Avrodh 2: The Siege Within review – Abir Chatterjee’s positive Hindi debut is overshadowed by propaganda

The first season of the SonyLIV web-series Avrodh: The Siege Within was based on the Uri attacks of September 2016 in which at least 17 Indian army personnel were killed. The show, directed by Raj Acharya, told the story of the bravery of India’s armed forces who avenged the death of their colleagues soon after.

The second season of the show tells a fictitious tale woven around the Uri attacks and the demonetization executed by the government of India in November that same year. 

Avrodh 2: The Siege Within is adapted from the ninth chapter of Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh’s book India’s Most Fearless 2 titled 'Just Tell Me When to Begin Sir'.

The story revolves around Pradeep Bhattacharya (Abir Chatterjee), who works as an additional commissioner in the income-tax department in Mumbai but is also a captain in the army. He likes the second profession more. The show starts with Bhattacharya nabbing culprits who were all set to spread a large amount of counterfeit currency in India from Assam. 

In Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), general Aziz (Rajesh Khattar), chief of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), is eager to attack India in a massive way. The ISI is shown to be heavily funded by professor-turned-businessman Ehsaan Waziri (Sanjay Suri). As he is paying the agency, he calls the shots. He has planned to attack India in three stages, including 25 airplane blasts. He has a personal vendetta against the country.

Waziri’s key aide Parveena Shehnaz (Aahana Kumra) is facilitating terrorist activities from India under the guise of running an NGO (non-governmental organization).

The new season of Avrodh gets the scenario about the workings of the army right, much like its predecessor. It also continues the approach of not using jingoism to evoke patriotism. But the narrative isn't smooth like it was in the first season. The viewer is also bombarded with too much information in the initial episodes, making it difficult to grasp after a point.

Despite these flaws, the show keeps you engaged, for two reasons. Bengali actor Abir Chatterjee makes a successful debut in Hindi. He gets the nuances of the complex character right and becomes the show's biggest plus. Vijay Krishna, as his friend and colleague captain Imtiaz Ahmed, puts up a good show.

It is a pleasant surprise to see Sanjay Suri in the negative role of a terrorist mastermind. The actor gets into the skin of a person who is really a devil even as he presents himself to the world as a sophisticate. Aahana Kumra achieves the same outcome. Rajesh Khattar is decent in a role that doesn't offer much challenge.

Neeraj Kabi as the national security adviser and Ananth Mahadevan as the defence secretary are the only actors to be repeated from the first season and carry on from where they left off. Vikram Gokhale played the prime minister in the first season, but this time Mohan Agashe is given the responsibility. Like Gokhale, Agashe is always dressed like prime minister Narendra Modi but he does not try to mimic him, preferring to use his own natural, subtle style.

The performances, however, can’t cover up the show's biggest flaw. The first season showcased India's determination to avenge the Uri attacks but never became a propaganda vehicle. This time, that balance isn’t maintained. The show glorifies demonetization as a masterstroke in combatting terrorism, without going into the nightmare it became for the people of India.

Political propaganda is acceptable if it is largely true, but that is not what happens here. The scene in which the prime minister looks at the long queues outside ATMs on TV and says casually, “India will overcome this too”, makes it worse.

Avrodh 2: The Siege Within is now streaming on SonyLIV.