Mithya The Darker Chapter has a constant been-there-seen-that feeling.
Everything is dialled to 11, be it the emotional rundown of the characters or dramatic moments that form their dynamic, notes Mayur Sanap.
There's an instant appeal to any thriller that revolves around the plot of what, why and how.
The first season of Mithya, which is adapted from the British television show Cheat, reveled in its delicious premise and rendered itself a decent watch.
The plot revolves around the psychological one-upmanship between teacher and student duo of Juhi and Rhea, played by Huma Qureshi and Avantika Dassani, who turn out to be half-sisters in a plot twist of the first season.
The second season of Mithya, titled The Darker Chapter, takes forward this twisted tale of siblings with more dramatic tension as denoted in its campy tagline: Blood vs Blood.
Hindi literature professor Juhi Adhikari (Huma) finds success with her literary debut novel Dhund.
Her world turns upside down when a mysterious writer Amit Chaudhary (played by Naveen Kasturia) shows up at her book signing event and accuses her of stealing his unpublished manuscript.
As Juhi tries to grasp this new threat, Rhea (Avantika) re-appears to settle scores. Her pent-up rage creates more menace in Juhi's life in her attempt to win their father's (Rajit Kapoor) love.
This sets the stage for a dramatic showdown between the sisters as their resentment for each other continues to grow.
The plot is busy and overheated.
Director Kapil Sharma takes the baton from Rohan Sippy in season 2 and paints the show with more drama, double-crossing, mind games and plot-twists. Yet, Mithya 2 feels terribly dull despite so much going for it.
The chief reason is the constant been-there-seen-that feeling that barely keeps us invested into the plot or characters. Everything is dialled to 11, be it the emotional rundown of the characters or dramatic moments that form their dynamic.
The show especially disappoints with Avantika Dassani's Rhea whose vengeance-filled agenda inadvertently turn into silly theatrics. The actor overplays her scheming character with gaudy lines such as 'Asli revenge hai strength ko todana' or 'ret ka ghar leheron se tutega hi' that evoke laughter than anything else.
Much of the heavy-lifting is left for Huma Qureshi, who puts in her sincere effort. But the show doesn't have enough in its kitty to make anything memorable out of her performance.
What we have is a wearisome melodrama that feels like a slog even with its six-episode length.
Mithya: The Darker streams on ZEE5.
