Season 2 of the Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side series is a top Hindi crime thriller show of 2023. Once again, continuing with the Season 1 storyline, the primary villain of the series mixes the world of modern tech and mythology to wreak havoc across India.
Please note that the official trailer of the Asur 2 – Rise of the Dark Side (Season 1/2023) Series has been removed from YouTube. Maybe, because they have changed the title of the second season of the series. And reverted back to using the original title, Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side. Moreover, you might have noticed, the complete name of this show is “Asur 2: Rise Of The Dark Side”. Also, this show was earlier named the Asur 2: Rise Of The Dark Side. However, it is the second season of the hit “Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side” series. For the sake of brevity and convenience, we shall simply use the “Asur” name in this article.
If you have not seen its first season, then check out the article about season 1 of the Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side web series in our magazine.
Villain Mixes Social Media & Mythology To Create Chaos
Spoiler-Free Review | Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 2/2023)
The synopsis
Shubh Joshi (the main villain - the man at the centre of the poster pic. - Vishesh Bansal) returns for revenge, and this season he takes the challenge to a whole new level. With the heroes fallen apart, will a desolate Dhananjay Rajpoot (on the left of Shubh, a man wearing specs in the poster pic. - Arshad Warsi) and a torn Nikhil Nair (on the right of Shubh, a man with a beard in the poster pic. - Barun Sobti) be able to stop him? To stop the dangerous Shubh Joshi, Dhananjay Rajpoot and Nikhil Nair are assisted by Nusrat Saeed (on the right of Shubh in the poster pic. - Riddhi Dogra), Naina Nair (on the left of Shubh in the poster pic. - Anupriya Goenka), Paul (a man on the extreme right of Shubh in the poster pic. - Meiyang Chang) including the other team members of CBI and ATF.
Firstly, let us talk about its main villain,
Asur season 2’s main villain Shubh Joshi, mixes the two entirely different worlds of modern technology (Social Media and artificial intelligence) and ancient mythology in a deadly manner to commit the most disturbing crimes across India. We believe that “Asur 2: Rise Of The Dark Side” is about the rise of dark forces led by the character Shubh Joshi in this season. So, before we proceed any further, allow us to share in brief the tale from Hindu mythology on which this crime show is based.
Then, a note about the Hindu mythology of India
Hindu mythology (Purana books) believes that Lord Krishna’s death marked the end of the Dvapara Yuga (17/18 February 3102 BCE) and the beginning of the Kali Yuga. This dark age (Kali Yuga) is going to last for 432,000 years. In other words, as of 2023 CE, the Kali Yuga began 5,124 years ago and has more than 426,876 years to go. So, the Kali Yuga is going to end in the year 428,899 CE. As of now, we are living in the age of Kali Yuga.
According to Hindu Mythology, ‘Kali’ is an all-powerful demon king who reigns in the Kali Yuga (the age of darkness) era. Kali can freely transform itself into any living organism or any nonliving thing. Mythologically speaking, Kali can exist in all kinds of human vices like – anger, violence, etc. or even in the bad habits of humans like – alcoholism, gambling, etc. Only ‘Kalki’ – the Hindu God Vishnu’s tenth incarnation of an angel will be able to stop and end ‘Kali’ the demon king. However, that will only happen when the acts (~ kritya) of ‘Kali’ breach the maximum possible limits of human endurance in a humane society.
Also, the age of the Modern Tech.
In this age of Modern Technology – Killing Tools, the Internet, Social Media, News-Media and Artificial Intelligence are making this world a more unsafe place for all humans, by becoming potent weapons in the hands of unstable people like Shubh Joshi.
It seems that there are quite a few important life lessons that this series wishes to impart to its viewers, as we live in the age of Kali Yuga.
- The easy availability of Killing Tools is always risky for humanity.
- The Internet has greatly enhanced the flow of information in society. But on the flip side, there are growing instances of misinformation, disinformation, the (fake) news and post-truth in society.
- The breach of the personal data of billions of users of Social Media can pose a major threat to the working of society. These data can be misused to manipulate the minds and behaviours of users in society.
- Information is key in this age. So, many of the 24×7 news media (not all) are always pursuing to maximize their earnings and disseminating selective information as per their agenda, thereby harming society.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the new buzzword in the tech world. However, many tech experts have warned us against its misuse. In case, some people like (Shubh) use AI to harm society, then they can easily succeed.
There is no doubt, that modern technology is a double-edged sword.
The conclusion
We, humans, must be cautious while using it. Or else, people like Shubh can take undue advantage to manipulate people and use them as mere puppets. All of these have been termed as the new age ‘Mayajaal’ (illusion) of this ‘Kali Yuga’. In the Asur season 2 show, two CBI officers are trying to catch a manipulative serial killer, who is guided by the twisted interpretation of the religious philosophy ingrained in Indian mythology. We believe it is a great crime drama series. It is an intriguing crime tale that mixes ancient mythology with modern technology, including the much-loved world of social media.
To conclude, we did find lots of loopholes in the working dynamics of CBI and ATF in this series, but we overlooked all of them. As we wished to enjoy season 2 of Asur. If you do that, then you will certainly love it like us. It certainly takes the story of season 1 forward and raises the bar slightly.
Rating of the Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 2/2023) Series
| FM’s rating | 4.15/5 |
Poster of the Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 2/2023) Series
Key Details of the Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 2/2023) Series
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller |
| Original language | Hindi (India) Asur (असुर) means demon and/or devil in Hindi. |
| Released in | June 2023 |
| Age-Certification | UA (16+) |
| Creator | Gaurav Shukla |
| Cast | Arshad Warsi (Dhananjay Rajpoot), Barun Sobti (Nikhil Nair), Vishesh Bansal (Shubh Joshi), Ridhi Dogra (Nusrat Saeed), Anupriya Goenka (Naina Nair), Meiyang Chang (Paul Shangpliang), Gaurav Arora (Kesar Bhardwaj), Nishank Verma (Samarth Ahuja), etc. |
Trailer of the Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 2/2023) Series
To reiterate, please note that the official trailer of the Asur 2 - Rise of the Dark Side (Season 1/2023) Series has been removed from YouTube. So, we can offer you a peek into this show courtesy of the YouTube short videos and their links below. Two Bonus YouTube Short Video links: Shubh Ke Niyam | Asur 2 On JioCinema & 3 Things That Define Shubh | Asur 2 On JioCinema
Spoilers Alert: the fate of key characters & ending explained
A Peek into the 8 Episodes of Season 2 of the Asur series
The Dance of Death (S2, E1)
DJ hides from his past demons. Nikhil’s grief over his daughter’s death consumes him. As Shubh prepares another attack, the CBI team hurries to stop him while he promises a new world order.
The Past, the Present and the Future (S2, E2)
CBI team investigates how Shubh killed those 3 people. DJ will work outside the system to catch Shubh and will go into his past, to Varanasi. Nikhil is determined to uncover the clues leading to Shubh and finds another set of coordinates.
Burning the Forest (S2, E3)
An ATF veteran, Paul takes over the case from CBI. Nikhil and him, have conflicts but will work together for the common cause. Naina comes across a mysterious portal on the dark web and DJ meets someone from Shubh’s past.
Designing the Future (S2, E4)
Kesar is abducted by DJ. ATF has lost a key member & Nikhil accuses Rasul. DJ propels to dig into Rasul’s background. Despite their ideological differences, DJ joins hands with Nikhil, but Rasul has already put his evil plan in motion.
The Countdown begins (S2, E5)
The CBI team is trying to rescue Nusrat against all odds. Nikhil gets a clue, but before they can discover Shubh’s plans, Rasul threatens them for Nusrat’s life. They don’t know yet that Rasul is leading them into a devious trap.
The Domino Effect (S2, E6)
ATF has to stop Shubh’s next attack. While DJ goes behind Shubh’s roots, the ATF team manages to get clues from Nusrat’s kidnapper. They all eventually realise what Shubh’s plan & attack is & how he carefully orchestrated it.
Birth of the New God (S2, E7)
The CBI members are at their lowest ebb, and as they take in the ramifications, there is a hostage situation at a restaurant. While the team races against time to stop Shubh, in a stunning surprise, DJ has one last trick up his sleeve.
The God’s Dilemma (S2, E8)
In the Titanic battle between Good and Evil, will a seemingly unconquerable Shubh fulfil his destiny and cause a complete collapse of society, or will the forces of good, against all odds, manage to prevail?
Focus on the key characters & ending of the Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 2/2023) Series
About Shubh
Shubh strongly believes in Hindu mythology. He sees himself as an Asur (the demon) – a self-proclaimed representative of ‘Kali’ – the demon king. Therefore, he orchestrates murders and mayhem in both seasons of the Asur series.
Perhaps to usher in the era of sins and chaos, he unleashes personal attacks on the people who stand in his way, as he continues to spread all kinds of negativities in society.
About Dhananjay & Nikhil
Dhananjay Rajppot is a senior officer in CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) who tries to stop Shubh Joshi and his nefarious plans to create panic and anarchy in India. In his mission, he is often assisted by Nikhil Nair, another CBI officer, who works under his command in the said organisation. In the first season of the Asur show, both Dhnanjay and Nikhil suffered great and irreplaceable personal losses because of Shubh. So, in the second season, both of them are determined to put an end to the terror reign of Shuh.
About Nusrat, Naina, Paul & others
To stop and put an end to the reign of terror let loose by Shubh, the two protagonists are assisted by Nusrat Saeed (a colleague & a CBI officer), Naina Nair (a software tech expert), Paul (a colleague & an ATF officer) and other dedicated members of the team.
While trying to derail the well-thought-out plans of Shubh, both the ladies, Nusrat and Naina, go through immense personal trauma. While Paul is the new character in the Asur series, he does not know or understand Shubh.
Not revealing its suspense-filled ending
Are they able to do it?
Well, we know the answers, but we do not wish to spoil it for the people who have not seen it. So, again, we are not sharing the details of its story. However, we can share the fact that all of them were able to stop Shubh from executing his dangerous plans. However, the idea of ‘Kalki’ does not die with him.
Dhananjay Rajpoot, Nikhil Nair, Nusrat Saeed, Naina Nair and Paul succeed in the end. And all of them get some kind of closure at the end.
We might see it another season.
Featured & Other Images: Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 2/2023) Series| JioCinema.
