Cast: Bobby Deol, Aaditi Pohankar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Darshan Kumaar, Anupriya Goenka

Director: Prakash Jha

Rating: ***

Platform: MX Player

These days OTT platforms have taken the grant to deliver entertainment to your screens. But the thing is how to take a success ahead? The answer is to make a follow up of the series to arouse the audience for more. MX Player's Aashram is one such drama series that has released its sequel in just after few months. Otherwise, web-series like Mirzapur took around two years, but it's clear that the shooting of both the seasons is done together.

Prakash Jha's 'Aashram 2- The Dark Side' picks up the story where the first installment ended where Baba Nirala (Bobby Deol) getting more ruthless day by day and the politician drama getting more sordid. In this season, you can see the darker side of the Aashram that includes drugs fostering, sexual assault, and exploitation. Though, a few victims fastened out of their wallowing zone after knowing the truth and focusing on malice. Now, the thing to converge is if that is the end of the story or just a new start of deeper filthiness?

The terror of the Baba Kashipur Wale is still going on and even with more evil desires. Remember the last season ended with the evil work that Baba did with Babita (Tridha Choudhary)? Now, she's totally a different person who left her hopes and accepts her destiny happily. On the other side, her sister-in-law desires to become a great wrestler and doing hard-work for her nationals. Whereas, her brother, Satti (Tushar Pandey) is already living out of station to obeying the order of Baba. The story twists when so-called Baba Ji started focusing on Pammi (Aditi Pohankar), remember that Pehalwan girl? who became the devotee with blind faith in Baba and his aashram. Later, when the dark truth of this Godman unfurls, how this brave girl fights with such circumstances, is the main thing in this chapter 2.

On the other side, doctor Natasha (Anupriya Goenka) is still converging to find the truth that she started in the first installment along with cops, Ujagar (Darshan Singh) and Sadhu (Vikram Kochhar), and reporter Akki (Rajeev Siddhartha). And they all try to find some evidence against that Baba, entering the aashram by changing their identities. What happens to them, if they find something suspicious or get caught, for this you need to watch 9 episodes of this Chapter 2.

Now, the creation of the first part has wrapped off with a thin layer at the end, of-course the audience wants to watch something new in the next season to keep their attention. But unfortunately, it seems it's the same season going on with the same characters and elements. There is nothing new that can engage you in the story apart from a few little things like Pammi's part, that might interest you about her next step though that is also predictable.

If we talk about characters, the acting of all the stars is brilliant and praiseworthy. Bobby Deol justifies his character with splendid expressions. Apart from him, Chandan Roy Sanyal as Bhopa, the right hand of Baba. In fact, in the role of cops Darshan Singh and Vikram Kochhar have also nailed it. Though, you might feel that the character development is not properly done like the impact of the particular personality is not that much influensive. So, in this matter, directions could have been much better.

If you have noticed, this time the episodes are smaller than the first season, that might hints that the shooting of both the parts already shooted together but split it out in 2 seasons. At some points, you'll surely feel that the series might have been bit stretched.

Editing and Cinematography are excellently and perfectly done. Along with classy location of aashram, shooting work is fit to the story and the cast. The pace of the story is also fine and clearly understandable. You'll not feel like what's going on now.

This time also, not every secret is unveiled for which you have to wait for its another part that will shoot in March 2021. It might be the trick of the production company to engage the audience into this epic drama based on reality. But, there are some points that could have been better to eliminate a few flaws.

Overall, it's an average web-series that might curious you about another part with unfolded secrets this time too. But, the acting of all the actors can engage you in the story that is utterly credible.