Hotstar special show Hostages, created by Applause Entertainment, had released in 2019, and it soon became one of the most loved shows on the streaming platform. Helmed by the acclaimed Sudhir Mishra, the crime series is based on the Israeli show Hostages. The plot of the first season revolved around a retired IPS officer Prithvi Singh (played by Ronit Roy) who holds Dr Mira Anand (Tisca Chopra) and her children hostages and asks the doctor to kill the Chief Minister of Haryana, Dr. Khushwant Lal Handa, in order to save his wife’s life. Now, all those who have watched the first season must be really excited for Hostages 2 to release as it holds the answers to the questions that the first season left behind. While Dalip Tahil, Surya Sharma, Aashim Gulati, Anangsha Biswas and Mohan Kapur reprise their roles in the second season, new additions include Divya Dutta, Shibani Dandekar, Dino Morea, Shweta Basu Prasad, Shilpa Shukla, Amit Sial and Kanwaljit Singh.
The ending of the first season reveals that the CM is Prithvi’s wife’s biological father and she needed bone marrow to survive. Prithvi wanted the CM killed to take his bone marrow, but then lets him live. The tables have turned in the second season and while in the first season the assassination of the CM was attempted, this time around the CM has been held hostage by Prithvi Singh. This time the game is bigger and more dangerous than before, as it involves several unknown forces. With new secrets revealed, the mystery deepens further. The second season, not unlike the first one, will keep you glued to the edge of your seat. Viewers are sure to be hooked to the show right from the first episode- multiple subplots, new characters and a complex conspiracy make this series more intriguing. What’s noteworthy is the excellent sound design- especially in action sequences.
Ronit Roy as Prithvi once again perfectly delivered what was asked of the character, and his impactful, hypnotic voice leaves the viewers intrigued at all times. Divya Dutta plays the role of Ayesha Khan- a tough negotiator- and her introduction scene is quite interesting. Kanwaljeet Singh is the ATS Chief, and it was great to see him on screen after ages. Shibani Dandekar has a striking presence as Isha Andrews- APAC head of a multinational corporation. Dino Morea as a suited booted mercenary is too good- perhaps, the second-best performance on the show after Ronit Roy!
As for what didn’t work in Hostages 2- firstly, it was a 12 part series, which could have been cut down to about 10 episodes. The overdose of expletives used on the show didn’t work either- especially Shweta Basu Prasad’s character Shikha, who works in an investigation agency. However, apart from the overuse of expletives, the actress has played her role very well. Makers have taken cinematic liberties- some scenes will seem implausible.
There’s a lot going on in the hostage situation- multinational corporation, multi-billion dollars deal, CM, Abduction, bone marrow transplant, and more. All in all, the hook and intrigue of what'll happen in the end will make you watch the complete 12-part series.
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