The Telugu political drama series Parampara, streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, does a better follow-up after a lacklustre start. Season two is a marked improvement on season one and holds some intrigue in its tussle of one-upmanship in a warring family. Given the scope to showcase his mettle in a better fleshed out character, actor Naveen Chandra scores amid the large star cast that includes heavyweights such as Sarathkumar and Jagapathi Babu.
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The first season played out like an old-school political family drama that explored political inheritance and rivalry across generations. After the demise of Good Samaritan Veera Naidu (Murali Mohan), his adopted son Mohan Rao (Jagapathi Babu) is expected to take over his political mantle but the biological son Nagendra Naidu (Sarathkumar) will have none of it. Mohan Rao graciously steps back but the tug of war raises its ugly head in the next generation with Rao’s son Gopi (Naveen Chandra) and Naidu’s son Suresh (Ishaan) at loggerheads.
Parampara - Season 2
Cast: Naveen Chandra, Sarathkumar, Jagapathi Babu, Aakanksha Singh
Direction: L Krishna Vijay, Vishwanath Arigela
Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar
Season one was an overstretched drama of seven episodes of 50 to 55 minutes each showcasing characters that were not fleshed out enough and plot points that were outdated. Season two, also directed by L Krishna Vijay and Vishwanath Arigela, is spread over five episodes of 30 to 35 minutes. The story takes off where season one ends, with Gopi being arrested for an attempt to murder after he storms into Suresh and Rachana’s (Aakanksha Singh) wedding and threatens Naidu.
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Nothing much changes in Gopi’s demeanour, at least in the beginning. He is prone to rage and knee jerk reactions, as always. He picks up a fight with a prison bully and later wins the confidence of the supervisor Ratnakar (Ravi Varma), who becomes instrumental in getting him bail and a new start.
The transition is quick and unconvincing but soon Gopi gets both money and power to wage a war against Naidu. The narrative shows Gopi emerging a strong opponent who has the potential to challenge Naidu, using both political tact and a genuine interest to do something constructive for the people.
Like in season one, Jagapathi Babu takes a backseat for the most part and it is hard to buy the argument that his character is blissfully unaware of the murky activities of Naidu. Several others come and go, like Teja Kakamanu as the cop, Divi as a political strategist and Aamani as the mother who takes on a new role, trying to make a mark in the smaller parts assigned to them. Aakanksha portrays a character that has to deal with deceit at different levels, be it in her wedding or incidents that shaped her childhood. The maze that she begins to unravel is on expected lines and the battle is far from over.
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The twists and turns in Parampara are staple tropes of mainstream cinema. A long-form series can lend itself to newer and more intriguing subplots rather than offering more of the same, predictable storylines. In that sense, Parampara is a disappointment.
The several indulgent slow motion shots accompanied by dramatic background music further slow down the narrative. There are times when even a 35-minute episode seems lengthy.
The revenge, as the makers promised, sure got darker. But it can do with further improvement. The ground is open for Season 3.