Mismatched S2
Cast: Muskkaan Jaferi, Taaruk Raina, Vihaan Samat, Rohit Saraf, Prajakta Koli, Rannvijay Singha, Vidya Malavade, Abhinav Sharma, Kritika Bharadwaj, Devyani Shorey, and Sanjana SarathDirectory
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Streaming On: Netflix
Rating: 2.5/ 5
Plot:
Mismatched S2 continues where the first season left off and is based on Sandhya Menon's novel When Dimple Met Rishi. It was written by Gazal Dhaliwal, Aarsh Vora, Nandini Gupta, and Akshay Jhunjhunwala. While Harsh (Vihaan Samat) and Sanskriti (Sanjana Sarathy) enter the picture, new relationships are forged as Rishi, and Dimple's (Rohit Saraf) relationship goes through a difficult period. However, things are not as straightforward in Professor Siddharth Sinha's (Rannvijay Singha) Jaipur summer course on app development because old love still lingers as new love blossoms. Will Rishi and Dimple resolve their differences, or is the Singh Shekhawat-Ahuja love story over now? This and other topics are covered in Akarsh Khurana's young adult romance.
Hot Topics
The new season makes an effort to delve deeper into each character's life outside of the leads. In this regard, Vihaan's Harsh, Taaruk Raina's Anmol, Muskkaan Jaferi's Celina, Kritika Bhardwaj's Simran, and Devyani Shorey's Namrata all receive significantly more screen time than they had previously. The friendship of Harsh and Dimple is like a breath of fresh air. Along with the romantic chemistry that comes with a new relationship, boundaries are respected, and open communication is favored. It probably wouldn't have been a bad idea to hear more of NRI Harsh's accented Hindi.
With Anurag Saikia handling the background score, Sanal George's Sound Design, and Anurag Shanker serving as music coordinator, the series' music is notable. Particularly the ghazal rendition of Aise Kyun sung by Saikia and the entrancing Rekha Bhardwaj.
What's Missing
Mismatched two bites off more than it can chew in its attempt to generate a conversation on several topics.
As a result, each episode's progressive social critique feels more important than the plot itself. While choosing to share a social message is generally acceptable and even encouraged, it does not feel natural when one decides to speak too much, which causes the effect that was initially intended to be achieved to wane and falter. Mental health, the needs of people with disabilities, body image problems, homosexuality, the destructive perfectionist culture on social media, class conflicts, financial independence, second marriages, and other topics are discussed. The story's heart and soul are someplace lost in all the messaging.
Each of the eight episodes of Mismatched 2 lasts for roughly 40 minutes. The character arcs and character development are still not fully explored despite the characters' increasing screen time. Because there is so much going on in the numerous subplots, the series loses steam in the middle and drags out needlessly.
Performances
When it comes to performances, Saraf and Koli demonstrate their talent. Although they are entertaining to watch on television, they can perform better in real life. This season, the screen is lit up by the attractiveness of Vihaan Samat and Muskkaan Jaferi. With what he was given, Taaruk gave a reasonable effort. Even if their understated romance did not progress very quickly, Rannvijay Singha and Vidya Malavade deserved to spend more time on screen together because their chemistry was endearing and convincing. The appearance of Akarsh Khurana was a sweet surprise.
Final Conclusion
In comparison to its predecessor, Mismatched two attempts to move things along. Although the series' haphazard treatment of some issues can occasionally be unsatisfying and even off-putting, it is worth watching on the weekend.
Watch Mismatched Season 2 trailer:
