Kohrra 2

Like its title, Punjab nebulously creeps up on you in the new season of Kohrra. This is not the bhangra-dancing, balle-balle boisterousness that almost every depiction of the state has been weighed down with, but a Punjab that feels real and lived-in; where secrets lurk in the shadowy cul-de-sacs and conspiracies are hatched in dilapidated local bars. It is a Punjab where generational trauma is a byproduct of gender bias, and vice versa. A Punjab where humour resides not in the backslapping, jokey way we are accustomed to expecting, but arises out of everyday situations which may (or may not) naturally lend themselves to it.

The melancholy crime drama Kohrra is back after nearly three years, minus one of its lead actors. While Suvinder Vicky’s Sub-inspector Balbir Singh is missed, he is replaced by the more than worthy Mona Singh as Dhanwant Kaur. And, of course, the excellent Barun Sobti returns as Assistant Sub-Inspector Amarpal Garundi. This time, the character is transferred to Dalerpura, where they investigate a new NRI murder, with dark secrets uncovering another family tragedy. Creators and writers Gunjit Chopra, Diggi Sisodia, and Sudip Sharma have crafted another complex character study that will linger long after the series is watched.