Just as Uttar Pradesh is in the throes of an election that will determine which party and leader will hold the reins for the next few years, acclaimed MX Original Series Raktanchal is back with season 2 after a successful first season in 2020. While the first season was set in the late 80’s, this one jumps four years, and is set in the early 90’s. And early 90’s UP was a quagmire of Machiavellian politics and brute violence. So you can pretty much expect how explosive Raktanchal 2 is going to be.
Before we delve further into the details of the show, check out the amazing trailer.
Just like actual incidents that took place in the 90’s in UP’s political battlefield, the trailer you just watched also suggests gritty depictions inspired by said events. No wonder MX Player is marketing the show with the apt tagline - Iss baar, ranneeti nahi - rajneeti hogi.
For those who are unfamiliar with UP politics, here’s a quick recap - Mulayam Singh broke away from the Janata Dal, and formed the now well-known Samajwadi Party. And a new leader named Mayawati, who represented the interests of the oppressed communities, burst onto the scene as a much-needed voice of the voiceless.
While the first season ended with a showdown of violence between two of the leads - Waseem Khan (Nikitin Dheer) and Vijay Singh (Kranti Prakash Jha), with the fate of Singh hanging in the balance, the seconds season introduces the characters of Ramanand Rai (Ashish Vidyarthi) and Saraswati Devi (Mahie Gill), the latter being a not-so-subtle nod to the iron lady of UP politics - Mayawati. Gill’s character is not simply that of a woman trying to compete for the seat of the CM, but also that of someone representing communities who in the 90’s were in desperate need of political representation.
Carrying forward the plot from the last season, Waseem Khan, after “dealing with” Vijay Singh (who’s presumed dead) is now trying to find his footing in the political hallways of Purvanchal. The incumbent Ramanand Rai also seems to be doing his best to spin the events to favor his run at the coveted CM seat. But suddenly news of Vijay Singh being alive flips the dynamics, because here’s one man who’s gunning for revenge. How all of this pans out, remains to be seen.
As fans of political drama, what really stood out to us was how unapologetic the writers of the show were towards depicting parallels with the real UP. Illegal encounters, shootouts in broad daylight, caste-based violence, women taking over the reins of politics - all of these have actually happened in UP, and from what we see in the trailer, have been covered in the show as well.
Here’s a promo that truly seems to mirror the current political environment across states:
Directed by Ritam Srivastav, all nine episodes of MX Original Series Raktanchal 2 will be available for free, only on MX Player starting 11th February, 2022.