The Story
Prithvi Singh (Ronit Roy), Aman (Aashim Gulati), nurse Sara (Faezeh Z) and ward boy Peter (Amit Sial) are to fly to Delhi with Saba (Shriswara Dubey) and CM Handa (Dalip Tahil) for Saba’s bone marrow transplant. CM Handa’s Chief of Security, Subramaniam (Mohan Kapoor) follows them and en route forces them to take a detour. At an opportune moment, Subramanium fires at CM Handa with the motive to kill him. However, Prithvi fires back, and soon the local cops intervene. Prithvi and company seek refuge in an ancient cottage. Meanwhile, the world outside is preparing for Handa’s funeral, oblivious to the fact that he is still alive. Prithvi has only one motive to abduct Handa: He needs Handa for bone marrow transplant. But there are many reasons why business tycoons and media magnets want Handa dead. What could be the reason?
The Review
There is a definite connect between season one and two. It takes the onlooker a couple of minutes to join the dots. Once the co-relation is made, the series becomes a roller coaster ride. Sudhir Mishra has certainly taken a huge risk by involving uncertainties in the plot. They could have curtailed a few episodes if these stumbling blocks could have been eliminated. The plot seems like a cardiogram graph with its own set of highs and lows, but thankfully ends on a high note.
Ronit Roy has dabbled with a variety of roles on various OTT platforms. He has essayed darker parts in films like Line of Descent and has also played the irresponsible patriarch in series like Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain Na. In Hostages (both the seasons) he plays a retired ATS officer, who is so in love with his wife that he would go to any extent to save her. Despite committing the crime of abducting CM Handa, Prithvi appears very truthful, and the bonds he has established with his colleagues in the past, become his saving grace. There are times when he appears blank in the series. This especially happens when the plot takes for a sharp twist. For instance, there is no expression on his face on learning that his daughter has been kidnapped by Dino Morea.
Dino Morea plays a very interesting villain (Ranbir) in the series. Never come across an independent villain, who seems to do all the dirty work single-handedly without henchmen. He is dark in a seductive sort of way. Yet, surprisingly great with kids. This is evident when he kidnaps Prithvi’s daughter and artfully mollycoddles her into doing what he’d like her to do. He is one of the few villains who uses his presence of mind to get things done. Seriously, Dino the role of a villain really suits you!
Faezeh Jalali is wow! She is rightfully picky her roles. In Hostages 2 she plays a nurse. She is indebted to Prithvi for many things and gives her life for the family. Her character become more pronounced when she’s begins looking for an exit route form the tunnel. Divya Dutta plays Ayesha Khan, a diplomat and a negotiator working for the ATS. We have often seen Divya playing very family-oriented roles. She is now getting out of the box and Ayesha's character is an example of that. She has also experimented with the role of Sadia Quereshi in the series, Special Ops.
Overall a must watch, especially if you are yearning to know what happens to a CM once he has been kidnapped by a retired ATS officer.
Name of the series: Hostages 2
Platform: Disney+Hotstar
Number of episodes: 12
Cast: Ronit Bose Roy, Dino Morea, Divya Dutta, Shibani Dandekar, Dalip Tahil, Mohan Kapoor
Director: Sudhir Mishra
Rating: 3/5
