Aspirants (Season 3)
Introduction
One of the minor criticisms that I had around the otherwise brilliant Hindi film 12th Fail (2023) was on how it romanticized the process of cracking the UPSC exam while giving little to no insights into life after UPSC. The markings are clear in reality – given how the concept of power comes in picture after clearing the UPSC exam. And as we know already – absolute power corrupts. In many ways, this remains the starting point of the third season of Aspirants with regards to the character of Abhilash (Naveen Kasturia). Over the years, Abhilash has been an purist and an idealist – almost like a cricketer who loves playing orthodox shots in times of T20 cricket. In an early scene, you see a younger Abhilash (in a past timeline) reprimanding a hotel manager for serving alcohol on a dry day.
This little incident is enough to tell you on how Abhilash follows rules to the hilt, without compromising on his morals while being on the cusp of serving the nation as an IAS officer. Ironically in the current timeline, Abhilash is at the receiving end of an inquiry circled around nepotism for favouring a proposal for his friend Guri (Shivankit Parihar), along with an anonymous letter of complaint written by Dhairya (Namita Dubey) – Abhilash’s ex-girlfriend and Guri’s wife. And for a person who is increasingly conscious about his image, this becomes the starting point of his conflict in the drama that follows here.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Deepesh Sumitra Jagdish, Anurag Ramesh Shukla and Anurag Goswami, the third season of Aspirants mounts itself on the dynamics of the characters in play. This basically means that the social politics in question takes a backseat while almost being reduced to the background. We get a glimpse of an upcoming election that prompts the Chief Secretary of the area to push for a proposal to build an educational institute in the vicinity. There is a presence of a sand mafia lurking somewhere on the sidelines, a land dispute involving a barren land and illegal constructions on it, and a timeline that offers no room for error. And somewhere sandwiched in between is a power dynamic that makes you want to believe that the corruption in departments is non-existential. In fact, the so-called corruption is veiled in the form of a competition which interestingly forms the core of the drama here.
One of the key dynamic in the drama is between Abhilash and his rocky relationship with his peer and competitor Pawan (Jatin Goswami). The drama is quick to establish a conflict between the two characters – pitting Pawan and Abhilash in their very first meeting. And it is the Hindi language that takes the form of a jibe here, even as Pawan belonging to a Hindi medium is often looked down upon by Abhilash. In fact, Pawan reminded me of Manoj Kumar Sharma (Vikrant Massey) in 12th Fail – a character who has learnt to come up the hard way while fully being aware of the additional obstacles posing in his life due to his language barrier. In a scene, he is heard saying on how UPSC poses a bigger challenge for candidates of the Hindi medium, automatically raising the chances of candidates who are familiar with English. To top it, he is pitted against the likes of Abhilash who has already secured an IRS result but is exhausting his final shot for his IAS dream.
Some of the vintage moments in the drama is linked to a couple of the classroom scenes that mark the early signs of competitiveness between the two protagonists. In a scene when both Abhilash and Pawan battle it out in a debate on Emotional Intelligence – you immediately are witness to the varied personalities of the duo, that forms the basis in the current timeline too wherein they compete for a proposal in their respective districts. The game of one-upmanship reminded me of the equation between Komal Chautala and Preety Sabharwal from Chak De India (2007) – essentially playing for the same team but being fiercely competitive with each other on the field.
A distinct theme of friendship coincides with an arc of realisation for Abhilash who has steadily been distanced from his friends. For instance, while Guri and Dhairya are constantly in touch with him, the third member of the ‘tripod’ SK (Abhilash Thapliyal) remains on the vicinity – simply because how work has forced Abhilash to distance himself from friendship. Likewise, it is interesting on how Abhilash’s relationship with Deepa (Tengam Celine Koyu) is a sharp contrast over the two timelines. In the past timeline, it is about love and friendship in the middle of preparations while the conflict of a cross-cultural marriage forms the basis of the current timeline. Likewise, his relationship with his mentor-cum-foe Sandeep (Sunny Hinduja) also has turned sour. In that sense, Abhilash undergoes multiple arcs of realisation with respect to each of these characters – each contributing ably to the heartfelt emotional core of the drama.
I liked on how Abhilash’s arc followed a complete metamorphosis here – from being an idealist to misusing his power to the eventual realisation of morals and ethics, something that added purpose to the entire drama. In that sense, Pawan’s arc was a touch convenient given how his journey of eventually ending up as an IAS officer didn’t offer a glimpse into his hardships with the language issue being raised. Yes, the issue provided a montage of overcoming the same with respect to characters around him but the actual process of overcoming the barrier felt slightly half-baked. But despite that, Pawan remained a well-written character given how his backdrop of poverty makes his contributions in the current timeline, a little more purposeful.
The drama definitely has its heart in the right place, particularly during its pre-finale act that highlights the journey of realisation for Abhilash. There are several heartfelt moments sandwiched along the way, almost preferring to give a happy ending to the protagonist in a journey that has been long and fruitful. In a scene when a character exclaims on how Abhilash has managed to achieve a lot in a short timeline – it perfectly reflects this sentiment.
But the outro of the season felt slightly off for me – right from the sudden death of a character that instantly reminded me of the finale of the second season of Panchayat (something that was against the run of play) to a Dhurandhar-esque passage that marks a suspended character being brought back to the vicinity. It threatens to change the grain of a show that had also impacted a marquee show like Panchayat, but that discussion is for another day (we’ll see how it shapes up going forward). But overall, the journey here was still worth it and I would still doff my hat to TVF for that.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are heartfelt mixed with a flair of competitiveness while definitely leaving a lasting impact. The BGM is soothing and it has an endearing quality with its theme which is aptly used throughout the narrative. The cinematography is pretty good here while allowing you space to emotionally invest in the individual journeys of the characters.
The editing pattern is crisp here, something that not only keeps the overall runtime in check, but also does well in maintaining a strong emotional core across the two timelines. Director Deepesh Sumitra Jagdish scores well with his world building and characterization. He ably creates several heartfelt moments while viewing the shifting dynamics through a practical lens, and approaching them with a touch of realism. He falters a little in the outro act but overall, it still was a good outing from the director.
Performances
The performances are excellent once again by the ensemble cast. Richa Mohan, Amit Behl as Narayan Chaudhary, Karan Singh as Govind and Karpoor Gaurav as Rinku are earnest while have their moments to shine. Vartika Tiwari as Aastha is excellent here, playing beautifully with her glum expressions and contributing heavily to the emotional core of Pawan. In fact, her vulnerability stems from her fate with Pawan, something that is beautifully expressed through her superb performance.
Tengam Celine Koyu as Deepa has a quiet little affection tagged to her character that makes for heartfelt watch. Interestingly, her character also provides an emotional gravitas to Abhilash, much like how Aastha provides to Pawan. Namita Dubey as Dhairya is sincere and earnest and she pulls off her character with a lot of restraint. Mallika Prasad as Radha Rajesh oozes of a disarming smile (a complete opposite trait to her menacing smile in Mardaani 3) that automatically allows you to invest in her character. There is a twinkle in her eye that creates a heartwarming vibe around here, so much so that I wished for a little more screen time for her. Perhaps, a spin-off story of her character won’t do any harm, no?
Abhilash Thapliyal as SK is pretty good here while showcasing his vulnerability really well at the start. And the switch in his character was also reminiscent of the warmth he possessed, something that contributes well to the emotional core of the drama. Shivankit Singh Parihar as Guri manages to impress yet again in a character that interestingly remains the glue of the group – taking duties from SK, and being instrumental in bringing the ‘tripod’ together.
Sunny Hinduja as Sandeep aka Sandeep Bhaiya wears a stoic look here while allowing his earnesty to do the talking here. There is a great amount of restraint in his act, while constantly sailing over the internal conflicts progressively threatening to change his outer personality. I also liked how there was a ray of incompleteness with respect to an equation that he shares with a particular character. Also, what is it with Sunny’s heartbreaking onscreen deaths – it happened in the second season of The Family Man and now…..😪.
Jatin Goswami has got to be one of the most versatile actors doing the rounds currently. There was a deliberate touch of edginess in his previous outing Assi (2026), and interestingly, he is introduced ‘almost’ like an antagonist here. But Pawan remains a complex character having a burning desire to succeed against all odds, even while being obssessed with competing with Abhilash. Also given his background, he understands the system and the gaps in it a little more than his nemesis. Jatin holds onto each of these beats of his character, and putting forth a performance that is brilliant in every measure.
Naveen Kasturia as Abhilash delivers a solid performance in a character who views hinself to be an idealist but undergoes a transformation when he begins to question himself. There is a touch of vulnerability while showcasing his insecurities across both timelines. The conflict revolving around his character is truly interesting to witness and it invariably forms an arc, wherein Naveen is excellent to witness here!
Conclusion
The third season of Aspirants paints a pondering picture of life after UPSC wrapped in a searing social drama laced with friendship and competitiveness that makes for a wonderful watch. Available on Amazon Prime.