Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare season 2 review: Amazon Prime show is unable to break the curse of the sequel

Embedded deep within a comfy nook of Indore, Zakir Khan decided to build his autobiographical-yet-make-belief world two years ago. Smack at the centre of it was Ronny bhaiya, a jack-of-all-trades, neighbourhood Robin Hood-turned-Romeo, the heartbeat of his people and yet a conman in his own right. Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare pulled in strong 90s film references, especially that of Govinda’s, where the protagonist is a comical mix of his acute loud-mouthedness and the quagmires he’d often find himself in as a result. The second season of this slice-of-life hilair-athon takes place after the events of the first one, where Ronny’s (initially) imaginary political honcho of a Chacha (uncle), actually gives him a chance to prove himself as a youth leader in his party. True to his nature, Ronny slowly but steadily forms a base in the organisation, bolstered by the undying support of his band of local nincompoops (the numbers of which keep growing). This time around, Ronny is introduced with an edge of gravitas, steadfast in his actions, symbolised by a metal kada (bangle) which says “sakht” (solid), sitting comfortably on his left hand. His words are beyond idle faffing and his image is more than just the town’s favourite show-off. Khan extrapolates the character to include a range of emotions this season. Ronny (played by Khan himself) is easier on the eye the second time around; he bawls, stumbles, and most importantly, fails repeatedly in life, building an inevitable connect with his audiences. His charm notwithstanding, Ronny even finds himself in the coveted position of being the romantic interest of not one, but two women simultaneously (a luck he’d crave having in the first season). But writers Khan, Ayush Tiwari and Utkarsh Porwal try taking the character above and beyond just the love-lost hero in different narrative dimensions, making sure that Ronny successfully aces them. Similarly, Ronny’s cronies Kranti (the inimitable Kumar Varun) and Anwar (the talent-packed Vyom Sharma) disband and cut off their umbilical dependence on their leader. Not only his friends but Ronny’s “tests” include a complete ostracisation from society for a while, with his family standing as the sole support system. [caption id=“attachment_9471511” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Still from Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare. Image from YouTube[/caption] Evidently then, the protagonist’s actions bear graver consequences than just frivolous megalomania that had earlier seemed oh-so-adorable. Through a parallel narrative on Chachaji’s political party and its functionalities, Khan builds an intelligent commentary on the city-wide politics of Madhya Pradesh. Cheap tactics, one-upmanship and betrayals lace the goings-on at the party headquarters, making each challenge imperative for Ronny to conquer. True to his brand of heroism, Zakir’s protagonist rises from his proverbial ashes just when everything seems too bleak to process and wins the day over with his ease and boyish allure. However, this otherwise ham-y plot sequence is artfully dealt with believable dialogues, satirical low-angled slow shots and oodles of coolth. [caption id=“attachment_9471501” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Still from Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare. Image from Twitter[/caption] Creative expertise aside, where Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare fails is in the comedic sector. Khan’s offscreen persona of the witty, humorous, satirical man looms large over the sequel, making it porous in areas. Since the first season was amply loaded with Khan’s everyman humour, the second one feels lacking in any memorable laugh-out-loud instances. It’s almost as if the creators forgot to be funny in a bid to make Ronny more acceptable, which is always a compromise. Season 2 fails to overcome “the curse of the sequel” and remains only a shell of its first, still basking in the glory of Ronny’s previous larger-than-life persona. Despite the efforts towards making the narrative more pregnant, you almost yearn for Khan’s lopsided grin and impish humour, hoping it would save the day. Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Watch the trailer here —