Masaba Masaba (Season 2)
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend and I finished watching the new Hindi series, the second season of Masaba Masaba. I still remember that I did have a good time while watching season one with its silly and frivolous humour sprinkled throughout(whole review available on Popcorn Reviewss). The thing which I found unique was that the series was a spin off of real life celebrities instead of fictional biopics. This meant that the lines between reel and real were blurred out, making way for some delicious content. Having said that, the series did not penetrate to the masses and understandably so. This has caused a disparity in its rating which was ultimately reflected on imdb too. So in other words, either you love this series or you don’t, there is little to no middle ground. That said, season two did promise for a much more textured drama. So then does the second season of Masaba Masaba manage to impress, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
The second season of Masaba Masaba follows the life and times of Masaba as she deals with a fresh set of issues in her life related to her career and love. The story is unapologetic, unabashed but more textured than season one. I remember watching season one and thinking that the drama is hilarious but quite silly and frivolous. But here the drama does try to dig in deeper from the surface. The screenplay standing at 7 episodes of roughly 30 odd minutes each makes for a perfect binge watch.
The drama opens on a light and frothy note which allows the audience to easily find their groove. But slowly as the drama progresses, you realise that it is less frivolous and more cerebral and deep. The proceedings hold more weight with every passing scene. The subplot involving Neena Gupta is also quite interesting and quite engaging. The point to be kept in mind is that the humour quotient is traded for the texture and depth in the drama. So amidst a few Gen Z talks and adult humour, the drama is beautifully woven.
Many people would argue here that the problems shown here are the first world problems. But if you look closer, some of the issues can easily be transcended to everyone in our generation be it that of insecurity or depression or uncertainty – we all have gone through our share of problems. The mild flaws in the screenplay included overindulging in certain issies coupled with stretched scenes particularly towards the back end which kind of threw me off. The final act is decent summing up a screenplay which consciously makes an attempt to add texture to it. The one thing which I also liked was how some of the real life events were tactfully integrated in the screenplay for which the writing deserves brownie points.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational yet witty and they leave an instant impact. The music is quite good, the BGM blends perfectly with the drama. The cinematography is really good. I also enjoyed the colour grading which gave the series a fresh look. Director Sonam Nair does a swell job in keeping things light and frothy for most parts but also consciously trying to add depth to the screenplay. Her direction is pretty good here, only faltering intermittently towards the end.
Performances
The performances are outstanding here. Amaara Sangam, Desirie and Maria Goretti all make their presence felt. Nayan Shukla as Gehna does a fine job in a nice little character which is affable. Kusha Kapila as Nicole is confident onscreen and performs quite naturally. Rytasha as Gia has quite a textured character and she portrays it beautifully. Ram Kapoor as Shekhar is first rate. Kareema Barry as Qayanat has her moments to shine and she does a pretty good job. Barkha Singh as Aisha pulls off her character with a lot of panache. Armaan Khera as Fateh is a character which will keep you swinging both ways(in terms of love and hate) and this conflict is expertly portrayed by him. Neil Bhoopalam as Dhairya is sincere and his was that one character which I could relate to relatively so. The calmness which he brought to his character(notice his name) was something to savour and applaud. It is always a pleasure watching Neena Gupta onscreen and she is just phenomenal here(and why wouldn’t she be, she is playing herself). Masaba Gupta is a bundle of talent and she is incredibly good here. The subtlety which she brings to her role is beautiful in what was a towering act.
Conclusion
The second season of Masaba Masaba is Unapologetic, Unabashed, Textured and a lot of fun. Available on Netflix.