Rakshak India's Braves: Chapter 2
Introduction
It is a Thursday but the new releases have started to pour in, in what promises to be a mega weekend with plenty of new content in store. With that, I finished watchingbthe new Hindi series, the second chapter of the franchise Rakshak which is now streaming on Amazon miniTV. I had watched the first chapter of Rakshak India’s Braves and had quite liked the story of an unsung hero who had gone out of his way to save a bunch of common people from a potential terrorist attack. Yes, you could make out the low production cost but what worked for me was the representation of the army regiment that the protagonist belonged to, something that felt very organic. It also attributed to the emotional end that did land well. On the similar lines, I was expecting another emotional roller-coaster in another military/police operation to neutralize the terrorists with Rakshak – Chapter 2. So then does Rakshak – Chapter 2 manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Rakshak – Chapter 2 trace the events post the Pulwama attack wherein the two protagonists – one in the Army and the other in the J&K Police have to collaborate to neutralize another potential attack on the defence minister and his convoy in the state. Will they succeed? Contrary to Chapter 1 which was a 75 minute ‘film’, the content here is divided in a 3 episodic webseries with each episode lasting about 30 odd to 40 odd minutes. I feel that this gave the filmmakers a little more time to construct the drama as opposed to cramping everything in a single film. The story here based on true events is compelling although it needed little better writing with respect to the characters to truly have an emotional payback at the end.
The drama opens immediately with the Pulwama attack before introducing you to the protagonists and their colleagues as they indulge in a game of volleyball. Now my issue with the writing was at the very beginning of the drama that didn’t give me enough time to know the characters, particularly when there was a webseries format in play(or was it a movie cut into a webshow, it applies either way). The characters could have been developed on the lines of what they were outside their stint in the army which would have formed an emotional bond with them. This would have lead to a huge payback at the end in terms of the emotional core of the drama. But on the warfront, I did like how the writing focused on a lesser known event from the public eye, only using the Pulwama attacks as a starting point. And the drama around it was decently compelling.
The proceedings are slightly simplistic with little to no buildup between the events of the drama. Instead, the focus lies on the staging of the events once you get there. And that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as the staging of atleast two major events was good even as the drama leading to them felt simplistic. The events did evoke a sense of tension particularly in the twin rescue-ops that had me at the edge of my seat. The combat sequences too were decently well designed while being a little more meticulous with the one at the end. The twin tracks that unfold in the final act are interesting and while the prime focus is on one of them, I felt that the other track of a potential ambulance attack on the lines of Pulwama could have been given a little more importance while being layered with the writing as well. Again, the emotional core at the end was good but it could have been better had the writing at the beginning been a little more sharper. I liked the custom of bringing the families of the martyred on camera to note their experiences, something that was evident in Rakshak – Chapter 1 too. Overall, the screenplay is decently well penned wherein a little more focus to the characterization would have helped elevate the drama even more.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are well written and it was so refreshing to witness some words of Urdu while completely discarding the word ‘Janaab’. It adds authenticity to the drama and how! The music and the BGM are decent and do their bit in blending well with the drama. The cinematography captures some intriguing frames particularly in the twin combat sequences that adds to the tension in the drama. The editing is crisp and taut while not deviating from the drama unfolding. Director Ajay Bhuyan does a decent job here scoring more with the staging of the sequences rather than the characterization. But the intended emotions of the proceedings were in place which is why the drama sails through. The direction is decent here while a little more focus on the characterization and the buildup to the core events could be taken as a learning for next time.
Performances
The performances are honest by the ensemble cast. Farhana Bhat as Rehaana has her moments to shine. Gaurav Bisht as Farhan, Sahib Verma as Saquib, Siddhant Malik as Lance Naik Balram Dahiya (excellent in the final combat sequence) and Manish Nawani as Naik Deepak Sharma are sincere and earnest with their performances. Seerat Mast as Tabassum is absolutely outstanding in a fiery little role wherein she holds her own while infusing energy to the proceedings. Sachin Khurana as Colonel Vikram Sommaya and Amit Gaur as Major Jagdeep Ahluwalia lend good support to the proceedings. Shahaan Syed as Noor is fabulous here while continuing to be intimidating with his demeanor. Rajat Kaul as Haider is nicely restrained and he does a good job although his character felt a touch underwritten.
Aayaam Mehta as Doctor is absolutely spot on with her body language and mannerisms while approaching his character in a rather cerebral manner. Surbhi Chandra as Alka and Ashmita Bakshi as Sarla are measured with their emotions and both leave a mark despite a limited screen time. Vishwas Kini as DYSP Aman Thakur is quite good here with a stellar presence although I did feel that his Kashmiri accent was a little inconsistent. Barun Sobti as Subedar Sombir Singh is outstanding here, always underplaying his character that added to the humane aspect of the proceedings. He is wonderfully understated by doing just enough to evoke a sentiment of pride which is what I would call the sweet spot. The drama did not go overtly high on jingoism and patriotism and kudos to the writing as well as all the performances that helped to keep the proceedings balanced and measured.
Conclusion
Rakshak – Chapter 2 is a decently compelling military drama with honest performances that once again provides fitting tributes to two unsung heroes. Available on Amazon miniTV.