The Freelancer (Volume 2)
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend and I finished watching the second volume of the new Hindi show The Freelancer which is now streaming on Hotstar. One of the worst creative decisions taken by the OTT platform this year is to break a single season of the show into 2 parts. Not sure why this is fast becoming a trend, particularly because this is extremely unfair to the makers and the crew. And The Freelancer is a live example of what would happen to a show if it is watched and reviewed in two parts.
About three months ago, I had watched the first volume of The Freelancer and it seemed to be in a similar mould as films like Baby, with the emphasis being on a spy rescue mission set in the Middle East. But given the medium, there were moments of thrill sprinkled in the narrative that did make for an intriguing watch. The world building with the characterization did seem to be on point as well, and all of it did create an ambience worthy of keeping the viewers on tenterhooks through its first 4 episodes. To cap up its first volume, the show did end on a high thereby setting things well for volume 2. But the question was whether it was necessary to divide the show across two parts and more importantly whether a three month window was justified on releasing its second part. Even penning reviews of this format(of parts of shows being released across months) is really challenging wherein this is also a disservice on my part to the show given the long break involved! But then, does the second volume of The Freelancer manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
The second volume of The Freelancer picks up from the same point where the first part had ended(ain’t it obvious), wherein the coup mission of extraction is underway with different parties across the globe beginning to get involved. Will Avinash be able to save Aaliya in time? Now, here is the challenge! How do you objectively review the story given that it is spread across two parts. I did think for a bit and decided to focus just on the three episodes on show(given that I had previously reviewed Part 1 based on the initial 4 episodes). This is more in the space of the first half versus the second half comments that we provide for films. And based on the three finale episodes, the story just seemed a little diluted and watered down as compared to the world building and setup. The screenplay was interesting but only in bits and parts while the finale did leave me terribly underwhelmed!
I must admit here that the three month gap between the two parts didn’t help me here at all. It took me a while to warm up to the drama and build on the tension which was in store in the previous episodes. What I did like was the geo-political angle that was briefly touched upon in part 1 as well with the CIA being a major stakeholder in the mission, thus adding a whole new dimension to the drama. But what I also wished to watch was the simmering tension from the point of view of the character of Aaliya, particularly after the dramatic suicide bombing that had raised the stakes in the drama. The tension was just not there which was surprising given that she was in a terrorist territory. The only little tension created was through the character of Nabeela who was also a victim of circumstances in the area. This was such a shame given that so much more could have been done with the dynamics on show.
The planning of the extraction that did form a major chunk of the three episodes was interesting, much like the case in all Neeraj Pandey spy films and shows, with the focus being on the interaction between the protagonist and the team around him. This did add a layer of authenticity including a quick backstory that gave a context on how he ended up being ‘The Freelancer’. But what felt a little simplistic was the entire IB angle that was so well setup to be a perfect nemesis to the protagonist and his team. After a point, even the CIA angle felt a little one-dimensional. Yet, there were some intriguing moments including that of the protagonist assembling his team to get ready for the extraction along with a subplot involving Aaliya’s lookalike.
The events leading up to the eventual extraction did promise to be a thrilling affair with a character uttering the lines that there are many ‘what-ifs’ in the mission, something that might lead them to some unforeseen challenges. These lines setup things to perspective so well until the final act that was just so simplistic that I was left wondering on what the hoopla was all about. Despite a little ‘predictable’ deviation in the rescue mission, there were no real challenges thrown in wherein you would feel the tension levels rising. The stakes in the finale were never really raised which was such a shame. I was keenly awaiting a twist in the tale that just did not arrive. Overall, the screenplay of the conclusion is just bleak and bland with only a handful moments of intrigue.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
One improvement from the first part was that the dialogues were allowed to be uttered in the local language(or even English) as opposed to dubbing those lines in Hindi. As a result, the lines did impart a lot more purpose in terms of its authenticity as compared to the first part. The BGM is good and it tries raising the tension levels throughout the narrative. The strongest aspect of the show was its cinematography coupled with its production design particularly with the wide shots that made for an enriching watch. The editing was decent as well but if the writing is off then there is very little that other departments can do to salvage the product. Director Bhav Dhulia had made an impressive start to the series in the first part but here he does falter especially in the staging of the extraction. The tension levels needed to peak along with the stakes in the drama that needed to be high enough for any sort of excitement. Sadly, he isn’t able to create enough moments of intrigue thus marking a very forgetable day in the office for him.
Performances
The performances are quite decent by the ensemble cast despite the weak writing. But as the late Mr. Dilip Kumar had said, no artist can rise above the script. Veer Aryan as Rawat, Sairi Salma as Nadia, Danny Clifford as Buzz, Varun Pande as Vikas and Sangay Tsheltrim as Gurung are decent but they don’t have much to do. Farhana Bhatt as Saiyma, Jalila Talemsi as Amena is intimidating and does a swell job. Sarah Jane Dias as Radha is decent but had very little to do here. Aakash Dhabade as Wilson is wonderful to watch and he infuses life in his act. Breshna Khan as Nabeela is quite good in a little more meatier part from the first volume, and her unassuming act is good to watch as well. Edward Sonnenblick as the head of CIA is decent but bordering on being a caricature mainly due to the writing.
John Kokken as Raghvendra has a tremendous screen presence but his role was a little diluted and simplified here compared to the setup that promised a lot more. Anupam Kher as Dr. Khan is assertive and quite upright in his performance. Navneet Malik as Mohsin is decent but I felt he wasn’t as intimidating as he ought to have been. The writing here didn’t quite allow him space to blossom.
Manjari Fadnnis as Mrunal is pretty good as well with the right amount of softness in her performance. But I really wished to see a little more of her, perhaps in a capacity of the character of Avinash getting visions of her and his past during the mission. The psychological edge that Mrunal’s character could have contributed to in the overall scheme of things was missing here. Kashmira Pardeshi as Aaliya does show restraint very well(and in her other role as Soniya, Kashmira is supremely effective). I still did feel that the character of Aaliya wasn’t quite exposed to the trauma that I had expected, particularly after a major event that was in play. Mohit Raina as Avinash Kamat aka The Freelancer is good but I found him to be more impressive and aggressive in the first part. The character was reduced to being one-dimensional that in a way also restricted his performance.
Conclusion
The second volume of The Freelancer is a half-baked conclusion that ends up ruining the buildup in the first part. Also, this is a classic example of what sabotaging a show can be, given my overall rating for the show may have been different(and perhaps better) had Hotstar released all episodes in a single go! Time to wake up, Hotstar!