The Cinemawala

To be honest, I had heard about ‘Tripling’ from many but didn’t check it out at then. The only thing that I liked about TVF was ‘Pitchers’ and the hilarious spoof videos they used to make. Like the many Netflix original contents, there were too many TVF original contents and lack of time with an equal lack of interest never led me to see this web series. Last night when KKR was busy decimating RR at the IPL and rest of the channels also decided to do a round of re-runs, forces of nature and dear wife made me watch the series. To be honest, I was bloody impressed. I was so impressed that I did a binge watch on Season 1 and then watched all 5 episodes of Season 2, by today morning. ‘Tripling’ is the best thing that has happened to the web content and with Season 2, they’ve made sure that the dedicated fanbase remains invested in it. If Season 1 was unconventional then Season 2 is a quirky joyride.

Indeevar, the yesteryears’ famous lyricist of the vintage song from the film ‘Saraswatichandra’ would never have imagined that after so many years, his creation will be remembered fondly by many listeners. It’s a fact that the song is heard and sung by many music lovers but nobody would’ve thought the first line to be immortalised in such a way! Chandan, Chanchal and Chitvan – the dysfunctional siblings on the road are back again with their newest trip. Chandan, the divorced elder brother from Season 1 has become an author, as the story about the sibling has taken the form of a book. Chitvan, the crazy youngest one has become a family man and Chanchal, the sister has become an MLA as her husband Pranav has been missing for days and fingers are being pointed at her as the chief suspect. With their parents away on a vacation, the siblings have only each other to trust as they go on a trip to find Pranav. This time the journey takes them through the dilapidated palaces of Lucknow to the ever-cliched skylines of Kolkata with Howrah bridge in the background to the surreal mountains of Sikkim. This time, they are on the run, from everyone, well, just like the last time! This time, the show is bigger, much better and just like the last time, brings a smile to the face.

The strongest point of any show is the writing and the connection that the audience can make to it. If the first season was about introducing these ‘Mada Fuka’ characters, the second season makes us ponder into their childhood and lets us know a little bit more about their contrasting personalities. They may have been different as chalk, cheese and chillum but when it comes to trouble, they always come together as one family to protect each other. Writers duo Akarsh Khurana (who plays a bit role as the film director of ‘Tripling’ the film) and Sumeet Vyas who plays Chandan have gone for the skies, this time. They understand the show has become bigger than what it was originally conceptualised as, hence their writing has become zanier. We see some new crazy characters, a Nawab who goes by the name Prince Alexander who may have been as old as his dilapidated palace and crazier than the average Joe but when it comes to the matter of the heart, he is saner than the sanest person around. Nawab’s young wife Zainab, who looks like his daughter yet is madly in love with this man, who probably is the last connect between the glories of the past and the uncertainties of the future. Gajraj Rao and Shweta Tripathi play this unconventional couple whose love story is the highlight of this series.

The writer duo also bring in nostalgia, as in the Kolkata league of the trip, we get to meet Byomkesh Bakshi himself! Rajit Kapoor plays his most famous avatar on screen and brings the house down with his mannerisms. He gets into his ’Satyanweshi’ (the seeker of the truth) mode as he brings in all of his expertise (read as the team equivalent of Baker Street Irregulars, a dial-up modem connected personal computer and an antique telephone) to find clues about Pranav’s disappearance. It’s a superb cameo and Rajit Kapoor just slays it! The lead cast is in full form with Amol Parasher being absolutely brilliant with his Chitvan act. The man is freaking hilarious and with some killer lines, he’s a riot in the series. After having a country made liquor offered by Byomkesh, he hallucinates about his childhood, a scene made brilliant by the cameos of Kubbra Sait, Kumud Mishra and Shernaz Patel and as he comes back to sense, he blurts out to Byomkesh-

‘Ae Satyavansham, Kya Pilaya Mereko, Sab GanduGol Ho Gaya !!’

He’s an absolute hoot with Sumeet Vyas and Maanvi Gagroo going crazy along with him. The Rajiv Masand cameo is a killer. From the rest of the cast, Jeetendra Shastri as Prince Alexander’s man-friday is hilarious with his bro act. Kunal Roy Kapoor and Nidhi Bisht are decent in their roles of Pranav and Nirmala. Sameer Saxena has directed this season and the music is helmed by Nilotpal Bora this time, who does a sweet guitar riff work on the now-famous series opening score and has a fabulous song this time – ‘Maula Mere Ishq Ka Hafiz Hai Tu’

The only complaint about the series is the in-your-face product placement and random episode lengths. The series at least deserves to be an 8-10 episode season with 22 minutes of content per episode, just like the episodes of a ‘Friends’ or a ‘Big Bang Theory’. The 30-35 minutes episode, following up with an 18 minutes episode frankly kills the mood. TVF, if you are reading this, we want a longer season next time.

And yes, ‘Jeejaji Baanjh Nahi Hai!’

‘Tripling’, now streaming on TVF Play and Sony Liv app.

The Cinemawala Rating: 3.5/5