Mumbai Diaries season two is set to release this week, and it will be interesting to watch what kind of adversities the characters of this show will face. The first installment of the show was based on the 26/11 attacks, where terrorists landed on the Mumbai coast and committed atrocities all over the city, which led to widespread deaths and countless casualties. Makers Nikhil Advani and Nikhil Gonsalves presented a fictionalized version of events realistically.
Mumbai Diaries Season 1 began with a scene at the OPD of Bombay General Hospital, which was just like any other facility that deals with emergency cases. Three residency students joined the hospital to assist the chief of trauma surgery, Dr. Kaushik Oberoi, on the fateful day of November 26, 2011. Dr. Ahaan Mirza, Dr. Diya Parekh, and Dr. Sujata Ajawale are rookies who joined the team in the hope of furthering their careers as physicians. Dr. Kaushik Oberoi was a stern man who did not shy away from speaking the truth. Chitra Das, the Director of Social Services at the same hospital, was a determined woman who went out of her way to help people at the hospital, but internally she was suffering from trauma that was not discussed in detail.
There were a plethora of characters that walked into the hospital and involuntarily became a part of the ordeal the night unleashed on them. As the attacks began, plenty of pedestrians and police constables ended up becoming victims of the terrorists. There are victims from a popular local café who were also brought in. Soon, the hospital was overwhelmed as the number of patients kept increasing while the facilities at the hospital were limited. As this drama ensues, one gets to see how each hospital staff member becomes a hero. The hospital was the spot where one of the top cops died of multiple bullet wounds. The place also hosted a terrorist who was brought in alive and kept under observation until he was questioned and arrested. The entire showdown in the hospital was terrifying and distressing.
The makers went over the top with the execution and the drama surrounding the individual lives of the people working at the institution. The interesting fact about Mumbai Diaries is that the makers chose to speak about mental health, caste discrimination, and islamophobia. There was also the subject of parents and children not getting along because of ideological differences and how an event such as this one changed the trajectory of their relationship and became a reason for them to reconcile. Dr. Diya Parekh, whose mother was instrumental in amending her torn relationship with her father, eventually ends up getting killed in the attack.
Mumbai Diaries also takes viewers to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, a very prominent landmark in the city, and a premium 5-star hotel that was brutally attacked. The terrorists wreaked havoc in many parts of the hotel, including the venue spaces, the kitchen, and the rooms, which were eventually occupied by these men to access vantage points.
The same terrorists were being guided by their leaders from across the border, thanks to the media’s live coverage. The government had to eventually ask the media to stop giving out live feeds, which was hampering their operations to capture the terrorists and rescue the guests stuck inside. Dr. Kaushik’s wife was the head of F&B services, and her team becomes the wall that ends up protecting, shielding, and rescuing plenty of guests from the hotel. Mumbai Diaries highlighted the resilience of the common man and their will to stand up against those whose only aim was to create an atmosphere of terror.
The makers also took a jibe at the extent to which journalists acquire information for the sake of TRP. There are plenty of instances that deal with this issue until the journalist herself realizes that maybe her life is more important than the coverage. Mumbai Diaries: 26/11 went out of its way to bring stories in detail on what occurred in the city on that fateful night.
To make the story manage to make the viewers understand the marital woes of the two leads. Dr. Kaushik and his wife, Ananya Ghosh Oberoi, were on the verge of filing for divorce. Communication issues, Ananya’s depression, and Kaushik’s unavailability are the reasons why they grew apart. Both were at the heart of the rescue operations in two different locations.
Mumbai Diaries: 26/11 was a good attempt at recreating the most harrowing day the city faced. The show inherently became about the people who became heroes by saving the lives of so many in a time of adversity and chaos.
Spoilers Ahead
What Can We Expect From Mumbai Diaries Season 2?
While Mumbai Diaries Season 1 dealt with one real-life incident, the second installment’s trailer promises to retell the story of the flood that affected the city of Mumbai in the year 2006. Through this calamity, the makers have brought in the characters from season one and allowed them to retell the entire story from their perspective. Just like the previous installment, this story could be presented realistically as well. There are more lives at stake and bigger problems to face. Here, the enemy is not human but a force of nature with the power to wreak havoc.
Dr. Kaushik Oberoi and his team in the Bombay General Hospital will be at the helm of the disaster response and will try to work it through with utmost patience. Chitra Das might face her biggest horrors as she is claustrophobic; the water will most likely amplify her condition. The trailer gives a glimpse of her ex-spouse, and we wonder if he is the reason why Chitra suffers some sort of trauma. The trailer also focuses on Kaushik and Chitra bonding over their shared stories of love and loss.
There will be new stories and subplots added to tally with the main plot of this season. Just like in the last one, common people will come forward to help others get out of the most dreadful situation of their lives. We are guessing the narrative will revolve around the worsening flood situation and matters escalating. The resident doctors of the first season will be graduates, and they will join this hospital because of their previous experience.
Dr. Kaushik and his wife may have gone their separate ways, but in this season, there is a possibility of him coming to his ex-wife’s rescue. There is probably no hope for reconciliation, and the viewers would want their relationship to stay platonic by the end of this season. The trailer was tight and to the point. Hopefully, season two will be more about this tragedy than the people involved in it, because the latter narrative overwhelmed season one and diluted the severity of the event.
Cast And characters
- Mohit Raina and Konkana Sen Sharma reprise their roles as the leads: Dr. Kaushik Oberoi and Chitra Das. Viewers are looking forward to watching what they bring to the table as actors through these characters. Their strength and resilience to help as many people as possible in the flood-like situation will be a visual to watch.
- Tina Desai, also known as Ananya Ghosh Oberoi, will most likely be the ex-spouse of Dr. Kaushik. Her character was well written and presented in season one, and we are hoping to learn more about her as a person who might be living life on her terms.
- Parambrata Chatterjee joins the cast as the ex-partner of Chitra Das. He is a fantastic actor, and adding him to the cast of Mumbai Diaries brings a bit of mystery to what his character could have done to Chitra in the series.
- Natasha Bharadwaj and Satyajeet Dubey are also seen in the trailer, and as Dr. Diya Parekh and Dr. Ahaan Mirza, the viewers are hoping to see them get into rescue and survival mode, just like in the first season.
Where To Watch
Mumbai Diaries is an Amazon Prime Video Original, and season two will release on October 6, 2023. This could be an addition to shows based on stories about the city of Mumbai after the success of Bambai Meri Jaan.
Conclusion
Nikhil Advani has a lot more stories to tell about the perseverance of the people of Mumbai. Through this season, we will understand the strength all of them showed in the advent of a human tragedy that could change their lives forever. Human stories were the core of season one, and we expect the same in the second installment as well.
