These dark black eyes, in January 2022, started with the famous quote from William Shakespeare’s Othello – “For he had eyes, and he chose me”. The second season, which was released almost three years after the first season, began with another Shakespeare quote – “True love’s path never runs smooth”. Oh, and you’ll have to watch the sequel to find out why.

Purva (played by Aanchal Singh) is kidnapped. Vikrant (Tahir Raj Bhasin) is torn between true love and”.“passionate love” (obsessive love). Shikha’s (Shweta Tripathi) attempts to move on from the past are thwarted by her history. Akhiraj Awasthi (Saurabh Shukla) keeps troubling Vikrant (and the audience) with his mere presence.

Arunoday Singh is adamant on being the kidnapper. Gurumeet Choudhary joins the cast as Purva’s friend, making Vikrant’s life more miserable. Well, that’s a recap of the first season in a nutshell.

Yeh Kaali Kala Aankhen 2 picks up where it left off. While the makers left a lot of room for pause in the initial episodes of the first season, the second season will keep you hooked from the very beginning. It’s a tough task when one has to make a sequel to a successful first season. However, director Siddharth Sengupta and co-writers Anahat Menon and Varun Badola showed courage and did a commendable job of maintaining the thrill, which was only threefold.

Love stories, father-daughter relationships, middle class marriages to the privileged, mystery and action – all these are the audience’s favorite genres. Sometimes sewing them together becomes a problem. But, the makers of Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen have really put together all the essential elements required for a good suspense thriller and have prepared an almost perfect stew.

Tahir Raj Bhasin is brilliant as Vikrant. He is everywhere. But you won’t feel overwhelmed by his presence even for a moment. If you were impressed by his acting skills in the first season, wait until you watch the new season. The depth and nuance he brought to his character is truly commendable.

Aanchal Singh as Purva is glamorous, smart and can defeat the dreaded kidnappers in a jiffy. Everyone in the family, you know. Even in the most difficult situations, Purva is calm. But, it’s his mysterious personality that will make you bite your nails wondering what his next move will be. Shweta Tripathi as Shikha is known as an artist. This time, being married to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of her area, she had to face new problems. Her character demands a certain innocence, and she delivers it just as you’d expect her to.

Gurumeet is the newest member of the cast. It’s difficult to make your presence felt in a show that has already done well in one’s absence. The actor, Gurmeet, does a great job with his screen presence. But was he important to the plot? Not so much. If the makers had considered an alternative approach to torment Vikrant’s character and make his life more miserable, then they had the standout Saurabh Shukla from the first season perfectly positioned to handle it. Gurmeet’s character also seems unnecessary at some places. However, he manages to hide the plot flaws well with his on-screen personality.

When the makers released Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen 2, they did so with one significant drawback – releasing the sequel of a show after almost three years – too long a time to be forgotten. At a time when remembering the events of the last day has become a task, the makers took the risk of leaving out a lot of recaps and retaining only what was essential. While this was a smart move, it feels incomplete at times. If you have time and want to enjoy the continuity, we would recommend you to watch the first season and only then pick up the new season.

Watch the trailer of Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen 2 here:

While the plot of Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen 2 will leave you with thrilling moments, some parts feel dragged out. For example, there is a segment in the show where Vikrant is trying to hide a human head inside a bag. The makers, in an attempt to make it edgier, keep increasing the bag sequence to the point where you wish you would get rid of it, just to avoid watching it on screen for the twentieth time.

We understand that the theme has been set for a second season, which does not provide any relief from its serious tension. However, the audience will definitely need alternative comic relief apart from the over-the-top acting of Golden (Ananth Joshi), which feels like a forced comedy.

Furthermore, the background score and screenplay help maintain the essence of the series while taking the story forward. Not to forget, Tahir’s narration during important scenes definitely adds up.

As is the case with thrillers, These Dark Black Eyes 2 offers no respite from the cliffhangers. The show picks up where it started – love is never easy.

Will there finally be peace in Vikrant’s life? Will she find love or are there more murders in the pipeline? only time will tell.