Aspirants Season 2 Review: TVF's show boasts of earnest performances but gets lost in its own monotony

The Season 2 of one of the most loved Indian web shows, TVF Aspirants, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

By Rishil Jogani

Updated on Oct 25, 2023 | 02:05 PM IST | 718.9K

The Season 2 of TVF Aspirants is officially streaming on Amazon Prime Video (Credit: Prime Video, The Viral Fever)

Name: Aspirants Season 2

Director: Apoorv Singh Karki

Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Shivankit Singh Parihar, Abhilash Thapliyal, Tengam Celine, Sunny Hinduja, Namita Dubey

Rating: 2.5/5

Plot:

The story of Aspirants Season 2 shuffles between two timelines, just like Season 1. In one timeline, we see that Guri (Shivankit Singh Parihar) decides to opt out of UPSC and SK (Abhilash Thapliyal) returns back to Old Rajinder Nagar to prepare for his final attempt and also join a little institute and teach a subject that he is good at. Abhilash Sharma (Naveen Kasturia) gears up for the final stage of his Civil Service Exam. He develops a companionship with Deepa (Tengam Celine), a girl from Arunachal Pradesh who also is in the final stage of her Civil Service Exam. In the other timeline which is set 5 years from the first timeline, Abhilash is a District Magistrate and Sandeep Bhaiya (Sunny Hinduja), his old mentor, is an Assistant Labour Commissioner. SK is a teacher at an institute and Guri is a successful entrepreneur who's married to Dhairya (Namita Dubey), Abhilash's Ex. There are a number of personal struggles that the protagonists are dealing with in both the timelines.

What works:

Aspirants Season 2 has its heart at the right place. The story, very honestly showcases the struggle of 3 friends to enjoy the deep bond that they once used to share, after taking up different career paths and having different growth trajectories. Themes like insecurity and betrayal are very masterfully shown through the 5 episodes. Characters, particularly of Abhilash, Dhairya and Deepa, are developed very well.

What doesn't:

Aspirants Season 2 is not as engaging and investive as the promos suggested. The show is tonally simple with not many conflicts. The slow burn treatment is unable to create the desired impact. One constant issue that Aspirants Season 2 faces is in the production design department. It lacks the ability to immerse visually. For example, the lack of tension in say the riot scene due to the production design, just lets down the intensity of the scene and to an extent, the show.

Watch TVF Aspirants Season 2 Trailer

Star Performances In Aspirants Season 2

Naveen Kasturia as Abhilash Sharma is intense. He carries on the solid work that he did in season 1. His character graph is the most interesting of all the characters in the show. Shivankit Singh Parihar as Guri is decent. Abhilash Thapliyal as SK comes across as a very seasoned actor who is in total control of his craft. Namita Dubey as Dhairya, impresses. Sunny Hinduja as Sandeep Bhaiya doesn't get the desired scope. Tengam Celine as Deepa plays her part to perfection. Other actors part of the show lend good support.

Final Verdict Of Aspirants Season 2

Aspirants Season 2 boasts of earnest performances and excels thematically. However, its one-tone storytelling makes it far less engaging and compelling than its predicessor. Regardless, those who have admired the content created by TVF can give Season 2 a chance. The show now streams on Amazon Prime Video.