What Is the Story About?
The narrative of SonyLIV’s ‘Kathmandu Connection’ Season 2 is centred on fictitious events set around the real-life hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight in 1999, the subsequent India-Pakistan Peace Summit in Agra, and a sinister terrorist plot to bomb the summit venue. Journalist Shivani Bhatnagar (Aksha Pardasany), Sunny Sharma (Anshumaan Pushkar), and disgraced police officer Samarth Kaushik (Amit Sial) race against time to prevent the attack, while don Wajid (Prashant Narayanan) is upto no good.
Kathmandu Connection Season 2 is written by Siddharth Mishra and directed by Sachin Pathak. Both did the honours for Season 1 as well. The series is produced by Ajay G Rai of JAR Pictures.
Performances?
The performances of the primary cast in Kathmandu Connection Season 2 are the one good thing about the show. Amit Sial gives a nuanced performance as a disgraced police officer, out to redeem his name and respect. Aksha Pardasany essays her role well, and is perfectly suited for her character. Anshumaan Pushkar brings intensity to his character, and is seen in a vastly different avatar from Season 1. Anurag Arora is efficient and watchable as usual.
Prashant Narayanan is a force of nature as the don-businessman-terrorist Wajid. He brings a calm though ominous menace to his role, despite it being an utterly poorly-written character. Harleen Sethi is totally miscast in the shabbily-written role of an intelligence agent. She has neither the gravitas nor the screen presence or charisma to pull off the role.
Analysis
Kathmandu Connection Season 1 worked largely due to the unforeseen twists in the story, especially at the end. Season 2, sadly, has nothing of the sort to help the series sail through to safety. The twists in the story are hardly that, the plot is clichéd, and the narrative meanders along cluelessly. The storyline is as hackneyed as they come, predictable and done to death.
Characters mill around aimlessly, spouting dialogues that are easily the most boring of recent times. The primary characters spend most of their time — sitting around in cars (Samarth Kaushik), peering into computer screens (Intelligence agent Tasneem), looking forlornly into beauteous valleys (Sunny), drinking (Wajid) or talking on the phone (Shivani Bhatnagar). Nothing of note happens in the six episodes, save for a few crucial moments in the plot.
There’s nothing of intrigue or thrill in Kathmandu Connection Season 2, to hold the unwavering attention of viewers. Even the one shocking moment in the series, around the midpoint of the story, happens without any fanfare or frills, rendering it much less impactful than it could have been in the hands of a better writer and director.
Let alone the poor story, even the characterisation in the series is shoddy and inferior. The character of Masood Azhar oozes none of the power and persona that comes with being an internationally wanted terror head. Intelligence agents seem barely intelligent, the terrorists are bumbling fools, and the protagonists seem without agency.
The one thing that works for Kathmandu Connection Season 2 is the fast pace of the narrative. Things happen at breakneck speed, and there’s no lag in the story. At six episodes, 35 minutes each, the series is a quick watch.
To sum it up, Kathmandu Connection Season 2 is an average watch that does nothing for the spy and crime genre. Interestingly, the makers have left the door open for a third installment of the show, which will centre on the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament building.
Music and Other Departments?
Sneha Khanwalkar’s background score compliments the pace and genre of the show well. Arun Kumar Pandey’s cinematography is good at some places, and serviceable in others. Saumya Sharma’s editing is efficient.
Highlights?
None, to be Honest
Drawbacks?
Clichéd Plot
Inconsequential Storytelling
Did I Enjoy It?
Not Much
Will You Recommend It?
Not Much
Kathmandu Connection S2 Series Review by Binged Bureau
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