Web Series Review: Mumbai Diaries Season 2

MUMBAI DIARIES SEASON 2 is the story of doctors in a government hospital struggling to save lives during a deluge. After the events of the first season, Dr Kaushik Oberoi (Mohit Raina) is accused of failing to save ATS Anant Kelkar’s life by his wife Savita Kelkar (Sonali Kulkarni). She files a case in the court. The matter gets complicated when Dr Diya Parekh’s (Natasha Bharadwaj) testimony over the death of her mother goes against Dr Kaushik. The verdict on the case is all set to be delivered on July 26, 2009. Dr Kaushik reaches the court along with his pregnant wife Ananya (Tina Desai). Due to extreme rainfall, the judge fails to reach the court and the hearing is postponed to July 31. Ananya leaves for Pune to deliver a lecture. Dr Kaushik resumes work at Bombay General Hospital. As the first round of flood survivors get admitted, Dr Kaushik finds it difficult to treat them as he’s tormented with media coverage on his case, especially by News Today where Mansi Hirani (Shreya Dhanwanthary) has started a campaign against him. Meanwhile, Dr Ahaan Mirza (Satyajeet Dubey) has feelings for Chitra Das (Konkona Sen Sharma) and wants to take her out for a movie. But he’s too scared to ask her out. Chitra, who’s still struggling with her traumatic past, gets a shock of her life when she sees her abusive ex-husband, Dr Saurav Chandra (Parambrata Chattopadhyay), as part of a delegation that has come from UK to visit Bombay General Hospital. Dr Diya is being judged for testifying against Dr Kaushik while Dr Sujata Ajawale (Mrunmayee Deshpande) gets in trouble after getting caught forging the signature of the hospital's CMO, Dr Madhusudan Subramaniam (Prakash Belawadi). And the madness has just begun and it increases as the rains wreck havoc in the city. What happens next forms the rest of the series.

The story is excellent and peppered with captivating moments. Yash Chhetija and Persis Sodawaterwalla’s screenplay is gripping. There are multiple tracks and chaos is happening in all of them. To bind them together and at the same time to ensure that the narrative seems sensible and engaging is no easy task. But the writers come out with flying colours. Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh’s dialogues are simple and sharp.

Nikkhil Advani’s direction is exemplary. One of the strengths is the way he has used long takes where the focus shifts from one character to another and the emergency they are attending to. The flood angle further adds to the drama. And he has inserted tons of nail-biting moments. One can feel the pressure under which the doctors function in the hospital where there’s no chance to rest even for a second. On top of it, the tension levels go to another level in the last 2 episodes thanks to the tracks of Dr Kaushik-Ananya and that of Dr Saurav-Chitra-Dr Ahaan. The show ends on a justified note and will make you respect doctors even more. The comment on how news channels manipulate the aam junta is an eye-opener.

On the flipside, the initial episodes are dragging. One might even question the makers that why did they incorporate those tracks that have nothing to do with floods. Of course, later on, it makes sense but initially, one might get restless over the pace and the number of tracks. Secondly, it’s bewildering why the makers never showed the courtroom scene of Dr Diya; it would have given more weightage. Lastly, the scene of Dr Sujata blasting Dr Kaushik in the morgue in front of the deceased’s husband is plain silly.

Mohit Raina yet again scores a sixer. He displays his vulnerability with perfection. Konkona Sen Sharma is terrific and especially nails the scenes of the trauma. Parambrata Chattopadhyay is flawless as a manipulative, abusive person. Satyajeet Dubey, Natasha Bharadwaj and Mrunmayee Deshpande are too good as doctors who now have experience but are still new to this world. Prakash Belawadi is adorable and one can’t help but root for him. Tina Desai is a surprise. The way she has acted proves that she is a stupendous performer. Shreya Dhanwanthary is dependable as expected. Sonali Kulkarni shines in a cameo. Balaji Gauri (Cherian) is fine but to make her shout in all scenes gets on the nerves after a point. The others who deliver fabulous performances are Akshar Kothari (Inspector Mayank Bhat), Amit Jairath (Sachin; Mansi’s cameraman), Adithi K S (Vidya; nurse), Vasundhara Kaul (Mallika; Mansi’s boss), Pushkaraj Chirputkar (Samarth), Samaresh Das (Sandeep Raut), Jaimini Pathak (Prashant Raut; Sandeep’s father), Kalyanee Mulay (Shaalu; Sandeep’s mother), Sharad Ponkshe (Yogesh Kulkarni) and Milind Vijay Phatak (Jaywant; juvenile home in-charge). Sanjay Narvekar (Jadhav) is a bit over the top.

Ashutosh Pathak’s music is nothing special. ‘Rab Ne Sab Ke’ registers a bit due to the haunting feel. Ashutosh Pathak’s background score enhances the thrill. Malay Prakash’s cinematography is splendid. However, the scene where Ananya is being taken on an inflatable bed is bad. The camerawork could have taken better angles in what could have been the money shot of the series. Priya Suhass’ production design is rich and detailed. The VFX is also superb, especially the scenes of the city under water. Sheetal Iqbal Sharma’s costumes are non-glamorous, as per the requirement. Mohammed Amin Khatib’s action is limited. Maahir Zaveri’s editing could have been sharper in the initial episodes.

On the whole, MUMBAI DIARIES SEASON 2 is a nail-biting thriller that deserves a watch due to its script, execution, message and outstanding performances by the lead and secondary cast.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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