Web Series: Hostages Season 2

Cast: Ronit Roy, Divya Dutta, Dino Morea, Shibani Dandekar, Shweta Basu Prasad, Amit Sial, Faezeh Jalali, Aasim Gulati, Kanwaljit Singh, Dalip Tahhil

Directors: Sudhir Mishra, Sachin Mamta Krishn

OTT: Disney+Hotstar

Ratings: 3.5 Moons

(The review is based on the first 4 episodes of the 12-part series)

After taking the audience into their custody with a gritty and engaging story in the first season of Hostages, Ronit Roy is back as Prithvi Singh in the second edition. Directed by Sachin Krishn with Series Director Sudhir Mishra, Hostages 2 picks up from the point where the first season concluded.

Hostages 2 opens to disclosing the secret that Chief Minister Khushwant Lal Handa (Dalip Tahhil), who was a hostage of retired Superintendent of Police Prithvi Singh (Ronit Roy), isn’t dead but alive and safe with the latter. Here, rather than Prithvi’s mission, we are introduced to the conflicts and problems he faces as a family person. His critically-ill wife Saba Singh (Shriswara Dubey) needs to get a transplant done at the earliest. The white-haired Handa serves to be her potential donor. Prithvi plans to leave the city for the transplant with Saba, her brother Aman (Aashim Gulati), a hospital’s morgue in charge Peter George (Amit Sial) and his ladylove, Sara George (Faezeh Jalali) who takes care of Saba’s medical needs.  

However, as Saba’s condition deteriorates, the group takes a halt at a derelict mansion close to the highway. Handa, who believes Prithvi is dangerous for his life, tries to escape but ends up causing deeper troubles for all. Upon learning about volatile activities that were happening inside the otherwise isolated mansion, the Anti-Terrorism Cell takes over and in comes Ayesha Khan (Divya Dutta) who is an intelligent and highly observant officer.

In the middle of the smart exchange between the cops and Prithvi’s team, we are re-introduced to Subramanian (Mohan Kapur) who has a rather deadly plan for CM Handa. Apart from him, there is a corporate person desiring to get rid of Handa to accomplish his commercially viable plans with a female associate (Shibani Dandekar). In this subplot, Ranbir (Dino Morea) is a cold-blooded assassin who doesn’t think twice before shooting a person dead. On the other hand, Shikha (Shweta Basu Prasad), a young Intelligence officer is diligent about her work but isn’t taken too seriously considering she is a woman. Hurling abuses at her senior, with whom she shares a special relationship, Shikha’s frustration with the way her job shapes up is evident. All these subplots are ready to merge into a thriller tale with Prithvi at the epicenter.

Director Sachin, in Hostages 2, serves an engaging tale. From the word go, he builds the right atmosphere to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. With every move of the characters, we get sucked into the story, thanks to the ambience and close to reality touch to the screenplay. The pace of the narrative is fast. With an engaging story that is developed with striking details, Hostages 2 unfolds various chapters over a course of 12 episodes of 30 minutes each. 

Speaking of performances, Ronit as Prithvi shines the brightest. Right from his body-language to a comforting charm and enigma, he uplifts the script. There is no denial that Ronit is in his top form and Hostages 2 proves it. The ace actor injects nuances that only come with experience. Joining him in escalating Hostages 2 is Divya. She is magnificently fantastic as the officer who is flirty with her suitors and handles any situation with uncanny ease. She has a womanly grace and grit of a person who knows her job well. Dino plays the ice-cold assassin who sports longish hair and beard. He plays his part with honesty and is likable. However, it doesn’t cover up the fact that the character is a regular in masala potboilers that most Indians have watched while growing up. Keeping it aside, Dino is indeed delectable.

Shibani effectively slips into the character of a corporate professional. She is charming, smart and adds freshness to the screen. In an ensemble cast, Shibani does justice. Shweta as Shikha pulls off a typical Delhi-girl role who has abuses on the tip of her tongue. Her character comes along with the routine plotline of how women aren’t treated equally at the workplace. It is a done and dusted way of presenting an important discussion. Amit, Faezeh, Aasim, Shriswara, Kanwaljit and Dalip are decent in their respective characters.

Director of Photography Sachin Krishn engages the audience with his camera too. He keeps the rawness intact. Despite a few hits and misses, Ronit and Divya, with their ensemble cast, keep us hooked onto the screens throughout. A Bollywood masala entertainer, Hostages 2, produced by Applause Entertainment in association with Banijay Asia, can sum up as a perfect binge-watch option for the week!

PeepingMoon.com gives Hostages 2 3.5 Moons