Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein 2 review: Tahir Raj Bhasin is brilliant in thrilling series

Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, in January 2022, opened to William Shakespeare’s famous quote from Othello — “For she had eyes, and she chose me”. The second season, which was released almost three years after the first one, opened with another Shakespeare quote — “The course of true love never did run smooth”. Oh, and you have to watch the sequel to know why.
Purva (played by Aanchal Singgh) is kidnapped. Vikrant (Tahir Raj Bhasin) continues to be in a deep soup, torn between real love and “junooni mohabbat” (obsessive love). Shikha’s (Shweta Tripathi) attempts to move on from the past are foiled because of her history. Akhiraj Awasthi (Saurabh Shukla) continues to haunt Vikrant [and the audience] with his mere presence.
Arunoday Singh sticks to being the kidnapper. Gurmeet Choudhary joins the cast as Purva’s friend, making Vikrant’s life more miserable. Well, that’s briefly the recap of the first season.
Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein 2 picks up from where it left. While the makers left room for pauses in the initial episodes of the first season, the second season will leave you hooked, right from the start. It is a difficult task when one has to make a sequel to a successful first season. However, director Sidharth Sengupta and co-writers Anahata Menon and Varun Badola, took the dare rather well and did a commendable job of retaining the thrill, only multiplied by three.
Love stories, father-daughter bonds, middle-class marrying the privileged, suspense, and action – are all favourite audience genres. Sometimes, stitching them together becomes a hassle. But, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein makers have, indeed, put together all the necessary elements required for a good suspense thriller and have cooked an almost-perfect stew.
Tahir Raj Bhasin is brilliant as Vikrant. He is everywhere. But not for a moment would you feel overwhelmed by his presence. If you were impressed by his acting skills in the first season, wait till you watch the new season. The depth and nuance he brought to his character are genuinely praiseworthy.
Aanchal Singgh as Purva is glamorous, smart and can outsmart dreaded kidnappers with a snap. All in the family, you know. Even in the direst circumstances, Purva is poised. But, it is her enigmatic personality that will leave you biting your nails, wondering what her next move is. Shweta Tripathi as Shikha is known as a performer. This time, she has newer problems to deal with, while being married to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of her area. Her character demands a certain innocence, and she delivers it the way you expect her to.
Gurmeet is the newest addition to the cast. It is difficult to make your presence felt in a show that has already worked well in one’s absence. Gurmeet, the actor, does a great job with his screen presence. But was he crucial to the plot? Not so much. If the makers had considered an alternate approach to torment Vikrant’s character and make his life more miserable, they already had the exceptional Saurabh Shukla perfectly positioned to handle it, since the first season. Gurmeet’s character does seem unnecessary in places. However, he manages to hide plot loopholes well with his on-screen persona.
When the makers released Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein 2, they did so with one significant drawback – releasing a show’s sequel after almost three years – long enough to be forgotten. At a time when recalling the last day’s events becomes a task, the makers took the risk of forsaking too many recaps and retaining only what was necessary. While it was a clever move, it does feel incomplete at times. If you have time at hand and want to enjoy the continuity, we’’d advise you to watch the first season and only then hop onto the new one.
Watch the trailer of Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein 2 here:

While the plot of Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein 2 will leave you with ample nail-biting moments, certain bits seem dragged. For instance, there’s a segment in the show where Vikrant is trying to hide a human head inside a bag. The makers, in an attempt to make it edgier, keep prolonging the bag sequence to the point where you just want him to get rid of it, simply to avoid seeing it on screen for the twentieth time.
We understand that the theme is set for the second season, offering no relief from its nail-biting tension. However, the audience would surely need alternative comic relief, other than Golden’s (Anant Joshi) over-the-top acting, which feels like an imposed comedy.
Apart from this, the background score and screenplay help maintain the essence of the series while driving the story forward. Not to forget, Tahir’s narration during crucial scenes certainly adds up.
As is the case with thrillers, Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein 2 brings no respite from cliffhangers. The show traces back to where it started – love is never smooth.
Will there finally be peace in Vikrant’s life? Will he find love or are there more murders in the pipeline? Only time will tell.