It’s a make believe presumption that sequels to most series and movies fail to live upto the benchmark created by its first installment of the franchise. TVF Tripling was one of the very first web series out here in India, and oh boy was it loved. A simple plot construct of three siblings out on an impromptu, unplanned road trip set out for a watch that brought on smiles and laughter and a quite a few contemplative sighs. The very much loved series premiered its second season on April 4th. It’s a convoluted road trip, but warm and lovely nevertheless.
A quick recap of the first season:
Chandan (Sumeet Vyas) , the eldest sibling was freshly out of a failed marriage. He is the typical elder brother we all have, uptight, responsible and always on a lookout for any trouble. Chanchal (Maanvi Gagroo), the sister married to a royal family in Rajasthan, trying to fix her marriage to Pranav (Kunal Roy Kapoor). Chitvan (Amol Parashar), the laid back stoner, making his living as DJ when not in lock up for his marijuana notorieties.
The three strangled with each other in a road trip they never planned for, led them baring themselves and find a common thread to outlive their dysfunctionalities. There’s bonfires, goon chase, stolen cars, a few missed laughter, secrets unveiled, resents, disappointments, reconciliation. All three trace back to their homeland in the north east as a denoument to their personal conflicts. It led to a poignant final episode of the season that is to be watched over and over again.
Tripling Season 2:
The second season sees the three siblings in a different phase of their lives. Chandan is now a sought after best-selling author, feeding off by writing a book on their previous escapade (the first season) of a road trip. Chanchal is embroiled in a royal mess(quite literally) owing to a stretched misinterpretation of Pranav’s suggested impotency in Chandan’s book. Chitwan stole the limelight as he evolved into a stay at home father, having left his ‘highs’ of his past life to father the child of his live-in lawyer girlfriend from her past relationship.
The road trip here is unplanned again but has a more concrete context. They are out chasing down on Pranav who has run away after being caught up in the media brouhaha about his impotency.
The trio rides their way through Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata and Sikkim to seek Pranav and a probable re-attempt to eliminate their distance, yet again. The episodes are quipped with funnier quirks in portions but sometimes lose on the writing space, for example the whole execution of characters like the Lucknow’s Prince Alexander’s run down glory of a once-famous Nawab or Kolkata’s Satyaneshi brimming with unnecessary stereotypes of the famous Byomkesh. Shweta Tripathi is a sight to sore eyes in her Begum attire that demanded longing glances from a love struck Chandan. Amol Parashar deserves a separate mention altogether for his role where he is even better than the last season. He breathes Chitwan. A more mature, sensitive Chitwan that still reeks of his old counterpart but is more in love with the child who is not even his own. Your heart goes out for him.
The series fortunately managed to retain its essence from the first season but it tried to put a lot of things on the platter. As much as you would love it, somewhere you would long for those sit around conversations the first season doled out to us even without trying to make efforts, the plot for it was carved out to make place for those conversations. The second season somehow ended up joining some loose threads while missing out on what we longed for.
Nilotpaul Bora gives us a reeling soundtrack, right out of a Nawab court of Sufi regality, something for you to hum and repeat over for a long time.
I wouldn’t say the second season was a disappointment, it lacked a certain kind of something even we don’t know of. But it gives you a great watch if you for once let go of the humongous heap of expectations and allow it to take its own course without any baggages from you. Let it make you love it, is all I can say.