Critics Review:
When Speed Takes Priority Over StorytellingThe biggest challenge with sequels is not matching expectations, it is justifying their existence.
Season one of Ab Hoga Hisaab ended with enough intrigue to make audiences curious about what lay ahead. The closing moments hinted at a darker transformation, higher stakes, and a more layered psychological battle. Naturally, expectations from the second season were significantly higher.
Surprisingly, the makers released the second season barely a month afier the first.
While quick turnarounds can occasionally work, Ab Hoga Hisaab Season 2 becomes a textbook example of why stories need time to breathe. Almost every department gives the impression of a project assembled to meet a deadline rather than complete a vision.
Instead of expanding upon its strongest ideas, the season rushes through them, leaving behind a thriller that feels unfinished from beginning to end.
A Story That Never Finds Its Direction
The most disappointing aspect of the season is undoubtedly its writing. The premise still possesses enough intrigue to build a compelling thriller around deception, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. However, the screenplay never capitalises on these possibilities.
Scenes arrive abruptly. Conflicts are introduced without proper build-up. Emotional decisions appear disconnected from the characters’ earlier motivations. Twists exist merely because the screenplay requires another twist rather than because the narrative organically demands one.
What could have evolved into a tense cat-and-mouse thriller instead becomes a collection of loosely connected sequences. There is suspense, but very little payoff. Drama, but hardly any emotional investment. Conflict, but no satisfying resolution.
Editing That Breaks the Narrative
If the writing struggles to establish momentum, the editing makes matters considerably worse.
Several character arcs feel incomplete, almost as though important scenes have either been removed or never written in the first place. Relationships change overnight. Characters appear with altered motivations. Certain developments are simply accepted by the narrative without allowing audiences to understand how or why they happened.
Rather than creating pace, the editing creates confusion. The transitions between scenes feel abrupt, emotional beats are cut short, and several crucial moments lack the breathing space required to leave an impact.
By the final episodes, it becomes increasingly difficult to remain emotionally invested because the narrative itself refuses to slow down and establish its own characters.
A Cast That Deserved Far Better
Perhaps the greatest disappointment is that none of these shortcomings stem from the performances.
Shaheer Sheikh once again delivers a sincere performance, attempting to hold together a protagonist whose journey frequently changes direction without warning.
Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia continues to bring emotional honesty to her character despite the screenplay giving her very little room to grow.
Sanjay Kapoor and Mouni Roy remain effective in their respective shades of grey, but much like the first season, the writing reduces them to functional plot devices rather than fully realised individuals.
Supporting performances also suffer because the screenplay introduces characters only to abandon them midway or bring them back whenever convenient.
As viewers, one cannot help but feel that the actors have been let down by the material they were given.
There is talent in abundance. There simply isn’t enough writing to support it.
A Climax That Raises More Questions Than It Answers
Thrillers are often remembered by how effectively they conclude. Unfortunately, Ab Hoga Hisaab Season 2 stumbles at the very finish line. The climax neither provides emotional closure nor narrative satisfaction. Character decisions appear irrational. Though the main conflict is resolved, the show attempts to leave room for another season, which looks forced.
Key revelations fail to create the impact they were clearly designed to deliver. Rather than leaving audiences excited for another season, the ending creates confusion. It feels less like a carefully planned cliffhanger and more like a story that simply stopped midway because it had run out of time.
Potential Lost in Translation
What makes the disappointment even stronger is that the foundation of the franchise remains genuinely interesting.
The themes surrounding ambition, migration, deception, financial aspirations, corruption, crime, and moral compromises still hold immense relevance. The first season hinted at a larger world waiting to be explored.
Season two had every opportunity to deepen those ideas. Instead, it rushes through them without allowing any meaningful emotional or psychological exploration. This is not a case of a bad premise. It is a case of a promising premise being let down by weak writing, inconsistent direction, hurried production, and underwhelming execution.
Final Verdict
Ab Hoga Hisaab Season 2 is a reminder that compelling ideas alone cannot sustain a series. Despite a talented ensemble cast featuring Shaheer Sheikh, Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia, Avinash Mishra, Asheema Vardhan, Mouni Roy, and Sanjay Kapoor, the season collapses under the weight of poor writing, inconsistent direction, confusing editing, and an incoherent climax.
The biggest tragedy is not that the season fails. It is that viewers can clearly see the immense potential hidden beneath its flawed execution. With more time in development and greater attention to storytelling, Ab Hoga Hisaab could have evolved into one of the stronger thrillers in the OTT space.
Instead, it becomes yet another reminder that rushing a sequel rarely benefits either the story or its audience.
Ab Hoga Hisaab Season 2 had all the ingredients for an engaging follow-up but ends up feeling like a first draft that somehow made it to the screen. It is a disappointing continuation of a story that deserved far more care than it ultimately received.
Overall Rating: 1.5/5
By: Anushka Singhal
