Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Kohrra’ returns for a second season with yet another murder mystery that leads two police officers down a web of secrets and lies. The second season brings back Barun Sobti’s Amarpal Garundi, who is joined by Mona Singh’s Dhanwant Kaur. Apart from following the murder investigation, the show also focuses on Garundi and Kaur’s personal lives, which adds another layer of tension to an already muddled state of affairs. Singh’s character is new to the show and replaces Suvinder Vicky’s Balbir Singh, who was at the center of the story in Season 1. His absence from Season 2 might be surprising for the audience, but it makes sense in the context of his character arc. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Balbir Singh’s Story Ends on a Hopeful Note in Kohrra Season 1
The first season of ‘Kohrra’ follows police officers Balbir Singh and Garundi as they investigate the murder of a man, two days before his wedding. In the midst of this, we discover that Balbir is going through a lot of tumultuous shifts in his personal life. The main source of concern for him is his daughter, Nimrat, who has left her husband and has come back home with her son, Golu. To Balbir, the fact that she is not happy in her marriage doesn’t seem an issue big enough for her to leave her husband. What irks him even more is that she has reunited with Karan, the man she loves but was not allowed to marry. In addition to this, there is also the sub-plot of Balbir visiting Indira, the widow of a man he had killed because he owed a favor to a politician.
With the murder investigation and the personal troubles, there is a lot on Balbir’s plate, and over the course of six episodes, we watch him try to make sense of things while coming to terms with his guilt and prejudices. By the end of the season, the case is solved, and Balbir realises that all this chaos and bloodshed happened because a man couldn’t accept the person his son chose to love. He sees it reflected in his own life and decides to rectify things from his end. He steps out of the way of his daughter’s happiness and tells her that he will not stop her if she wants to divorce her husband and be with Karan. As he finally prioritises his daughter’s happiness, the conflict between them begins to resolve.
Meanwhile, he also comes clean to Indira about what happened with her husband. He confesses that his guilt was the reason he came to check up on her, but clearly, he has become more emotionally attached to her. The revelation shocks Indira as she sees him in a different light, but in the end, when Balbir drives up to her house, she leaves the door open for him, suggesting that she is ready to forgive him, too. With this, both major conflicts in Balbir’s life are resolved, ending his story on a happier and more hopeful note compared to how things were at the beginning.
Creative Decisions Led to Suvinder Vicky’s Departure from Kohrra Season 2
The first season of ‘Kohrra’ brings Balbir Singh’s story to a satisfying end, which is what the creators of the show had intended when the story was conceived. So, when it was greenlit for another season, they had to give serious thought to how, if at all, they could bring back Balbir for a second season. After considering things from every angle, it became clear that Balbir’s story had found its deserved end, and it wouldn’t be right to unravel things for him again in the second season. The writers noted that all that needed to be said from Balbir’s plotline was presented to the audience, and there was a risk of repeating things by continuing to follow his perspective.
Meanwhile, with Barun Sobti’s Garundi, there was still a lot of conflict left unresolved, which warranted his return for the second season. But with Balbir out of the picture, actor Suvinder Vicky’s time on the show also came to an end. The creators of the show confirmed that it was a purely creative decision, as they acknowledged the fact that a new police officer needed to be brought in with new conflicts and layers that would build upon the themes and mystery of the second season. The actor echoed this sentiment, explaining that while he loved being a part of the show and playing the role of Balbir, he found it to be for the best that the character didn’t return for the second season. Still, one can hold out hope that Balbir might return in future if the turn of events allow it. Perhaps, he and Garundi might be reunited for a murder investigation.
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