Star
Cast:
Gulshan
Devaiah,
Amit
Sadh,
Drashti
Dhami,
Divya
Seth,
Hera
Mishra,
Rajesh
Khattar,
Zakir
Hussain,
Barkha
Bisht,
Abhijeet
Khandekar
Director:
Rohan
Sippy
Streaming
Platform:
Zee5
Duranga
S2
Review:
Thriller
stories
make
for
a
gripping
watch
for
those
who
enjoy
creepy
and
suspenseful
stories.
Zee5's
most
watched
and
searched
serial
killer
web
series,
Duranga,
has
returned
with
its
second
season
on
the
streaming
platform
on
October
24.
Duranga,
as
the
name
suggests,
means
duality
and
deception.
While
the
show
shuffles
between
the
good
and
the
evil,
the
show
characters
are
in
a
constant
fight
with
their
inner
demons.
Before
we
delve
into
the
second
season
in
detail,
let's
take
a
small
recap
of
the
previous
season.
Abhishek
Banne/Samit
Patel
(Gulshan
Devaiah),
son
of
psychopath
serial
killer
Bala
Banne,
is
living
a
disguised
life
and
comes
under
the
radar
of
his
police
officer
wife,
Ira
Patel
(Drashti
Dhami).
Though
Bala
is
dead,
his
past
still
haunts
his
kids,
and
Abhishek
has
to
resort
to
living
under
disguise
as
he
has
been
accused
of
killing
the
sarpanch
of
their
village,
Sarangwadi.
However,
a
gruesome
murder
similar
to
this
takes
place
in
Mumbai,
which
has
been
executed
in
Bala
Banne's
style
and
topples
their
lives.
While
the
investigation
makes
Abhishek/Sammit
the
major
suspect,
we
see
him
on
the
hunt
for
the
accomplice
of
his
father.
The
season
ends
with
Sammit
Patel
(Amit
Sadh)
awakening
from
a
coma.
Plot
The
new
season
begins
with
the
flashback
of
young
Sammit
trying
to
hurt
his
classmate,
and
the
audience
is
warned
about
his
violent
psychosis
that
existed
in
his
younger
days.
We
are
then
taken
to
the
present
day,
where
we
witness
an
emotional
tension
between
Abhishek
and
Ira.
Sammit
wakes
up
from
a
coma
after
14
years
and
learns
that
someone
else
is
living
his
life.
He
gets
straight
into
killing
women
and
is
also
determined
to
destroy
Abhishek's
family,
which
starts
by
befriending
Ira
and
Abhishek's
daughter
Anya.
In
season
2
of
Duranga,
we
witness
more
of
Amit
Sadh's
character
and
how
he
gets
acquainted
with
Bala
Banne,
who
teaches
him
frightful
ways
of
torturing
young
women
and
killing
them.
The
real
Samit
Patel's
disturbed
state
of
mind
and
lunatic
behaviour
is
gradually
revealed.
Ira
and
the
CBI
are
diligently
investigating
to
catch
Bala
Banne's
accomplice.
Abhishek,
on
the
other
hand,
is
suffering
from
his
childhood
trauma
while
strongly
on
a
quest
to
find
his
father's
partner.
Performances
Duranga's
strong
point
lies
in
its
performances.
Every
actor
offers
an
earnest
performance,
which
makes
the
series
more
watchable.
Gulshan
Devaiah,
AKA
Sammit
Patel,
is
brilliant
and
plays
the
role
of
a
trauma-affected
man
with
finesse.
A
man
devoid
of
any
emotions
of
love,
pain,
or
happiness,
Gulshan
delivers
a
restrained
performance,
making
you
wonder
who
other
than
him
could
better
portray
the
role.
Amit
Sadh
delivers
a
believable
performance,
portraying
a
controlled,
sick
man
who
doesn't
have
an
ounce
of
remorse
for
his
wrongdoings
and
doesn't
think
before
hurting
people.
Drashti
Dhami,
a
broken
cop
and
wife
who
is
going
through
emotional
turmoil,
caught
between
duty
and
love,
has
impressively
played
her
character.
Divya
Seth,
Barkha
Bist
Sengupta,
Abhijeet
Khandekar,
Rajesh
Khattar,
and
Zakir
Hussain
are
all
convincing
in
their
parts.
What's
good
The
show
is
packed
with
exceptional
performances
that
keep
the
audience's
interest
intact
till
the
end.
The
tight
screenplay
and
intrigue
maintained
in
the
motives
of
the
characters
have
been
nicely
done.
It
is
a
cleverly
written
whodunit
thriller
story
that
brews
slowly
over
time.
The
show
has
a
decent
production
value
and
holds
a
suspenseful
and
eerie
atmosphere.
Each
episode
lasts
for
30-35
minutes,
making
it
an
easy
watch.
What's
bad
Duranga
is
an
official
remake
of
the
Korean
drama
Flower
Of
Evil,
and
those
who
haven't
watched
it
will
very
much
like
the
Hindi
version.
Even
though
the
story
is
engrossing,
the
speed
at
which
the
episodes
move
forward
is
almost
a
buzzkill
for
the
audience.
Many
scenes
seemed
rushed.
A
lot
of
questions
in
the
second
season
remain
unanswered,
and
the
biggest
drawback
is
the
revelation
of
the
main
culprit
at
the
beginning
of
the
show
itself.
Duranga
is
definitely
binge-worthy,
and
one
can
finish
it
in
one
go.
However,
it's
not
an
exception
to
flaws,
as
clunky
plotlines
and
dramatisation
destroy
the
core
aspect,
which
is
withholding
the
secrets
and
thrills.
Having
said
that,
it's
a
well-done
show
that
captures
the
darkness
and
devious
quirks
of
a
sociopath
serial
killer
show.