When there was a level of uncertainty in not only the world but the film industry as well, one wondered what the future would be. With lockdown being right around the corner in March 2020 and the viewers being dependent on streaming platforms for entertainment like a dark horse came a dark, gritty, and psychological crime thriller called Asur.
Mind you, and this was the time in the streaming space when the only capable fictional stories, at least for India, were coming out of Netflix and Amazon Prime.
This Gaurav Shukla and Vaibhav Shikhar-created show surprised everyone with its level of detailing and writing that hooked the viewer with its eight-episode running time. Other than the name of asking when the next Made In Heaven series is coming out, Asur Season 2 also was a mystery in film and series discourse. Had the makers forgotten about it, you would see actors posting photograph shooting season 2, but there was no sign of it ever coming out in the near future.
Finally getting some relief with the Jio cinema slate of films and series being announced on June 1st, we got two episodes of season 2. So let’s get to Asur Season 2 Ending Explained, where we are, what is happening, and how the series still has the ability to fully grasp your attention.
Asur Season 2 Story
Shubh, with this calculated plan, has been executing killings across the country, and the police, CBI, and forensic team always find themselves two steps behind him. While season one almost showcased a slate of random characters that fully believe in his ideals of Anarchy, Season 2 successfully retraces how Shubh’s past ties into why the conspirators aligned with him to execute his evil plan.
You’ve got Dhananjay Rajput, played by Arshad Warsi, who is residing in a monastery currently. Having lost his wife being framed for the same and the recent loss of his colleague and friend Lolark, played by Sharib Hashmi. Dhananjay is consumed with guilt and grief, avoiding any new developments in the case that overwhelmed him.
I realized very quickly that the characters in Season 2 are dealing with a lot of grief and baggage, and this is the mood that stays consistent in the first two episodes as the characters old deal with and copes with massive trauma.
Nikhil and Naina, played by Barun Sobti and Anupriya Goenka, are coming to terms with the loss of their daughter, presumably for the greater good. While Nikhil douses himself with pills to cope, Nana and vessel self fully with work while both were sharing a relationship of animosity and resentment.
With more killings around the corner and the plant getting even more convoluted, can the CBI team finally catch on to Shubh and, more importantly, identify how he looks as a grown adult and where he is today? This is what Asur season 2 explores.
Shubh’s Dark Quest
Shubh’s quest for a new world order and the commencement of Kalyug that will mark the arrival of Kali makes absolute sense, as he believes that one lives in an age of no morality or sense prevailing. The reason why the antagonist and the series hook your attention is that the antagonist is adamant in his ways of beliefs that cannot be shaken. And nothing is scarier than a person who cannot be influenced and whose goals are to cause havoc and see the world burn.
This is where lowly mortals like Nikhil and Dhananjay struggle because they are dealing with the force they least anticipated. Kesar Bhardwaj, played by a brilliant Gaurav Arora, is in custody, and the motivational speaker, who is extremely popular, is amused by the incompetence of the CBI. To get to the bottom of the case.
As they noticed that Shubh and his pattern remained identical, almost giving clues to their team as this is an antagonist who likes to play with the world watching. Almost intellectually stroking his own ego and trying to impress the team that wants to catch him.
This is where I had parallels with Moriarty and Joker in season one because these are antagonists who love an audience, who love the applause for the sheer complicated and evil plants that they execute. I think what’s even more interesting, and I think you will agree with this if you have seen the first two episodes, is that the makers will tie the mythological aspect of the series to the child in the monastery who is next to Dhananjay. A Messiah among men who could be the light in the midst of the Kalyug. I am very interested in how they develop that subplot.
Shubh wants the end of the current world and the commencement of a new world order. The investigation of the case continues in Episode 2, and both Nikhil and Dhananjay seem more determined to get to the bottom of the case.
Amey Wagh as Rasool Shaikh is a very interesting character, playing it low-key for Shubh’s plan. But I just wonder about the sheer anger that will persist when the CBI sniffs out the mole in their system.
Asur Season 2 Ending Explained
At the end of Asur Season 2, Dhananjay advises Nikhil to wait before disarming the bomb because, even once it is activated, they only have a few seconds before it turns deadly. Nikhil listens, and as Dhananjay predicted, the instant the bomb goes off, he notices Shubh and fires at him. At that point, he gives the command to defuse the bomb, potentially saving his own humanity as well as the lives of countless others.
Dhananjay chooses to spare Shubh’s life because he is unrepentant. This is his response since Shubh thought that death was an escape from life, and granting him that would be unjust. A month later, Paul quit the ATF, while Nusrat continues to deal with her guilt over what she did. Nikhil sees Shubh for the final time in jail. Nikhil goes for a handshake, and once Shubh comes to take this handshake, Nikhil injects poison into him. This poison kills Shubh, and Nikhil gets his revenge for his daughter.
Shubh had trust in Nikhil since he had liked him from the start. When Shubh was a young boy, Nikhil was the first one outside of his family to treat him well. As a result, Shubh was unconcerned about the handshake, which proved to be a mistake. Shubh is no longer alive, but his final words are that his mission lives on in the form of Kali.
In the final minutes of the series, we see Dhananjay searching for Vrinda, but she is not at her home. However, there are paintings of Asurs everywhere, implying that she was far more connected with Shubh than she admitted, and the threat is far from finished.
The series, with its Second season episodes, also makes you question the point of justice, revenge, or whether individuals have any form of closure on this destructive path of deaths happening all around them. The Cliffhanger of the Asur Season 2 was absolutely brilliant, and I very well know this is going to be a wild ride. And it truly was a long wait for all of us.
Asur Season 2 Review
What I love about Asur and its writing especially is that it does not alienate the viewer. And by this, I mean that the motive of Shubh, played with a creepy and demonic tonality by Vishesh Bansal, does not get philosophical to the point of churning incoherent gibberish.
This is what I had said regarding Season 2 of Sacred Games, where the anarchy that was being formulated by the antagonist, played by Pankaj Tripathi, ventured on being too esoteric, and the core of the series was lost. As episode one states, “Prahlya Ka Aaramb Hone Wala Hai,” you know, season 2 is going to be an absolutely wild ride.
Barun Sobti really showcases his acting chops as Nikhil deals with the loss of his daughter and looks in the distance in a Day, almost broken beyond repair. He is willing to course through the case, but his deep sadness lingers on. Another case of one of my favorite actors transitioning from TV who deserves so much more.
Riddhi Dogra as Nusrat also gives great support to the cast. But the standout still is the dialogues written by Gaurav Shukla and Niren Bhatt, Abhishek Kuman, and Pranay Patwardhan, especially in the context of Shubh’s threats to the world.
There is a slightly gimmicky method in which Nikhil recognizes a person that becomes a key suspect in the case, which is almost reminiscent of superhero power being channeled. But it wasn’t jarring enough to completely disconnect you.
Also Read: The Truman Show Ending Explained: The Dark Hidden Meaning Behind The Movie
