Feb 28, 2025 11:52 AM IST
Suzhal – The Vortex Season 2 review: The show returns with a murder mystery as Sakkarai investigates the death of lawyer Chellappa.
Suzhal – The Vortex Season 2 review: When directors and writers Pushkar and Gayatri created the web series Suzhal – The Vortex in 2022, it was refreshing and they made their mark creating the first-ever, gripping, long-format storytelling in Tamil for OTT. Since then, the talented couple has created numerous other successful web series and now are back with season 2 of Suzhal – The Vortex.
The plot
As season 2 opens in Kaalipattanam, we find Nandini (Aishwarya Rajesh) in prison for the murder of her sister’s abuser using SI Sakkarai aka Chakravarthy’s (Kathir) service revolver (as seen in Season 1). Lawyer Chellappa (Lal), who’s like a father to Sakkarai, is now fighting Nandini’s case and is hoping to get her released but things take a drastic turn when Chellappa is found shot dead in his cottage. Muthu (Gouri Kishan) is found hiding in the cottage with the murder weapon but as soon as she is arrested by Sakkarai and team, seven other girls come forward in different towns claiming to be the murderer. Who really killed Chellappa? Who are these girls? How are they connected?
Though Sakkarai is under investigation since his service revolver was used as a murder weapon, he still takes the lead in the case and starts the investigation. And this is what the eight episodes in Season 2 are all about. He believes that a policeman’s job is not to judge people but only investigate and present the facts and plods on as numerous leads keep turning up. In Season 2, many characters, particularly the eight girls, have been added to add new twists and red herrings and keep us guessing as to how the murder was actually committed. Now, why eight girls? The Ashtakaali festival that Kaalipattanam celebrates is the festival where eight Kaalis get together to kill the evil Arakkan.
The episodes in Season 2 have been directed by directors Bramma and Sarjun KM and as one proceeds from episode one, one finds that though the murder mystery element is maintained, it becomes a more run-of-the-mill police story as it moves to a broader crime network. Season 1 built a beautiful atmosphere showcasing the various aspects of the religious festival and elements of local culture while in Season many of these small details are missing. It focuses more on the police station, prison and other aspects which don’t give us the local flavour of Kaalipattanam or its people.
The verdict
The eight episodes in Season 2 are a slow burner but unlike Season 1, they don’t have the core elements of a strong mystery unraveling slowly and causing upheaval in the village. The first few episodes begin well but soon start to turn sluggish and tiresome for the viewer. Sakkarai and team are not master investigators either and the audience soon can pretty soon unravel the mystery themselves. Nandini’s role is also not as well-crafted and utilized and there are logical loopholes one finds where the eight girls are concerned as well as Nandini. It’s here that one wishes the writing of the story and character arcs was sharper and there were more secrets that were unearthed in the village.
On the whole, Suzhal – The Vortex Season 2 is not as gripping as Season 1 but it’s still one of the better made web series in the crime thriller genre from the Tamil industry. The cinematography by Abraham Joseph and music by Sam CS must be mentioned as they really elevate the series and bring alive aspects like the Ashtakaali festival. Pushkar and Gayatri have given us a whirlwind of characters dished out in an average follow-up murder mystery.
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