Alaap’s (Vikram Chatterjee) pursuit of raag Sanjivani to rescue his mother Rohini (Pushpita Mukherjee) from the clutches of Rudrabhairab (Sudeep Mukherjee) turns intense as Naad’s (Saurav Das) mission to obliterate Madanti’s bloodline falters as he falls for one of his preys, Saaz (Ditipriya Roy). Broken into eight episodes, about 20 minutes long each, we see how music finds its worthy beneficiary overcoming all adversities and inequalities.

Review: There is music that vivifies and there is music that weaves inequalities between people – between the rich and the poor, man and woman, and the elite and subaltern. Which music will you choose and how far will you go to protect your music? Rudrabinar Obhishaap encapsulates very engaging debates that highlight animosity between gharanas and pinpoint the elitism of access to classical music.

The series is a musical fantasy. It has codes and cryptic messages. It has larger-than-life characters and outstanding music. This story takes a step up from Kedar Mishra’s gurukul and his disciples that we have seen in Tansener Taanpura. This one travels to a new musical destination, Rudrapur. The series explores the murky backstory of young Kedar (Sudip Sarkar) and his wife Mumtaz (Ushasi Roy), who is the grandchild of Amanat Khan (the patriarch of Anandagarh Gharana). Without giving any spoilers, it is safe to say that the musical universe that the series explores is a liberal hub of creativity.

Like its predecessor Tansener Taanpura, Rudrabinar Obhishaap also has almost everything – great music, intense research, complex plot and most importantly, layered characters. It has turns and twists and a brand new and exclusive raag composition by the musician Joy Sarkar who has single-handedly decorated the entire series with soulful melodies based on Indian classical music. The writer Saugata Basu has also painstakingly designed the plot adding intriguing back stories for every character. However, what it lacks is fineness and care.

Otherwise, how can one explain why an able actor, who plays the character of a professional instrumentalist, fails to emote the right mechanism of the instrument? Also, why can’t the script convincingly portray a murder that takes place in broad daylight in front of hundreds of people? Shoddy script is the commonest ill of a hastily made low-budget creation.

Anyway, Sourav presents a very convincing show throughout as Naad though his last bit of melodrama seems out of place. Vikram looks resolute to find the unheard-of raag but his character lacks fun, in general. His presentation of music seems very convincing. Meanwhile, Shruti’s character is the weakest of them all. Unlike the other characters that suffer from jealousy, fear of losing power, competition, insecurity and identity crisis, her character has no shade to offer. Sreelekha Mitra replaces Jayati Bhatia as Madhubanti Mishra and does justice to the character.

Acting-wise, there is little to complain about. Paran Bandyopadhyay makes a late entry but captures attention in no time. Rupanjana looks very pristine and earthy as Moti, and Ditipriya as usual is full of wholesome vivacity and charm.

Verdict: Rudrabinar Obhishaap is essentially an interesting story. But it falters due to lack of care. It deals with Indian classical music and tells an age-old story of love, revenge, power and sex. It is not a dark drama but a thriller that is borderline juvenile. But the music is the real charmer and the raag that is incepted for the show is for keeps.