Mathagam part 2 Review: Making its well-awaited return, the Tamil crime thriller series picked up its second part on October 12, 2023, resuming the first part’s action between Atharvaa Murali’s ACP Ashwath Rathnakumar and Manikandan K’s Padalam Sekar, aka the Whale. Directed by Prasath Murugesan, with cinematography by Edwin Sakay and action choreography by Dhilip Subbarayan, the Hotstar Specials series first introduced us to its main characters in the premier five episodes, and two more episodes in Part 2 have now followed up.
With a runtime ranging of 33-41 minutes, the new episodes now stream on Disney+ Hotstar in several languages, including Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada and Bengali. The series also stars Gautham Vasudev Menon as Thiru, Dilnaz Irani as Commissioner Sayanthika, Dhivyadharshini aka DD as Safia, Ilavarasu as Veeravaal Nallangkiri and others.
Part 2 of Mathagam Hotstar Series Review Contains Mild Spoilers
Mathagam Part 2 Review
The Atharvaa-Manikandan series’s first instalment had ended on a tantalising note with a cliffhanger that promised us an action-packed face-off between the two. However, the new part again delves into details of the operation that only delay the action further. While Atharvaa’s team surrounds the party of gangsters by executing the Trojan Horse idea suggested by the leading man, Manikandan’s Sekar concocts his scheme of uniting the criminal forces at the gathering in a plan that would make them a formidable force to reckon with.
These two opposite sides of the cat-and-mouse chasing game definitely bring them into each other’s vicinity, yet the border is never crossed. While Sekar is off saving face and conducting an investigation to lure out the mole in their midst, Ashwath’s mission moves two steps forward only to back 5 steps away later.
These crossfires, even from a distance, hold our attention because the thrilling essence of the chase is quite entertaining to watch. A realistic series of instances unfold in the sense that Ashwath isn’t able to grab onto an early victory but is pushed to the edge. However, that’s not to say that only Ashwath gets served the brunt; Sekar, too, is subject to losses in addition to a seemingly short-lived victory initially. The push and pull keeps the tug of war alive throughout both of the new episodes so released.
But even with the intriguing twists and turns on the journey, Mathagam Part 2 mostly emerges as a filler addition to the series to keep the audience again locked in for more action to follow. While the crew involved may consider this their ultimate weapon in keeping the audience glued to the series’ progression, the audience may feel a bit deceived.
Part 1 also concluded with the open-ended turn that promised the audiences that Atharvaa and Manikandan’s characters would finally meet face-to-face in the upcoming episodes. However, following the wait of a few months for the moment to finally make it to the screen, we’re yet again stuck with the same assurance that these two will clash heads directly in the episodes coming next.
This endless stretching of the band doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the elasticity will also drag in the same number of viewers as the first part of the show. With the advent and boom of the OTT platform, viewers have now gotten accustomed to instantly consuming the entirety of a series. However, these endless instalments of the same season being released in intervals leave the same interested audience restless more than ever. As many viewers were referring to this chapter as Mathagam Season 2, this doesn’t qualify as the same because the same story is being dragged.
The actions that transpired in Part 2 don’t make for a complete loss because viewers intrigued by broody concepts will surely find a liking for it. Conversely, others who are more interested in a fast-paced storyline that follows through with its plot without straying away from the highly awaited impending big clash may start losing interest in the series altogether.
Regarding other characters, irrespective of how much screen time is accorded to them, the main focus is still on the Ashwath-Sekar fight, so those sub-plots don’t pull through satisfactorily. Each time these other stories are brought on, the viewer may hope for it all to be rushed so that the camera lens can again settle with the deceptive plays devised by either of the main characters.
Moreover, with all the attention on how Atharvaa and Manikandan’s characters are bent on defeating each other, these individuals again escape from being put under scrutiny. Their personalities and personal drives need to be delved into as the story is primarily occupied with looking into the physicality of the action.
Mathagam Part 2: Final Thoughts
If you’re still clinging to this story and want to know what lies ahead for these characters, you should patiently give it the time to develop its plot and characters, regardless of how many filler episodes come in between. The ensemble cast is doing everything in their power to pull through with the dark context of the series. While it’s still a mystery whether these characters’ moral design and psyche will be broken into, you can still enjoy the series as it is. Even with all its faults, it’s not a complete loss. However, if just the one last episode remains to conclude the plot, then that will make for a shallow finale and overall weak narrative.
Pat 1 and Mathagam 2 are streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Also read: Mathagam Review: An Intriguing Crime Thriller Series Ruined By Poor Pace