The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every person, every life. While some people lost their employment, others witnessed loved ones die as a result of the disease. Let’s not even talk about the fear over hospital beds and oxygen cylinders, which grew by the second just a few months ago as the rate of positive cases and death toll grew by the second. During the three waves that we have encountered so far, one thing stood out in every case, Fear! Even when we were doing nothing, fear reigned supreme. And so Unpaused: Naya Safar, the second season of Amazon Prime Video’s Unpaused, was born. The five-film anthology gently examines five distinct people and their daunting situations in the midst of the pandemic.
Unpaused Naya Safar, the sequel to the Amazon Prime Original Unpaused from 2020, uses the same anthology format. It is, however, a five-episode series rather than a film. Shreya Dhanwanthary, Saqib Saleem, Priyanshu Painyuli, Sam Mohan, Lakshvir Singh Saran, Ashish Verma, Neena Kulkarni, Purnanand Wandhekar, Darshana Rajendran, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Rasika Agashe, Sharvari Deshpande, Arjun Karche, and Hanumant Bhandari are among the ensemble cast. Each episode is between 25 and 30 minutes long, making it ideal for a binge-watching session.
The Couple, helmed by Nupur Asthana (who we all know from Amazon Prime’s other major hit, Four More Shots Please! ), kicks off the lovely anthology series. It highlights the life of a couple whose lives are turned upside down after one of them loses their work as a result of the pandemic.
Ayappa KM directed the second episode, War Room, which is a gripping story. The narrative of a COVID-19 warrior who enlists calls for the availability of beds takes us behind the phone lines.
Teen Tigada is the third episode in the show about three strangers who become friends. As well as the episode’s placement, director Ruchir Arun’s storyline is so deep that it hits your heart. We observe three very different people stuck together on the verge of a lockdown exchanging stories about their life, getting into fights, walking away together, and forging an incredible friendship link.
The fourth episode of this anthology series, Gond Ke Laddu, is directed by Shikha Makan. We find the beautiful smell of love, trust, and motherhood connecting the two lives of an old mother making her first attempt in the online world to deliver a courier and the delivery agent who is responsible for delivering the order.
The final arrow in the quiver is Vaikunth, which is directed by Nagraj Manjule, who is known for films such as Sairat and Pistulya. In this, we follow the life of a man who makes a living by cremating dead bodies during the COVID-19 epidemic and is forced to leave his refuge after his elderly father is taken away because of the COVID-19.
This series content is fresh and interesting with many stories that everyone in this world can relate to. The last three subplots, in particular, were masterfully performed. In the film, Abhishek, Gulsan, Ratna, and Shardul did their great part. Some of the stories were inspiring, emotional, and humorous, while others were brutally honest and difficult to read. With each new narrative, the series becomes much better.