Review: 'Aspirants S2' delves expertly into the 'Life' part of your loved characters more than 'Pre.. Mains..'

Aspirants S2

Pre...Mains...Life - the combination of these three formed the tagline and storyline as well of Aspirants Season 1. Another TVF knockout, the show was an instant hit as it catapulted through the journey of five protagonists who are appearing for the UPSC exam - one of the toughest ones in India.

Now the gang is back with Season 2, this time on Amazon Prime Video, where from the above-mentioned tagline, it focuses more on the 'life' part.

Having had the chance to see the entire season beforehand, here's what we thought about it-

Conflicting Friendships & Retaining The Flavor

The constantly changing parameters of friendship between Abhilash (Naveen Kasturia), SK (Abhilash Thapiyal) and Guri (Shivankit Parihar) and the absolute contrast of that formed for the two timelines in Season 1. And here, with Season 2, a certain amount of time has passed since the events from the initial season. Hence, we delve a lot more into the present than in the past. The friendship that was so palpable between 'tripod' is now evidently awkward as they almost have encounters like they are acquaintances. The most relatable part in this mix is how they are incredibly busy in their lives, and that too at certain positions, but they are still trying so hard to meet once or as much as possible at least and maintain a bond is cumbersome but still important.

And hence, owing to this and so many other things, Aspirants Season 2 retains the flavor that became the reason for the first season to become a humungous success.

More Verbose, More Technical

A big decision that the makers seem to have outlined for this season is being more technical than the first season. And in a huge way, it does fit, owing to how you're dealing with the characters being on their respective jobs more than they were initially. As Abhilash, Kasturia as the District Magistrate, is seen mouthing shudh Hindi terms that are a common factor when it comes to high-end government jobs and politics. The sheer authenticity of that is fabulous and always keeps you in their world. And this further leads to verbose in several instances, from spitting out laws in the Indian constitution to the terminologies used in UPSC interview rounds or for the preparation of it. There is almost too much verbose, which might become a factor for new viewers to adapt to it and even some fans of the first season. For me, it was a huge plus.

The Performances & The Novelty

After showing the preparation for the UPSC exams, we now delve into topics like Abhilash's return to Rajinder Nagar, meeting new people, passing the exam, staying true to his strategy and the fabulously portrayed mock interview segment. These are the kind of aspects that are never seen before, and to show that with such finesse is a fabulous feat, especially the interview segments, the mock updates and the exam preparations.

Coming to the performances, each and every actor who reprises their role from the first season hasn't lost a beat. They are as good as they were in the first season. The one scene between Namita Dubey's Dhairya and Naveen Kasturia's Abhilash talking about Shivankit's Guri had me sobbing uncontrollably. 

The new additions are also worthy and bring a lot to the table, especially Tengam Celine, aka Deepa Nabam. One should take notes on how to practice inclusivity and not stereotype it one bit. But if enough people didn't know about Naveen Kasturia already, Aspirants Season 2 should be your go-to thing to watch. Any award possible should be given to the man as he delivers a knockout performance and one to remember.

The Underwhelming Aspect - Sandeep Bhaiya

Yes, I am as shocked as you are. I didn't anticipate I would be saying this, but due to formulaic characterisation and writing, the character that was an instant classic from the first season has now been reduced to a cliched portrayal - Sandeep Bhaiya.

From having minimal character development to almost turning him evil-ish, it is disheartening to see Sunny Hinduja get so little to do with Sandeep Bhaiya this time. The problem isn't Sandeep Bhaiya going through a change in shades of the role, but if this turn had had a decent amount of buildup and apt justification, it would have made more sense, but that doesn't happen. Guess we will have to hope he has a better arc in Season 3.

The Verdict

Aspirants Season 2 might not be a home run like its predecessor, but is still a worthy entry into being one of the better shows on the web. TVF rarely gets it wrong, and that doesn't happen this time either.

Rating - ***1/2 (3.5/5)