Directors: Faisal Rahman, Sudip Sharma
Rating: ****
Following the massive critical acclaim of its first season in 2023, Kohrra returns to Netflix today with its highly anticipated second chapter. Shifting the fog to a darker corner of Punjab, Season 2 proves that it isn't interested in playing by the conventional sequel rules.
While the show misses the towering presence of Suvinder Vicky from Season 1, the introduction of Mona Singh alongside a returning Barun Sobti creates a powerhouse new duo. Kohrra 2 is a heavy, emotionally taxing, and intricately woven police procedural that trades fast-paced thrills for a devastating look into human vulnerability and systemic exploitation.
The Plot: A Murder That Unearths Buried Horrors
The season opens on a chilling, foggy winter morning in the fictional town of Dalerpura. Preet Bajwa, an NRI and social media influencer who recently returned to India seeking a divorce, is found brutally murdered in a barn at her brother's house.
The investigation falls onto the shoulders of a newly paired duo:
Sub-Inspector Dhanwant Kaur (Mona Singh): A hardened, emotionally wrecked cop dealing with profound personal grief and a troubled marriage.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Amarpal Garundi (Barun Sobti): Returning from the first season, Garundi has left his past behind and is now married to Silky, trying to navigate his new life while learning to take orders from a female superior.
As Dhanwant and Garundi dig into Preet's complicated life, the case expands far beyond a simple family dispute. The investigation pulls back the curtain on a deeply uncomfortable reality: the horrific exploitation of migrant laborers from North India (UP, Bihar, Jharkhand). When the chained, charred remains of four migrant workers are discovered at a poultry farm owned by Preet's brother, the whodunit morphs into a damning critique of bonded labor, regional discrimination, and the lasting scars of Punjab's militant past.
Performances
Mona Singh as Dhanwant Kaur: Mona Singh delivers a career-defining performance. Playing an emotionally scarred cop and mother, she brings a tremendous amount of humanity to a character who could have easily become a hardened stereotype. She handles her character's pain with quiet devastation, making Dhanwant both fiercely authoritative and tragically vulnerable.
Barun Sobti as Amarpal Garundi: Sobti slips right back into the skin of Garundi with effortless ease. His character arc this season is fascinating—he has matured, but he still wrestles with his inner demons. The initial friction and eventual mutual respect between him and Mona Singh’s character anchor the entire series. Their chemistry feels lived-in and real.
The Supporting Cast: Kohrra has always excelled at casting authentic faces. Anurag Arora, Rannvijay Singha, and Prayrak Mehta (playing a desperate migrant laborer searching for his estranged father) deliver grounding performances that flesh out the show's grim universe.
Direction and Writing
The writing trio of Gunjit Chopra, Diggi Sisodia, and Sudip Sharma once again opts for an inside-out approach to the crime genre.
The Good: The show is an exceptional character study. It refuses to turn cops into superheroes; they are flawed, messy individuals who bleed, limp, and make mistakes. The thematic depth—touching upon Stockholm Syndrome, patriarchy, and labor exploitation—is handled with brutal honesty. The cinematography captures a cleaner but equally grim Punjab, trusting the audience to sit with the discomfort.
The Bad: Some critics have noted that Season 2 leans a bit heavily into exposition compared to the "show, don't tell" brilliance of Season 1. The intricate web of subplots occasionally threatens to overwhelm the central murder mystery, making the pacing feel overly deliberate in the middle episodes.
Box Office & Reception (OTT)
Release Buzz: Dropped just hours ago on Netflix, the series is already generating immense chatter on social media, with early viewers calling it one of the best Indian shows of the year.
Audience Pulse: Fans of the original are thrilled with the dark, literary titles of the episodes (e.g., Everything Burns, The Chains That Bind Us) and the show's refusal to spoon-feed answers. However, viewers looking for a quick, action-packed binge might find its heavy, melancholic tone exhausting.
Final Word
Watch it if: You love slow-burn crime dramas like True Detective, Mare of Easttown, or the first season of Kohrra. It rewards patient viewers who appreciate morally complex storytelling and top-tier acting.
Skip it if: You are looking for a breezy weekend watch or fast-paced action. The show is grim, violent, and emotionally heavy.
Highlights:
Mona Singh and Barun Sobti's dynamic.
The fearless dive into the dark realities of bonded labor.
Poetic, layered writing.
Lowlights:
Can feel overwhelmingly bleak.
Occasionally exposition-heavy.
