Fog lifts, Kohrra is still a winner

When ‘Kohrra’ came in 2023, it was a breath of fresh air which not only put a majorly Punjabi language series on the world map of OTT, but showed a state dipped in shades of realism. Now, as its second season streams, the template is kind of… same. It’s still a police procedural with loads of human drama at the centre of it.

‘Kohrra 2’ starts on a similar note: murder of an NRI. But, hereafter, the series — again set in the hinterland of Punjab — takes a life of its own and envelops you as much in the mysterious air of whodunit as the lives of its protagonists. Investigation begins and we are all agog to know who has murdered this young lady Preet (Pooja Bhamrrah), a divorcee who loved to make reels and by no stretch of imagination was a pushover.

Co-created and co-written by Diggi Sisodia, Gunjit Chopra and Sudip Sharma, who also co-directed the series with Faisal Rahman, it sees Barun Sobti back as ASI Amarpal Garundi. Only this time, his senior is not our favourite Suvinder Vicky’s Balbir Singh, but Mona Singh’s Sub-Inspector Dhanwant Kaur.

In a year that has already seen ‘Daldal’ and ‘Mardaani 3’, a woman cop is not exactly a novelty. Yet in the backdrop of Punjab, Mona’s layered character makes us realise Dhanwant jaisi are few if not koi nahi. If she is tormented by her past, Garundi’s demons too come back to haunt him.

Sudip, who has given us two marvellous seasons of ‘Paatal Lok’, does not disappoint in adding both consistency and freshness to ‘Kohrra 2’. Even when the story moves in different tracks, everything binds it together into a beauteous whole.

Certain red herrings and tropes do exist. In a murder mystery, fingers are bound to point in several directions. Among the bunch of suspects, apart from Preet’s brother (Anuraag Arora) and boyfriend (Vikhyat Gulati), there is an ex-husband too (Rannvijay Singha).

In Sudip’s hands, however, we know nothing is what it seems. So when a migrant labourer pops up in the police station looking for his missing father, you know the tentacles run deep. Like its predecessor ‘Kohrra’, Punjab isn’t about sarson de khet and bhangra, giddha. Right from the moment it opens with scenes of a prabhat pheri and later snapshots of the rise of Christian ‘prophets’ in Punjab, cultural authenticity is writ all over.

Atmospherics and the masterly cinematography by Isshaan Ghosh capturing the mood of rural Punjab lift the veil over any false notion you may have of its natural state of joie de vivre. Certainly humour exists, but is mostly sardonic.

The brilliant Barun as Garundi delivers it in classic mocking fashion, making you smile and wince simultaneously. Mark his comment on how parents are happy with their progeny not doing drugs. His junior too gets his share of one-liners. As is Punjabis’ wont, funny wisecracks surface at the unlikeliest of places, right next to a dead body too. But that is the beauty of writing which sizzles and informs, engages and reflects.

The narrative immerses you in the lives of its array of characters, not just lead protagonists. After a while, it’s hard to say who the real hero is. Your heart beats as much for the resolute Dhanwant, as for her alcoholic husband Jagdish (heartrending act by Pradhuman Singh Gill). Mona proves her versatility as the stoic Dhanwant trying to hide her scars.

Garundi’s predicament is as heart-breaking as that of his brother Jung (Pradeep Singh Cheema), whom we saw in the last season too even though he gets only a few scenes to shine in. Minor, major, not a single actor is miscast, or is out of place.

While involving us in the human story in what is essentially a character-driven series, it makes more than a point on how greed for land/money is dividing near and dear ones. Patriarchy raises its ugly head, for don’t land feuds within the family often run the patriarchal distance, rarely in consonance with what inheritance laws say? After all, what’s sauce for men is not for its women.

But naturally, the line between the victim and the accused blurs so often and in the midst of this dichotomy stands Preet’s sister-in-law Twinkle. Remarkly well portrayed by Mandeep Kaur Ghai, she brings to fore both the pain and resilience of what it means to be a woman caught in the middle of the social and legal reality of rural Punjab.

Is that the trigger for crime? Yes, even if not directly linked to the murder, the social exposition forces us Punjabis to take a hard look at ourselves. Migration of labour is another concern that manifests in a major plot twist as well in the not too subtle hints. The finale leaves no room for ambiguity. Even if Dhanwant had not uttered the cautionary words, the message is explicit. What’s heartening is that despite the thread of melancholy, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

What chains us can also bring out the humanity in us. ‘Kohrra 2’ is a forceful knock on our head which splits the class divide wide open.

Unmissable for a host of reasons, from technical proficiency to storytelling mastery to pitch-perfect performances to the haunting melody, take a look at the Punjab we Punjabis often ignore at our own peril.