The
same
bunch
of
people,
doing
the
same
things
does
not
make
for
a
satisfying
sequel;
the
added
subplots
are
hastily
tacked
on,
and
make
no
difference
to
the
flow
of
the
series,
points
out
Deepa
Gahlot.
Last
year’s
Taaza
Khabar
marked
YouTube
comedy
star
Bhuvan
Bam’s
acting
debut
as
Vasant
‘Vasya’
Gawde,
attendant
in
a
public
toilet,
who
is
granted
a
strange
boon.
The
idea
(with
some
help
from
Echelon
Conspiracy)
was
interesting
though
the
plot
moved
on
a
predictable
track.
As
a
reward
for
his
kindness
towards
her,
an
old
women
blesses
him
with
prescience
and
right
away,
through
his
phone
he
learns
of
events
before
they
occur,
through
a
taaza
khabar
app,
accessible
only
to
him.
Till
then,
Vasya
lived
an
impoverished
but
content
life
with
his
parents
(Atisha
Naik-Vijay
Nikam)
and
friends
Peter
(Prathamesh
Parab)
and
Mehboob
(Deven
Bhojani),
who
runs
a
bakery
and
has
a
Maths
wiz
daughter
Shaziya
(Nitya
Mathur).
Vasant
is
in
love
with
Madhu
(Shriya
Pilgaonkar),
who
works
in
Reshma’s
(Shilpa
Shukla)
brothel
and
dreams
of
being
a
fashion
designer.
When
he
understands
the
power
his
phone
holds,
he
uses
it
to
make
money
by
betting
on
cricket
matches.
It
also
turns
his
head
to
the
point
that
he
starts
thinking
he
is
God.
It’s
time
for
comeuppance
and
it
comes
with
a
brush
with
gangsters
and
violence.
If
the
first
season
was
loud
and
humourless,
the
second
season,
also
directed
by
Himank
Gaur,
written
Aziz,
Hussain
and
Abbas
Dalal,
does
not
come
up
with
enough
material
to
stretch
over
another
six
episodes.
Vasya’s
idea
to
scam
a
gangster
backfired
on
him,
and
Yusuf
(Javed
Jaaferi)
went
after
him
like
a
bloodthirsty
shark.
Vasya
faked
his
death
and
feared
he
lost
his
‘vardaan’.
Too
soon
into
the
second
season,
Vasya
resurfaces
and
gets
the
boon
back
—
with
an
added
feature
on
the
app.
He
can’t
shake
off
Yusuf,
who
wants
not
just
his
lost
money,
but
many
more
crores
as
his
political
fund.
To
keep
Vasya
in
line,
he
takes
his
parents
hostage.
A
large
part
of
the
show
is
taken
up
by
Vasya
and
his
loyal
buddies
trying
to
raise
the
Rs
1,000
crore
Yusuf
demands;
that
includes
selling
whale
vomit
(used
in
perfumes),
kidnapping,
a
blackmail
attempt
and
a
trawl
through
the
Deonar
garbage
dump.
The
same
bunch
of
people,
doing
the
same
things
does
not
make
for
a
satisfying
sequel;
the
added
subplots
are
hastily
tacked
on,
and
make
no
difference
to
the
flow
of
the
series.
The
prescience
idea
was
milked
in
the
first
season,
and
nothing
much
is
added
in
the
new
season.
The
actors
struggle
to
work
with
the
flimsy
material,
so
they
tend
to
overact.
Bhuvan
Bam
had
proved
his
competence
as
an
actor
in
the
first
season.
Here,
he
gets
to
display
one
harried
expression
and
a
scruffy
appearance.
Shriya
Pilgaonkar
and
Jaaved
Jaaferi
gamely
do
their
bit
but
are
defeated
by
the
lack
of
substance.
Taaza
Khabar
streams
on
Disney+Hotstar.
Taaza
Khabar
Review
Rediff
Rating:
