Sixer (Season 2)
Introduction
The initial dynamics in the second season of the Hindi show Sixer, immediately reminded me of one of the conflicts in the film Chak De India (2007). In the latter, you had Komal Chautala (Chitrashi Rawat) pitted against Preety Sabharwal (Sagarika Ghatge), in a rivalry that essentially would divide the team. Likewise, when you are introduced to Shanu (Gaurav Singh Harzat), you instantly know that he would be pitted against Nikku (Shivankit Singh Parihar), in a budding rivalry that will decide the fate of the team (atleast initially speaking). It is almost similar to how the world once perceived the rivalry of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, or even Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – both the pairs playing for the same team, but essentially boasting of an ego to compete with each other that formulates the premise of the second season of Sixer. Nikku is a champion batter who continues to play local tournament and haunt bowlers in exchange for a meagre sum of money, Shanu wants to impress the local Gargi (Karishma Singh), citing cricket as the only way out – and yet when they find themselves in the same team, their political ideologies remain a core conflict to begin with.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Shivankit Parihar and Harish Peddinti, the second season of Sixer essentially begins with the dismantling of the team that was the first runner-up in the first season. It is said to be typical sports template wherein a Motley group of people get together to be given the tags of an underdog, but here, that trait remains an anti-thesis of sorts, courtsey a local politician Nagu Bhaiya (Anandeshwar Dwivedi) who wishes to use the local tennis ball cricket tournament as a medium to contest the local elections – thereby invariably pitting Shanu – the outsider, and Nikku – the mainstay and the destroyer to each pick five members in order to formulate the team, something that shakes the foundation of the current setup. It is a clever way of restarting and rebooting the underdog template, given how the existing team was no longer an underdog anymore, having finished 2nd in the previous year’s tournament.
The emotional core of Nikku is directly linked to a financial crisis in his family, wherein his ancestral land is now at stake. For Nikku, cricket isn’t just a game or even a way of life, it is a neccesity that puts food on the table for Nikku. So with the disintegration of the team, it is a restart for Nikku too, even as he has to not only give in to the demands of Nagu Bhaiya but also try and gel with a ‘new’ lot of Motley cricketers. An added motivation for him remains the selection of a district level TBCAB tournament that would further improve his finances.
On the other hand, it is all about impressing Gargi for Shanu, almost being as competitive as Nikku and being an equally destructive batter. In a scene, you see Shanu confiding in a character on how his decoit father’s deeds, has made him resilient enough to snatch things that he thinks is his. And yet this isn’t always true for him, as he tries to win over Gargi (unsuccessfully) – oddly trying to impress her with his game.
The writing takes a few wild swings with a few subplots – namely Nikku and Shanu trying to bribe their way after their defeat faces a shocking exit in the first round, or even a kidnapping subplot that slightly feels out of this league. But a few swings do land in the drama – a character arc involving a budding ‘season ball’ cricketer Arshad (Suraj Rikame), and his tryst with his coach Khan (KC Shankar), that adds layers to the character while also enunciating the politics in the game that stems out of an ego boost of sorts. Another track involving Sanjay (Kunal Pant), an out of favour India player who is ridiculed for his low run of scores against a team like Bangladesh. You instantly know that these players would at some point make an impact on the game, but their journeys are interesting to witness with the right amounts of vulnerability.
One of the key plot-points involve, Nikku’s battle with himself – with respect to his failed dream of representing his country in cricket. In a scene, you see him struggling to connect with the season ball as opposed to smacking the tennis ball (before this event), something that creates an interesting internal conflict with the character, even with respect to shattering his confidence with the tennis ball – something that made Nikku more humane this time around. I would have ideally liked this conflict to be probably setup a little earlier on the show, something that could have formulated a thread of anxiety and underconfidence for Nikku, only for a payoff at the end.
On the flip side, I would have liked a little more cricket to be a part of the drama, just like the first season. It almost felt like a case of Jolly LLB 3 without the courtroom scenes, although the drama did not derail here. The cricketing parts were good but this time the events felt a little too convenient and curated, to the point that the uncertainty that the game beholds was missing. I did spot a few continuity errors with respect to the scorecard too, particularly towards the end which wasn’t ideal. One of the reasons why the first season of Sixer was a knockout was exactly due to this – the cricketing portions were exciting, with a little more emotions in play as compared to the season here. And yet, the broader drama cannot be discounted here either, wherein the screenplay still manages to score here!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but quite authentic with the MP dialect in play, while also adding weight with the emotions that aren’t too overbearing. The music and BGM elevate the drama to moderate heights, but just enough to hold your attention throughout the show. The cinematography is pretty good, particularly in the portions involving the sport of cricket. There is something about persisting in a long shot in a game of cricket without any closeups or fast edits, that makes the game watchable on celluloid (Lagaan was an exception to that rule). And here, the frames manage to do just that. Alternately, shooting scenes in real locations automatically adds depth to the drama – a point that I have been vocal about for quite some time now. Director Divyanshu Malhotra handles the world building and the dynamics between characters pretty well, even when the writing takes wild slogs in the ‘middle overs’. There is a significant amount of control that Divyanshu possesses, something makes you connected with the characters throughout the show. Yes, maybe the cricketing portions could have been elevated further as also a couple of resolutions that felt simplistic with the staging, but overall, the drama is engrossing and a good chunk of the credit goes to the director here.
Performances
The performances are excellent here. Rama Krishna as Hira and Gulshan Nain as Jalwar have their moments to shine, particularly the former who is pretty solid to witness towards the end. KC Shankar as Khan is vily and egoistic with respect to his character, and both these traits are conveyed really well through his performance. And yet to balance things out, you see him boosting the confidence of Sanjay in a scene, an act that oozes of sincerity and respect for the game. Brij Bhushan Shukla as Rajesh has a relatively lesser screen time here, but he still delivers a sincere act that makes his character affable. Vivan Karan Singh as Gulli is first rate here. Kunal Pant as Sameer has a nice little character arc to play with, something that could be termed as the start of his second innings of sorts, and he does a good job here.
Anandeshwar Dwivedi as Nagu Bhaiya is a delight to watch – particularly with his swagger that has traces of comedy associated with it. As an anti-thesis of a politician and unlike how his character was established to begin with, he is the glue of the team that keeps the players together while being a mediator on multiple occasions. Suraj Rikame as Arshad does a really good job here while exhibiting an emotional core that goes perfectly in sync with the character arc that he is provided with. Karishma Singh as Gargi has an energetic presence onscreen and she is phenomenal to watch here while making her presence felt.
Rahul Tewari as Alok is earnest and sincere and well restrained while doubling up as the ‘brain’ of the team. Badri Chavan as Aussie is a delight to watch particularly due to his characterization that he pulls off so well. There is a wave of energy that he possesses, which adds to the comic flavour and texture of the drama. Gaurav Singh Hasrat as Shanu is wonderful to witness here, as a character that might seem unlikeable to begin with, while slowly winning his way to your heart with his affable qualities. His vulnerability is reflected through his eyes that are so expressive wherein he does a fine job here. And Shivankit Parihar as Nikku is a star. He is such a natural onscreen and excels in almost every emotion. There was moments of vulnerability that are represented so well through his body language, an emotion that is often masked in front of his tough exterior. And coming to his cricket, boy can he smack the ball and how! He is in excellent form here and he absolutely hits it out of the park with his towering performance.
Conclusion
Boasting of solid performances, the second season of Sixer is an engrossing drama on grassroot cricket that makes for a compelling watch. And TVF manages to ‘score’ yet again by (almost) hitting it out of the park! Available on Amazon MX Player.