What Is the Story About?
Prime Video India’s Mumbai Diaries Season 2 centres on the 2005 cloudburst and flash floods in Mumbai, and how the doctors at the fictional Bombay General Hospital rise to meet the challenge of coping with the deluge of patients, while grappling with their personal demons amidst the larger chaos.
Mumbai Diaries Season 2 is written by Yash Chetija and Persis Sodawaterwala, dialogues by Sanyukta Chawla Shaikh, and directed by Nikkhil Advani.
Performances?
Mohit Raina is quite subdued this season, as the maverick Dr Kaushik Oberoi. His performance is as consistent and understated as ever. Konkona Sen Sharma is effortlessly excellent as Dr Chitra Das. Tina Desai and Ridhi Dogra essay their short roles well. Shreya Dhanwanthary shines as Mansi, the journalist with a heart.
Prakash Belawadi is superb as Dr. Subramaniam, as are Balaji Gauri as head nurse Cherian, Natasha Bharadwaj as Dr Diya, Satyajeet Dubey as Dr Ahaan, and Mrunmayee Deshpande as Dr. Sujata. All five are incandescent in their roles, and bring gravitas to the story.
New entrant Parambrata Chatterjee, as Dr Chitra’s abusive ex-husband Dr Saurav, delivers a decent performance, save for his atrocious accent. Sanjay Narwekar as corrupt cop Jadhav is unnecessarily over the top. The rest of the expansive cast is competent.
Analysis
After a gripping debut season, Mumbai Diaries has dialed down the thrill and sense of urgency by a large measure. The series, this season, is less medical drama and more human drama, much to its detriment. In fact, the writers seemed to have meticulously searched high and low for every touchy topic of today, and chalked it into the script, making the new season of Mumbai Diaries a cluttered, overstuffed one.
The writers touch upon myriad issues plaguing Indian society – sexuality and sexual identity; domestic abuse, and how it’s brushed under the carpet by the victims themselves; siphoning away of medical supplies by rogue elements; the news-as-a-business syndrome afflicting the media today; corrupt cops, babus, builders, politicians and NGOs; child sex abuse in orphanages; and so much more.
Come to think of it, the doctors at Bombay General Hospital seem to be engaged in handling patients of every ilk, save for the victims of the devastating floods. The narrative also fails to depict the lived horrors of the 26/7 cloudburst in Mumbai, when hundreds died of suffocation inside jammed cars; scores disappeared down manholes, never to be seen again; tens were electrocuted to death, and so on. The taut drama and sense of urgency is sorely missing this season.
The script goes yakety-yak about a leptospirosis outbreak, collapsed footbridge, rush of patients, lack of beds, hands and medical supplies; but it’s all talk. We never see any of it or anything remotely connected to it; except of course, a cameraman with a crushed leg, who must be tended to, in order to provide closure to the Dr Kaushik – journalist Mansi chapter. The ‘tell, don’t show’ strategy makes the entire drama fall flat on its face.
A large part of the runtime is devoted to Dr Chitra’s past as a victim of domestic abuse and gaslighting, and her present predicament, when her abuser shows up at the hospital as its star guest. Dr Kaushik’s travails outside the hospital take up another lion’s share of the runtime, leaving very little time for the real deal – a solid, gripping medical drama.
The writers use their creative license to tweak timelines – the cloudburst is shown to take place in 2009, almost eight months after the terror attacks. One particular sequence is a direct lift from The Good Doctor, though tweaked slightly in its picturisation. Most other sub-plots have been shown a gazillion times on screen – in movies and shows. There’s nothing new per se in the human drama showcased in Mumbai Diaries Season 2.
If there’s one thing worth applauding in Mumbai Diaries Season 2, it is the excellent characterisations. Each character is extremely well-written and exquisitely etched out, making Season 2 a gripping watch despite the glaring flaws.
Finally, the series this season seems like a humdrum mish-mash of a story written in bits and pieces, and then hurriedly brought together into a disjointed whole. The only thing that keeps us glued to the story is the stellar cast and their excellent characterisations.
Music and Other Departments?
Ashutosh Pathak’s music is very good. It perfectly suits the narrative, elevating the story well. Malay Prakash’s camerawork is flawless. Priya Suhass’ production design is superb, as is Manoj Sikka’s sound design. The constant buzzing of the incessant rainfall is quite foreboding and unsettling for the senses. Maahir Zaveri’s editing is competent.
Highlights?
The cast and its performances
The excellent characterisations
Drawbacks?
Lacks the sense of urgency
Over-stuffed script
Not enough medical drama
Draggy in places
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, to an extent
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, as a one-time watch
Mumbai Diaries S2 Series Review by Binged Bureau
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