Suzhal: The Vortex 2 is a compelling watch with a tightly woven narrative, elevated by powerful performances, notes Divya Nair.
After a gap of three years, Pushkar and Gayathri's crime thriller Suzhal: The Vortex returns with a second season.
This time, the story opens with the shocking murder of vigilante Chellappa (introducing Lal in a mysterious role), who is Nandini's (Aishwarya Rajesh) lawyer and Sakkarai's (Kathir) mentor.
The investigation takes an interesting turn when eight young women, who seemingly have nothing in common, confess to the crime and surrender themselves at various police stations.
A perplexed Sakkarai and team are tasked with untangling this web of deceit and finding the truth.
The sequence of events at the crime scene is simple, yet so masterfully written and executed that you’ll exhaust yourself playing Sherlock Holmes in your head.
Every twist across the eight episodes ties back to this scene of murder.
Much like season 1, the latest one is set against the backdrop of the Ashtakaali festival in Kaalipattanam, a quaint village in Tamil Nadu.
There are eight alleged perpetrators of the crime, and eight daughters of Kaali with unique superpowers. What unites them is a common goal, a common demon.
Who is that demon?
What is Chellappa's connection with the eight women?
Most importantly, who killed Chellappa?
The beauty of Pushkar-Gayathri's storytelling lies in the way they blend ancient culture and traditions with the main story and its characters, adding layers of depth, imagination and reasoning before leading you to the grand climax.
With each episode as long as 45 minutes, the second season manages to engage you in a dark story of child trafficking.
The inclusion of new cast members like Lal, Saravanan, Manjima Mohan, Monisha Blessy and Samyuktha Viswanathan lend fresh dynamics to the series, with each character playing a crucial role in the mystery.
We are already aware of Kathir's ability to bring emotional depth to his characters.
Season 2 is not about Sakkarai but this one particular sequence where Kathir seamlessly brings out so many emotions is worth a mention.
At the scene of the murder, Kathir takes a moment to register the intensity of the crime. He hesitantly makes a distress call to the nearest police station. There is a palpable urgency in his tone but also the rawness of sudden grief and the weight of the loss sinking in.
As he disconnects the call and sits down to glance over his shoulder, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, you can feel the enormity of his pain.
But the minute he walks into the room, his posture shifts as he instructs the officials not to tamper with the crime scene.
Speaking of visual brilliance, the scene where Chellappa opens the backdoor of the van to introduce the young girls -- huddled together, looking terrified, as they wonder about the unknown dangers that await them -- is so brilliantly and hauntingly captured.
Contrastingly, some of the jail sequences, though staged and intended for impact, do not bring out the same pathos.
Aishwarya tends to overact, often losing track of the raw intensity required of her character.
Gauri Kishan's performance is compelling, and so is Saravanan, whose effortlessness is also his strength.
Manjima's transformation for Nagamma from a doting wife to a protector is phenomenal.
Sam CS’s background score is dark and effective but not as memorable as the first one. The feminine aspect and purpose of the Ashtakaali festival is meticulously shot and explained.
With eight episodes of over 40 minutes each, the run time is a bit long and could have been shortened by a few episodes.
Also, the magnitude of the demon, the antagonist, that the narrative builds over the course of the story is dampened in the rushed, cliché climax.
I was expecting a sharper, stronger villain with a backstory.
When you look back, you'd rather remember Nagamma’s story from the festival and the very purpose of the festival but you’d forget the antagonist.
Also, having Nandini and Sakkarai tie up the loose ends probably signals that there may not be a third season.
Overall, Suzhal: The Vortex 2 is a compelling watch with a tightly woven narrative, elevated by powerful performances.
Despite its gripping buildup, the series falters towards the climax, leaving the otherwise brilliant experience somewhat underwhelming.
Suzhal: The Vortex 2 streams on Amazon Prime Video.
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