Abhiroop Das
At the end of the second season of Netflix’s ‘Rana Naidu,’ the protagonist finds himself in the midst of a multi-pronged attack. Rauf Mirza’s actions have a disastrous effect, motivated both by revenge and urgency; they shake the core foundations of the Naidu family, forcing Rana to confront the sins of his past and take drastic measures. Meanwhile, his work for the Oberois comes back to bite him, threatening him with punishment for something he didn’t do. Just when he thinks his list of problems is nearing completion, yet another mysterious figure continues working from the shadows, manipulating Rana’s relationships with his family. As the future of the Naidus hangs in the balance, the master fixer must drag his enemies to the surface and learn the truth. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Rana Naidu Season 2 Recap
Rana and Naina, while returning from their trip to Paris, positively discuss his decision to quit his line of work and focus on the family. Then, they find that their son, Ani, has been kidnapped, with his last tracked location being Goa. He is forced to reunite with his father, Naga, who runs a fight club to pay off his debts to Surya’s gang, now run by his ex-wife, Auntie. They find out that Ani has been kidnapped by Saif, who seeks to lure and kill the protagonist as revenge for causing the arrest of his cousin Rauf Mirza, a Mumbai Don who is feared and loved equally by the Koliwada community. Rana frees his son and kills Saif, earning Rauf’s enmity, who then bargains for a release in favor of getting votes for OB. Following this, he targets the protagonist, threatening to kill the entire Naidu family if he does not comply with his demands of bringing OB down.
Forced back into a life of crime and violence, Rana finds himself working for a new boss, the billionaire Viraj Oberoi. His two children argue over the company’s future, with his daughter Alia suggesting the sale of their unsuccessful film studio and purchasing a leading Cricket team for the incoming Premier League. Though the events steer in her favor, trouble with the forces the fixer to intervene, heisting the documents that incriminate Alia. At the same time, his father, desperate for money, steals those documents for himself and sends them to a Media outlet to avoid their release; Rana bargains with the anchor, exchanging a piece of even more sensational news that he discovered while going through the board’s documents: OB Mahajan’s affair with his sister-in-law. OB commissions a hit on her to shut the news down, ensuing controversy. Thus, Rana fulfills the demands of both his client and Rauf.
In return for his services, Rana demands a 5% share in the Cricket Team, reminding Alia that he still holds the documents. With his wish fulfilled, a wealthy Rana seeks to finally retire from a life of dishonesty. However, trouble strikes from multiple ends. Naga tags Tej along to rob the Oberoi’s safes, resulting in the death of a guard. Tej takes the blame and is imprisoned. At the same time, he suffers from marital issues, culminating in his wife cheating on him with Naveen, a seeming real estate agent. To top it all off, his daughter gets embroiled with Rauf after witnessing the murder of her boyfriend, rapper Rehaan, at his hands. With his family at great risk, Rana must face the music and ensure that the consequences of his lifestyle never harm his family again.
Rana Naidu Season 2 Ending: Will Naga Save Rana From Prison?
In the final scene of the season, Rana is arrested for the murder of Rauf Mirza and is taken into custody. This follows Tej’s funeral, seemingly serving as his punishment for getting innocent lives involved in the dark world of crime he frequents. Bidding his family a tearful goodbye, he tells his Naina that of the many things in life he regrets doing, killing Rauf is not one of them, as it is the only way his family stays protected. He then gives his son very specific advice: to not do anything he wouldn’t. As Rana resigns to his fate and leaves with the Police, an enraged Naga, having just lost a son, refuses to give up on another. As he holds the family together, he declares that he will bust through the prison bars and break him out, showing the sheer lengths he is ready to go for his family.
Naga’s unstable presence in the family forces Rana to bear the responsibilities of the whole family on his shoulders; he stops at nothing to protect them and secure their future, which means adopting criminal ways if needed. So when Naga returns and attempts to redeem himself, even as his brothers, wife, and children readily accept, he is unable to forgive him for forcing him to live the life he did. Instead, he makes OB Mahajan his pseudo-father. Even when Naga appears in his sons’ lives, he cannot give up on his selfish nature and instead uses the sons themselves, too. Rana is privy to Naga’s intentions and, hence, does not trust him. At every juncture, the father figures in the narrative disappoint their children: their rivalry ends up traumatizing both of his children, Naga’s actions send Tej to prison, and OB betrays Rana.
Rana’s final advice to Ani has another layer to it. By asking his son to be like him, he positions himself as a moral and responsible pillar, suggesting that he has surpassed his own father. This is further reinforced by the juxtaposition of Naga’s previous words to Jaffa, who is himself preparing to be the father to Tasneem’s child. Naga asks Jaffa to never repeat the mistakes of his daddy and become the best father in the world. However, in this context, Rana’s words separating him from the sins of his lineage infuriates Naga, who promises to precisely do what his son wouldn’t. The difference in their attitudes is laid out here. The wild and eccentric Naga is not bound by the limitations that his son puts upon himself, making him the only person who can rescue the protagonist from prison.
How Does Rauf Know Nitya Saw the Murder?
At the end of the fierce final battle with Rauf, Rana uses his cricket bat as a makeshift stake and plunges it into the antagonist’s chest, enquiring one final time how he came to know of Nitya being a witness to Rehaan’s murder. With his life slipping away, Rauf smiles his last and tauntingly reveals that it was his father. At the same time, Naga reenters the scene, surprised to find the blame falling on him. An enraged Rana charges at him with a loaded gun and points it at his father’s face. Naga begins to desperately plead his case, exclaiming that he would never do something that would harm his cherished granddaughter. With this, the scene cuts to black before revealing that the true culprit is none other than OB Mahajan, the bigshot politician who was once the fixer’s boss.
Rana recounts to OB how he came to this conclusion while the two sit on a bench facing the Mumbai sea. He says that he had once received advice on surviving the city, to trust only himself and his father. He continues, explaining that Rauf was taunting him, not about his real father, but about his spiritual one. OB is the person who raises and protects many people in the country who are of service to him. He is colloquially well-known as a father figure. This dynamic is best expressed through the protagonit, who had worked for him for the entirety of the first season, using many tactics and ploys to defuse potential scandals and gain favors from the elite on behalf of OB. Rana decided to part ways due to a personal desire to be with his family. However, this decision cripples the politician’s campaigns, forcing him to find a way to win his fixer back.
This proves to be a difficult task, particularly with the reintroduction of Rauf to the Koliwada community. Initially, OB plans to use him to collect their share of votes, but the plan backfires when the Mob boss decides to stand for the elections himself. With Rana no longer by his side, OB employs a new strategy: finding dirt on Rauf to force him out of the race. He finds it in the form of the CCTV footage saved by Shakeel, clearly showing Rehaan’s murder and Nitya’s subsequent escape from the car, putting her on their radar. After learning of this information, Rana solemnly rests a gun on the bench, reiterating that OB’s actions are unforgivable and that the only mercy he can provide is not to be the one who pulls the trigger. Understanding the message, OB points the gun to his head and puts an end to things.
How Does Rana Thwart Viraj Oberoi’s Plans?
The threats that come with past affiliations aren’t the only ones the protagonist has to deal with in the season finale, as he finds himself at odds with the eccentric family of the Oberois. Originally, Rana had a successful run with them, including a five percent share in their cricket team, which he arranged with clever schemes and blackmail. His efforts fall right before his eyes when he is pressured into giving it all away, along with ensuring his servitude, in return for his brother’s release from prison. During this, he also helps cover up the murder of Paritosh by hiding the murder weapons and disposing of the corpse. However, Viraj decides to switch sides when the evidence is uncovered by Police officer Naveen, who is more than happy to frame Rana for these crimes. However, the astute fixer survives their attempts and incriminates Viraj in one go by convincing his daughter, Alia.
Alia Oberoi leads a life of being downplayed and disrespected by her whole family. While she repeatedly displays the business acumen required to lead the Oberois’ business enterprises, her father prefers to continue his stay at the top despite the company’s dwindling performance. This leads her to team up with Rana, who manipulates events behind the scenes to win her the IPL team she seeks. When Rana is eventually framed, Viraj plans to use her ambitiousness to his advantage, promising her control of the company if she agrees to testify against their former fixer. While she agrees to it, she is swayed by Rana, who warns her that her father has no interest in relinquishing control and is merely using her. Following this, she testifies against her dad, paving the way for his departure from the company.
The final key to ensuring Viraj’s arrest involves planting evidence, something which, ironically, is attempted against Rana first by Officer Naveen. OB initially tasks him to seduce Naina, and extract compromising details about her husband, which can then be used to blackmail him back into service. Over time, however, the police officer genuinely falls for her and is shocked when he is rejected. In rage, he encourages Viraj’s lies so that his rival can be arrested, opening the way for Naveen and Naina. Additionally, he plants the sword used for the murder, retrieved unofficially, in Rana’s home. However, Naina manages to uncover this information from him and alerts her husband, who promptly plants that sword in Viraj’s car, along with Paritosh’s corpse. When the presence of such damning evidence, the Police arrest the billionaire, leading to Rana’s victory yet again. However, it doesn’t come without its costs.
What Happens to Tej Naidu?
Irreversible damage occurs in Rana’s life in the form of his brother Tej’s death. Following the knowledge of Nitya’s involvement, Rauf sneaks outside Naidu Studio with his men and proceeds to open fire. The studio, being used for the wedding of Jaffa and Tasneem, is full of happy faces, which are quickly forced to take cover. In the ensuing rampage, Tasneem is shot in the stomach, many of the wedding’s guests are murdered in cold blood, while Rauf’s primary target, Nitya, hides for her life. When she is found and shot at; Tej leaps to her protection, getting shot in the process. While there is a struggle for his life in the hospital, it still ends in tragedy, with the eldest of the Naidu brothers succumbing to his injuries and his entire family mourning by his bedside. The gravity of the situation falls on them all, particularly Rana, who is kickstarting his final onslaught.
In a previous conversation with Nitya, Tej has a heartfelt moment of connection, relating to what she goes through: the passing of someone beloved. Tej confirms to her that the pain and memories never quite go away, but being with the loved ones helps. This serves as not only his final lesson to Nitya but also to his entire family, foreshadowing his decision to sacrifice his love for his beloved niece. While everyone remains heartbroken at his death, it also reminds them of the value of those who are still alive. Their previous clashes and tensions are rendered pointless in their shared love for each other. Their familial catharsis culminates in Tej’s funeral, where father and son finally reunite in the act of lighting Tej’s funeral pyre. In light of his loss, Rana heads on to the next chapter of his life deeply aware of the cost of power.
Read More: Is Rana Naidu Based on a Real Person?
