Review of “Vathanthi – Season 2: The Mystery of Mani” – web series on Amazon Prime

Andrew Louis, the director of the first season of Vathanthi returns at the helm of Seasoin 2 with the original producer – Pushkar-Gayathri – remaining as creative producers. M.Sasikumar heads an impressive cast, including Anagha, Aparna Das, Vivek Prasanna, Chetan, Revathy Sarma, Arjun Nandakumar, Yashwanth and George Vijay.

Sub-Inspector Moosa Raaza (M. Sasikumar) is sent on a punitive transfer to a rural police station on the outskirts of Madurai. The discovery of skeletal remains during the construction of a highway leads to the launch of an investigation. When Raaza realises that there are many unanswered questions about Mani (Yashwanth), the man imprisoned for the crime, he needs to convince SP Rathika Nair (Anagha) and their senior (Ajit Koshy) to reopen the case. Their investigation leads to new information, many surprises and a shocking conclusion/

The pace of the first two episodes is quite slow, made bearable by Sasikumar’s screen presence and the lovable portrayal of Vivek Prasanna as Raaza’s acid-tongued friend and colleague, Ramar. However, the slow start is adequately made up for by the intensity of the rest of the series.

Vathanthi – The Mystery of Mani features many outstanding acting performances from the main characters. M.Sasikumar has a powerful and magnetic screen presence throughout the series, increasing in intensity as the series progresses.

Aparna Das as Raaza’s wife, Sumaya, portrays all the complexities of her character without the need for lengthy monologues or overacting.

Vivek Prasanna is in a delightful role, bringing some much-needed subtle humour into the narrative.

Anagha portrays her conflicted and complex character brilliantly, showing a strong or vulnerable side to detailed credibility.

Chetan is an amazing actor with unbelievable depth and staggering versatility and his role in this series merely underscores his abilities.

Yashwanth as Mani handles his role well, while Revathy Sarma as Nilavathi and Deepikka Anand as Venba deliver powerful performances.

Arjun Nandakumar as Sukumaran Nair and Ajit Koshy as the Inspector General with limited patience are the best of the others.

The complex plot with its complex issues are realistically and creatively handled by writer-director Andrew Louis. The pace could certainly have been better in the first two episodes, but the overall impact of the series remains undiluted.

Saravanan Ramasamy’s cinematography is on par with the best that cinema has to offer. His amazing creativity in angles, lighting and framing boosts the well-written and well-acted narrative.

Despite its slow start, Vathanthi – The Mystery of Mani makes for absorbing, thought-provoking and entertaining viewing. This 8-episode series has enough depth in the story and its presentation to appeal to varied audiences.

Vathanthi – The Mystery of Mani is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and scores 8 points out of 10.