Asur – Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 2) series is coming back in June 2023. The creative team of the show has claimed that this is India’s first mythological thriller series.
Herein they have used the “mytho” as the shortened version of the “mythological” word. It is a hit Hindi crime thriller series from India. Also, it is the first web series done by popular Hindi movie star Arshad Warsi. Although the complete name is “Asur – Welcome to Your Dark Side” series, for the sake of brevity and convenience, we shall simply use the “Asur” in this article. Before we share the information about the second season named the “Asur – Rise Of The Dark Side” series, let us revisit its first season to refresh our memories.
Trailer:- Asur – Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 1/2020) Series
Synopsis: Asur – Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 1/2020) series
A unique crime thriller that pits two opposing worlds against each other. The less explored, intricate world of forensic science and the deep mysticism of ancient Indian Mythology.
Spoilers Free Review: Asur – Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 1/2020) Series
The introduction
An unknown and mysterious anti-social serial killer haunts the police authorities with a series of macabre killings in India. This manipulative murderer uses his interpretations of the mythological texts belonging to the ancient Indian period to carry out the murders necessitated by holy words. Moreover, for this self-delusional unpredictable killer, the executions of his victims are not enough. He goes ahead to bait the police authorities by revealing the geographic coordinates of places across India. Wherein he has left behind the dismembered bodies of his murder victims with the mythical devil’s mask stuck to their faces.
The basic storyline of the crime show
It is a complex and disturbing tale of a highly motivated and intelligent mastermind of a killer. He uses the ancient Indian mythological scriptures to justify and inflict severe psychological damage on his victims and their families. On the other hand, the widespread areas in different states covered by his dastardly crimes forced the national CBI team to take over the case from the local police authorities in different states.
Only the geographic coordinates and the mythological devil’s mask are the only two major clues available to the police and CBI authorities, otherwise, they are stumbling in the darkness to catch the mysterious series murderer in India. So the big questions are, will the CBI investigation team consisting of Dhananjay Rajpoot (Arshad Warsi) and Nikhil Nair (Barun Sobti) be able to catch the highly motivated killer Shubh in time, to stop him from murdering people, creating panic and wreaking havoc across India?
It mixes mythology and science
This puzzling and complex crime, mystery, thriller and dramatic story borrows heavily from Indian – culture, beliefs, customs, mythology, astrology, rituals, traditions and ceremonies. In addition, it fuses elements of science with it. The antagonist uses (or should we say misuses) the newly available high technology including the modern social media platforms to spread fear and panic. And we liked this new approach to a crime show from India, that mixes two worlds of ancient and modern India.
The conclusion
We also liked the acting from its ensemble cast, especially, Arshad, Barun and Vishesh performed their role in a very convincing manner. It is a unique crime drama from India, that weaves mythology into its intricate story. We believe, keeping the controversial issues aside, it is a good crime thriller to watch.
Rating:- Asur – Welcome to Your Dark Side (Season 1/2020) series
| FM’s rating | 4.05/5 |
Poster of India’s first mythological thriller Series
Key Details about India’s First Mythological Thriller Series
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller |
| Original Name | Asur (असुर) – Welcome to Your Dark Side |
| Age-Restrictions | U/A (16+) |
| Creator | Gaurav Shukla |
| Released | First Season (S1) – Eight (8) Episodes (March 2020) Second Season (S2) – It will be released in June 2023, and then we shall review it. |
| Cast | Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobti, Riddhi Dogra, Anupriya Goenka, Sharib Hashmi, etc. |
Spoilers Alert: Summary of Eight (8) Episodes of Season (1) One
Episodes Summary – a peek into the eight episodes of the first season
The Dead Can Talk (S1, E1)
The sudden death of a priest in front of his teenage son ignites a frenzy. 11 years later, forensic expert Nikhil receives coordinates leading to a horrific murder. Nikhil’s senior, Dhananjay, joins the hunt and is set on a wild goose chase.
Rabbit Hole (S1, E2)
Dhananjay discovers that the mutilated and charred body is his wife, and, to his surprise, is arrested for her murder. With the clock ticking, and the pressure mounting, another body with the same mask is recovered from Nagaland.
Peek-a-boo (S1, E3)
With Dhananjay behind bars, Nikhil thinks it’s all over until he gets 3 new coordinates from the same mysterious source. The killer follows the same pattern – thoroughly planned assaults targeted at random people at random locations.
Ashes from the past (S1, E4)
Nikhil is now trapped in the killer’s custody and is asked to commit a perfect murder in exchange for his family’s safety. Meanwhile, Dhananjay, behind bars, finally figures out how it’s all connected.
The devil has a face (S1, E5)
With a merciless killer on the loose and Nikhil in his custody, the desperate CBI now turns to Dhananjay for help. Meanwhile, Nikhil is given his new murder mission. On target, Aaditya Jalan, a billionaire philanthropist.
The firewall (S1, E6)
Worried for his family, Nikhil gives in to the killer’s demand and plans to murder Aditya Jalan. But this time, it’s his mentor, Dhananjay, who is pulling all the stops to catch the killer, before it is too late.
Let there be darkness (S1, E7)
2 perfect murders down, Nikhil’s given his next target – and it’s none other than Dhananjay Rajpoot, his mentor and friend. For the sake of his family, will Nikhil murder his mentor?
End is the beginning (S1, E8)
It all boils down to the final face-off. Nikhil, Dhananjay and the killer are now involved in the battle of wits and only one will survive this sinister game.
Bonus Info. about the controversies surrounding the show (Part One)
Hindu Mythology
Asur/Asura, (Sanskrit: “divine”) Iranian Ahura, in Hindu mythology, class of beings defined by their opposition to the devas or suras (gods). The term asura appears first in the Vedas, a collection of poems and hymns composed 1500–1200 BCE, and refers to a human or divine leader. Its plural form gradually predominated and came to designate a class of beings opposed to the Vedic gods.
Hindu Mythology | Britannica
Later the asuras came to be understood as demons. This pattern was reversed in Iran, where ahura came to mean the supreme god and the daevas became demons. In Hindu mythology, the asuras and the devas together sought to obtain amrita (elixir of immortality) by churning the milky ocean. Although they had agreed to share the amrita, strife broke out over its possession, which led to a never-ending conflict.
Awards won by this Season 1 (2020) of the mytho-thriller series
| Names of the Awards | Details of the Awards Winners |
|---|---|
| Indian Television Academy Awards, India – 2020 | Winner Special Award – Landmark-OTT |
| Asian Television Awards – 2020 | Barun Sobti – Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oni Sen – Best Direction (Fiction) |
| Bollywood Life Awards – 2021 | Arshad Warsi – OTT Award – Best Actor |
| Indian Telly Streaming Awards – 2021 | Shubh Joshi (Vishesh Bansal) – Best Actor in a Negative Role |
| IWM Digital Awards – 2021 | Gaurav Shukla – Best Story in a Web Series Sayak Bhattacharya – Best Cinematography in a Web Series – Jury Award Barun Sobti – Most Popular Supporting Actor in a Web Series Anupriya Goenka – Most Popular Supporting Actress in a Web Series – Most Popular Supporting Actress in a Web Series |
Bonus Info. about the controversies surrounding the show (Part Two)
Jharkhand (India) – Asur (Adivasi) Community in real-life
Asur community say that one can’t denigrate an entire community, hence the controversy.
I was born in the Asur community, a tribe that descends from Mahishasura. We don’t know Ramayana. We are tribals. Our god is formless. We believe in nature and ancestors. Long ago, we would not step out of the house during Dussehra. Now, the people from our community go to see the festivities. It is all changing now.
Sushma Asur | Outlook Magazine.
We are trying to save our culture, our beliefs. There were these stories we heard from our ancestors. They were orally transmitted to us. They told us Mahishasura was a brave fighter, a great king. We don’t know about Ram’s victory over Asurs. What we know is we are humans just like you. We are ancient metallurgists. We have the world’s iron. Now, we are disappearing.
Focus on Bonus Info.
Poster of the Asur 2 – Rise Of The Dark Side (Season 2/2023) Series
Synopsis of the Asur 2 – Rise Of The Dark Side (Season 1/2023) Series
After being convicted at the end of season 1, Shubh (Vishesh Bansal) returns for revenge and this time he takes the challenge to a whole new level. With the heroes fallen apart, will a desolate Dhananjay Rajpoot (Arshad) and a torn Nikhil Nair (Barun) be able to stop him?
Trailer of the ‘Asur 2 – Rise of the Dark Side (Season 1/2023) Series
Before we conclude this article, we hope that you all will appreciate the information shared about the Asur in Indian (Hindu) Mythology and the real-life Asur (Adivasi) community presently living in the Jharkhand state of India. And do not forget to watch the Asur 1 series before you take a look at the upcoming Asur 2 series. and you can read the FM article: Asur 2’s Villain Mixes Social Media & Mythology.
Featured & Other Images: Asur series | YouTube, Voot Select & Jio Cinema.