Review: Never Kiss Your Best Friend S2 is a millennial rom-com done right and yes, it gets better

Nakuul Mehta and Anya Singh's ‘Never Kiss Your Best Friend’ has returned with a second season and joining the cast are actors Karan Wahi and Sarah Jane Dias.

Directed by Harsh Dedhia and produced by 11:11 Productions, Never Kiss Your Best Friend S2 also stars Sapna Pabbi, Javed Jaffrey, Niki Walia, Deepti Bhatnagar in supporting roles. We have witnessed Tanie and Sumer break up in the first season but as fate would have it, they are back together, but this time, it is for work, and a lot of emotional baggage. While they work together at Meraki Studios, a production house in London, there's added drama and twists and turns. 

Never Kiss Your Best Friend S2 Plot

This drama is accentuated with Tanie’s newfound attraction towards Karan Saxena (played by Karan Wahi), a successful actor with Meraki. He is suave, charming and everything Tanie wants in a man. On the other hand, Sumer is getting closer to Lavanya (played by Darah Jane Dias), the heir to the Meraki legacy, but someone who is fighting her own battles with making a name for herself as the world keeps judging her for her past. 

With these new emotions and Sumer & Tanie’s rekindling old friendship in the mix, S2 is full of romance, drama, complications and emotions.

Story, Writing and dialogues

The story does manage to get a little of everything that there can be in a romantic drama like this, and for me, it does tick all the major boxes. Right from emotions to family drama to exes and best friends, and of course, troubles in life and at work. With more characters that have joined the story, things only move smoother than one would expect, and that's good.

Most of what we get to see, slides very naturally into the entire set up, not making anything look forced in any way. While there are some obvious things that go about during the episodes, it is an absolute plus that you just don't know where do the 30-35 minutes of each episode disappear and you find yourself onto the finale. Having said that, the climax, may or may not sit well with everyone, but hey, there might be a season 3!

There are also some beautiful dialogues that we see every now and then, and some of those come from Tanie, and since she is a writer, it only makes so much sense and sounds a little more artsy.

Ratings: ***1/2 stars (3.5/5)

Direction, cinematography and screenplay

Never Kiss Your Best Friend season 2 is visually pleasing, offers some great shots, and manages to keep you hooked throughout. And well, much like above, all three of the technical aspects of this series shine through the screens and for good. 

The grandeur is not too much in the face and yet, there are instances where you love what you see on the screen and as you move forward from one episode to the next, the transition is smooth like butter (Yep, too close to BTS)!

Ratings: **** stars (4/5)

Performances

It might be the most difficult thing to pin point a single performance that I loved because truly, every character arc is beautiful and aligns with the story. To begin with, Nakuul as Sumer is as convincing as it can get, because in our head, we see him as the punctual, stick to the routine kind of man that we are introduced to, but once you get to know more of him, there's this goofy side too. And well, barring that, he does have your heart during multiple emotional scenes, especially two confrontation scenes that happens towards the end. (won't give you spoilers)

Moving on, Anya as Tanie might be the perfect pick. After season 1, it is difficult to even think of someone else play the character now. She does justice to the various shades that we see to Tanie throughout the season 2. New additions Karan and Sarah, they are absolute stunners and while Karan too, might seem too close to his character, Sarah as Lavanya is a treat to the eyes. Karan's character is one of the best characters written in this series and the real life actor does the reel life actor to the T. 

Niki, Javed, Deepti, and Sapna, all of them play their parts well, and they have these absolutely adorable characteristics that seem so perfect and how. Niki is an adorable mom, Javed plays the funny but sweetest uncle, Deepti is fun to watch and Sapna, might be the best friend one could have.

Something that also deserves a special mention here is the way that the chemistry that one character shares with any given character stands out and how, and for that, due credits to the entire team.

Ratings: **** stars (4/5)

Music and Background score

The music for this season is absolutely beautiful and hits all the right chords. You might not generally like to see elaborate song sequences on the web, but Vishal Mishra is a magician and he brings out so many emotions in what is already an emotionally driven show.

They have the same background score, and well, it fits just about right.

Ratings: **** stars (4/5)

Verdict

If you have been a fan of the first season, you are only going to fall in love with this show a little more. However, if you aren't someone who has been a viewer of this show, then you must watch it for the friendships, the equations, the chemistry, some life lessons here and there, and of course, the amazing cast that we have here.

Ratings: **** stars (4/5)