Poison 2 review: A twisted tale of love, friendship and revenge

After a successful season 1, Poison 2 is finally back with a riveting second season. In the series, Sara, Harsh, and Oscar, are the JOSH gang- continuous winner of a local horse race. From bribing the jockey to drugging the horse, the JOSH gang can go to any extent to win a race. So, when a new jockey, Aditya Rathore, defeats the JOSH gang in a race, he comes under their radar. Upon much digging, dark secrets of Aditya start unravelling, which interests Sara, who starts getting attracted to him. However, the boy-next-door Aditya has a few secrets up his sleeve and is seeking revenge from JOSH, which form the crux of the series.

Aftab Shivdasani who essays the role of Aditya Rathore makes his digital debut with Poison 2. Aditya Rathore is a businessman who has ulterior motives behind getting close to Sara and the JOSH gang.  He seeks revenge from JOSH, for a crime they committed years ago. Aftab Shivdasani as Aditya Rathore gets to portray various shades through his character in the revenge-drama. Interestingly, Aftab gets to play a larger-than-life role, just like his Bollywood films. He gets to fight deadly villains, romance the leading lady, and stuns in action sequences. Poison 2 is the best comeback vehicle for Aftab Shivdasani, who returns to acting after a short hiatus.

On the other hand, Poison 2‘s leading lady Raai Laxmi is like a breath of fresh air. She essays the role of Sara with sincerity and gives her heart to every scene. Raai Laxmi’s chemistry with Aftab Shivdasani lights up the screens. Raai Laxmi’s chemistry with Zain Imam is also worth appreciation. Although they have fewer scenes together, they share a crackling chemistry.

Meanwhile, Vin Rana, Pooja Chopra, Gaurav Sharma, Sakshi Pradhan, and others play their parts with finesse. However, it is Pooja Chopra who seems like a miscast; her demeanour and mannerism does not match up to her on-screen character of a police officer. Similarly, characters portrayed by Vin Rana, Gaurav Sharma, and Sakshi Pradhan too have less to do in the story.

Poison 2, written by newbie Rehan Khan, with an additional screenplay by Heena Kohli Khan and Ali Balsania, is the sequel to Zee5’s Poison (2019). Interestingly, Poison 2 starts from where the first part ended, the reason why characters like Pawan, Nandu, and Rani (Gaurav Sharma, Pawan Chopra, and Sakshi Pradhan respectively) re-appear in the sequel. The premise of Poison 2 is no less than a commercial potboiler that has action, drama, and emotion in it. The plotline might sound familiar to those well-versed with “masala movies”, making it predictable for some. It does make for an interesting one time watch. The appealing part of Poison 2‘s plot is that it gives every character an individual storyline, which then culminates to a thrilling climax.

Manish More, who has worked as an Editor in many regional films, edits this series. Poison 2 directed by Vishal Pandya has several cameo appearances by actors Rahul Dev, Karan Mehra, among others. However, it is Rahul Dev’s cameo appearance that stands out from the rest. Aftab Shivdasani also steals the show with his character.

Poison 2 is bankrolled by Suzana Ghai, Hemant Ruprell, and Ranjeet Thakur, and co-produced by Vinayak Jain and Amit Bhargava under their production banner. The series premiered on Zee5 on October 16, 2020. It is an 11-part series. Watch all episodes of Poison 2 on ZEE5.