Parampara Season 2 Review: This crime drama doesn't hold despite family emotions and neat performances

Parampara 2: The one scene that really stands out is where Naveen Chandra delivers truth bombs about Sarathkumar's flawed psychology.

By Arvind V

Updated on Jul 22, 2022 | 10:28 AM IST | 4.4M

Parampara Season 2 Review: This crime drama doesn't hold despite family emotions and neat performances

Title: Parampara (season 2)
Cast: Naveen Chandra, Sarathkumar, and others
Directors: Krishna Vijay, Vishwanath Arigela, and Hari Yelleti
Streaming on: Disney+Hotstar (Web series)
Rating: 2/5

The second season begins with a recap of the first season, something that could have been more detailed and informative, considering that the first season was elaborate and excessive in terms of run-time/content. So, this is what transpired in the first season (instead of character names, we are going with the names of actors to cut the clutter):

Jagapathi Babu is a meek middle-aged man whose son, played by Naveen Chandra, is anguished that his father has remained an underdog in the family after the demise of his grandfather. The limelight and authority have long been stolen by Kollywood actor Sarathkumar's character. Sarathkumar plays Jagapathi Babu's brother from another mother (the latter is the adopted son of the former's father). Naveen Chandra's character has the sole aim of dislodging Sarathkumar's character from the perch. In this, he attempts to ruin his son Ishaan's personal life as well. But Naveen Chandra eats the humble pie when Ishaan's character defeats him at his own game.

The first season ended with the arrest of Naveen Chandra's character by the cops for threatening to kill Sarathkumar. The jailed youngster burns with impotent rage and is also guilt-ridden for a reason. His guts win him the attention of a well-connected criminal who bails him out. Once out of jail, Naveen Chandra starts doing philanthropy but, covertly, he is also preparing the ground for the decline of Sarathkumar, who is eager to dethrone the incumbent MLA and foist his son as the legislator.

In terms of emotional beats, the first season was bona fide, at least in fits and starts. In the season under review, Jagapathi Babu's character doesn't look as concerned as he should even though the stakes are too high. The partnership between Naveen Chandra and the VIP criminal comes off as hurried. The former's transition from a convicted criminal to a businessman with strategies up his sleeve could have been narrated more convincingly.

Divi Vadthya's extended cameo is uninteresting, while a supari killing contract gets outmoded treatment. Aamani's metamorphosis doesn't add a layer to the story the way it should. Aakanksha Singh's character is reduced to a stock character after a good start. One man tricked her into love, while another tricked her into marriage. This rare plotting should have been mined for an explosive scene.

A key character looks condemned to be going bankrupt at a time when another key character is foraying into politics. Even this element with great potential doesn't lead to an edge-of-the-seat moment. There is an abduction, an instance of blackmail as part of a sub-plot, a desperate son's perilous situation getting worse, a case of bauxite mining gobbling up lives... None of these come together to deliver a sucker punch.

The one scene that really stands out is where Naveen Chandra delivers truth bombs about Sarathkumar's flawed psychology. 'Parampara 2' is also helped by a neat performance by the two actors.