Baba black sheep, and more of the same

Ever since ‘Aashram’ dropped in 2020, both the director, Prakash Jha, and Bobby Deol, who plays the devious Baba Nirala, captured our imagination. Indeed, the perils of a successful show are that it often gets extended into many seasons, elongated and stretched way beyond the story actually calls for or deserves.

Thus, the powerful and impactful show about the nexus between fake gurus, politics and power did get diluted in between as it offered more of the same in the intervening seasons. But, as ‘Season 3 Part Two’ drops, our worst fears that it will continue to go round in circles are given a slight reprieve. Sure enough, his victim, Pammi (Aaditi Pohankar), who is on the run, manages to nail the Baba. But before you can even heave a sigh of relief, he and Bhupa (Chandan Roy Sanyal), his irascible deputy, once again outwit her and have her jailed instead.

One step forward and two steps back. For more than a while, the cat and mouse game between Pammi and Baba Nirala continues in the same fashion. There are some forced emotional moments which fail to move you. Only, Pammi is not the one to quit easily and will soon rediscover her path to revenge. Even when it seems she has capitulated, we are sure where she is headed when she returns to the ashram. So, no surprises on that count; her prem paash is not even a red herring. Rather, it has entrapment written all over her face.

Only, what we don’t know is where the astute maker Jha will take his narrative from here. Indeed, the final outcome is a foregone conclusion. Despite the familiarity of the tale playing on our screens and in real life, Jha manages to imbue the series with much drama.

While the first two episodes merely take the story forward in a perfunctory style and hence don’t hold much interest, he regains control and momentum in the final two. There is a blast from the past, a mystery man appears and Baba Nirala’s backstory unfolds. Perhaps, to satiate the faithful and the easily offended, we also meet a real spiritual guru.

How Bobby Deol’s Baba Nirala outsmarts the genuine guru might be a trifle exaggerated and melodramatic, but is very much in sync with his unscrupulous ways.

Bobby Deol, who rediscovered his stardom with the series, remains very much in the character. Years later, he continues to reprise the part with the same vile charm, an ease of manner and conviction. The really powerful, we know, rarely lose control and cut a picture of composure, at least in public. So does he, to remarkable effect.

Chandan Roy Sanyal as his deputy, too, once again seizes the moment. The manner in which he addresses Baba Nirala as Monty loses none of its import in their equation. It’s clear that there is bound to be a shift in this arrangement.

Where the new dynamics will go in the possible future season or seasons is hard to predict at this point. But, for now, Jha finds a satisfactory tack to conclude the third season. Whether it offers closure or not depends entirely on how you see the fate of the real conmen babas playing out in the public domain.