- Date of Release: 27 August 2025
- Genre: Drama
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Amazon MX Player
Half CA (Season 2)
Introduction
There is a distinct feature of drawing parallels between characters spread across the TVF universe as I would like to call it. This universe does house characters with similar traits without actually entangling them and their journeys in a single show. If it were polar opposite characters in the form of Kartik (Vikram Singh Chauhan) and Param (Ashish Verma) grappling with a common problem of dealing with their fathers’ dislikes in the shows Sena (2025) and Court Kacheri (2025) respectively, you have Archie (Ahsaas Channa) from Half CA that can strongly be linked to Vaibhav (Mayur More) from Kota Factory (2024). Both these characters are typically bright students to begin with, slowly transitioning in the underdog phase of their lives while entering the rat race of CA exams and JEE respectively. At various points on the show, you see their frustration peeping out even while often gathering themselves and slogging day in and day out to keep pace with their peers. The same is true for Niraj (Gyanendra Tripathi) too who can be linked to a character like Sandeep Bhaiya (Sunny Hinduja) from Aspirants (2022), typically given that both these characters are late bloomers in their respective fields. It is interesting how Niraj and Archie find themselves in the same world, even as you have already been familiarized with their journeys of attempting one of the toughest exams of the country – that of Chartered Accountancy, something that is nothing short of a battle that involves a slog-a-minute kind of a life.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Khushbu Baid, Arunabh Kumar, Tatsat Pandey, Harish Peddinti and Pratish Mehta, the start of the second season of Half CA recalibrates the difficulty level of the CA examination through the gaze of its two protagonists. And both Archie and Niraj find themselves are different stages here – for Archie it remains an early accomplishment of clearing the Group 1 exams, while for Niraj, it is about re-entering the rat race for the seventh consecutive year. And immediately at this point, the two characters stand out distinctly based on their age demographics. For Archie, it is about taking one day at a time whilst trying to stick to her schedule for her CA preparation, barely getting a chance to pause and celebrate her triumph with respect to the group 1 exams. For Niraj, the journey is more cerebral and internal – of having to face the wrath and the taunts of younger CA aspirants, while keeping himself motivated despite an uncertain future.
For anyone who is preparing or has appeared for the CA exam, does also know that the entire journey of a CA aspirant is equivalent to a simmering flame used patiently to cook a meal. A notch higher and the food would be reduced to char, a notch lower and the intensity of the flame wouldn’t be enough to cook food. The balanced mindset along with the pressures of the journey, are beautifully highlighted through the character of Archie who along with her peer-cum-friend Parth (Rohan Joshi) relentlessly look for opportunities of articleship. The pressure has an added byproduct as well – of discouragement and hopelessness, even though the effort remains intact. It is similar to one of those math problems that just are so difficult to crack, so much so that the pressure of getting articleship soon transforms in a mental battle of balancing work along with studies for Archie.
It is interesting how the contrasting love lives of Archie and Niraj play a vital part in their respective journeys. For Archie, it is about managing her love life which is sandwiched between her professional and curricular commitments, something that invariably extends to her ‘free-time’ with friends as well. You see her jostle unsuccessfully while having to skip her bestie’s stage performance, or alternately find time for her love. In the process, this is a coming of age tale of Archie as well – gradually shifting from a carefree Gen-Z mindset to something that is accountable and responsible. And this is evident across two scenes – one being when she is newly acquainted with her new work place and her colleagues, and the other when she manages to step up and take responsibility of her work against all odds, something that is met with dollops of praise from her boss.
For Niraj, the journey is slightly different while also being opposite in many ways. When Niraj stumbles upon Kavya (Aishwarya Ojha) for the first time, his chance encounter is directly equated to second chances in life, given his past history with her. But at the same time, his new-found love streak also doubles up as a distraction for him, thereby further tapping into his psyche and personality. And so the measured Niraj from season one does show traits of vulnerability and sub-conscious selfishness, trying to center his relationship and the circumstances around him. It is probably his desperation to crack the CA Finals after years of failure, that makes him sub-consciously clouted in trying to take decisions for Kavya, who is supportive but also has a mind of her own.
It is interesting how the perils and the tension around the examination dictates the lives of Niraj and Archie who become relatable characters in the process. It is almost as if you do know such characters around you – perhaps being a boy-next-door whom you would interact everyday or invite him for dinner, or that one friend who fails to turn up at regular events. Or even someone with whom you would fight over the smallest of things, or someone who you know is immersed in books. As a small form of criticism, I did feel that there were times when the love life of characters was perhaps emphasized a tad too much. But the bittersweet ending of each character gaining and losing something was quite fitting, and an interesting plot-point for the third season. And yet, this typical tried and tested TVF template of small victories and setbacks set against the backdrop of a particular age demographic and tagged to a profession, beautifully works its magic once again!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
There are pearls of wisdom interspersed at various junctures in the drama – either through callbacks or voiceovers that are strategically placed to absorb and reflect. And so, the lines here are profound, often sandwiched between conversations. The music is soothing and hummable, with each song reflecting the searing sentiments of the characters. The BGM exudes of a heartwarming vibe that often weaves its magic across various scenes. The cinematography captures the turmoil in the respective journeys of the characters of the show wonderfully well, almost imposing their sense of uncertainty with respect to their future, and that adds a touch of realism to the drama even as batches and batches of students face that dilemma even today. What that also does is allow the viewers to build an emotional relationship with the characters, keeping them intimately connected through the frames that in turn makes for a lasting impact. The editing pattern was tasked to balance the narrative between the journeys of Archie and Niraj, and that has been done to near perfection here whilst also accounting for some of the raw emotions of struggle that forms a connective tissue in the drama.
Director Pratish Mehta beautifully creates a grounded world with real characters, while wonderfully allowing the emotions to land. His sensitivity is often graced with a touch of relatability that further makes the drama heartfelt, even while ensuring that the viewers are emotionally invested in the journeys of the characters. He handles the vulnerability of his characters really well, while being in firm control of the proceedings, thereby carrying out directorial duties with near perfection.
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the members of the cast. Paramvir Cheema is a fine actor and as Ritesh, he is subtly intimidating making great use of his ever-so-expressive eyes. Brij Bhushan Shukla as Sridhar sir is sincere here despite a limited screen time. Hardik Sangani as Bhumik has his moments to shine in a character that offers a layered take on office politics. Manu Bisht as Disha is earnest and performs her role rather diligently. Anmol Kajani as Vishal and Rohan Joshi as Parth are wonderful actors who organically form integral cogs of this world. And both of them leave a mark with their solid performances laced with subtle bouts of humour and warmth. Prit Kamani as Tejas is a character dealing with his own insecurities and vulnerabilities, particularly owing to the rising peer pressure in his group that briefly puts him on the brink of an existential crisis. And Prit wonderfully asserts these emotions here! Sam Mohan as Saurabh has a lovely little character arc that is built on perceptions, and he carries out his role with utmost levels of dignity and poise.
Aishwarya Ojha as Kavya has a pleasant presence onscreen, but the main draw remains her tryst with emotions. Her character is almost conflicted on giving love a second chance, a decision that is indirectly also linked to her career choice and the subtly imposing personality of her partner. And she wonderfully touches upon these aspects of her character while accounting for plenty of moments to shine.
Gyanendra Tripathi as Niraj does come across as a balanced individual who knows what he wants from life. But deep within, there are traits of uncertainty and passive masculinity that subtly keeps erupting in his life. But there is also a deep sense of resolve in having to achieve his goals, whilst being allowing his vulnerability to transform into desperation. Each of these are complex emotions, but Gyanendra deconstructs them wonderfully through his sincere performance – adding a touch of realism and assurity through his body language and controlled voice modulation.
Ahsaas Channa as Archie is a very likeable character simply because one can easily relate to her struggles, insecurities and degrees of frustration. If you look closely, there is an Archie in all of us who is just as vulnerable and intimidated by certain situations or challenges in life. Hence, the emotional connect with respect to her character is always there – and Ahsaas wonderfully adds her touch of expressiveness to convey her emotions brimming beneath the surface. She was a treat to witness here wherein she does a fabulous job.
Conclusion
The second season of Half CA is a heartfelt and relatable drama with solid performances that makes for a wonderful watch. It is a standard TVF template that beautifully works its magic once again while offering a pondering ode to one of the toughest exams of the country! Available on Amazon MX Player.