Nothing taaza about this khabar

Bhuvan Bam, the first Indian YouTuber to cross 10 million subscribers, is back with a new season of his series ‘Taaza Khabar’. Season 1 may not have been an intensely engaging crime-thriller but had its moments and managed to ensure a decent following. Season 2 follows a similar template.

Season 2 has Vasya’s (Bhuvan Bam) family and friends struggling with the aftermath of his “death” and the huge debt he has left behind. As they go through their individual processes of grief and woe the huge financial burden he has placed on their lower middle-class shoulders, Vasya reappears, and promises to use his ‘Taaza Khabar’ abilities to make good all the wrongs.

Yusuf (Jaaved Jaaferi) and Reshma Aapa (Shilpa Shukla), however, are more intent on payback — so the inevitable confrontation happens and lives are lost along the way.

The problem with the scripting is that it fails to make the premise believable. Vasya’s ability to predict the future comes across as flaky and improbable. And the manner in which this action drama plays out, it becomes even more astounding. Vasya’s never-ending attempts to outwit a vicious Yusuf are neither foolproof, nor executable. Even with his family and friends’ help and support, he ends up on the losing side every time. Yusuf ups the ante and increases the payback value every time Vasya fails.

Shriya Pilgaonkar as Madhu, Vasya’s love interest, Atisha Naik and Vijay Nikam as his parents, Deven Bhojani as Mehboob Bhai, Prathmesh Parab as Peter, Nithya Mathur as Shazia and Tamanna Sharma as Julie show up as his near and dear ones.

This series attempts to use social media and tech to advance the story, but there is hardly any purchase to be had. Vasya’s parents struggle to come to terms with their son’s follies, and yet end up supporting him when he gets another audacious brainwave. The scripting fails to make it realistic and engaging.

The direction, too, is rather ham-handed. The incoherent jumps from one action to another are more than likely to leave the audience dumbfounded.

The performances are bearable at best. Bam fails to lend intensity or craft. He plays it way too casually and loses the plot entirely. Jaaferi though, manages to come good as the chief antagonist. Shriya Pilgaonkar is earnest as Madhu, but her role in the scheme of things is more disruptive than facilitative. Shilpa Shukla as Reshma Aapa makes for a superb gangster’s aide. She is able to bring out the contrariness of her position, playing both sides while keeping her eye on the key aspect.

Atisha Naik and Vijay Nikam as Vasya’s beleaguered parents are effective and manage to curry sympathy for their plight.

This is a mercifully short series with six episodes, the runtime of each limited to 30-40 minutes. That’s a boon given the utter vagueness on display at times. The tone may not be bothersome, but the lack of tension, the shabby action choreography, illogical character arcs and the overall predictability are likely to get you unglued.