- Kohrra season two is set in a fictional Punjab town with new characters and actors including Mona Singh
- Jaideep Ahlawat made a surprise cameo as a railway lineman in Kohrra season two, directed by Sudip Sharma
- The series features a fresh chase scene with Sukhbir's iconic song Ishq Tera Tadpave
With Kohrra season two, Netflix India has easily given one of the best series of 2026 so far. And that says something because it's a follow-up chapter set in a different albeit fictional town of Punjab with the arrival of a brand new character and actor. It was a risk which paid off and how.
And that cameo of ace actor Jaideep Ahlawat in the new season, a well-guarded secret, was the cherry on top. The actor, who has worked with Sudip Sharma in Prime Video's Paatal Lok, played a blink-and-you-will-miss-it part in the new chapter. Jaideep Ahlawat appeared in a key scene as an unnamed railway lineman Kohrra 2 protagonists Dhanwant Kaur (Mona Singh) and Amarpal Garundi (Barun Sobti).
It was a surprise not just for the unassuming audience, but also for Sudip Sharma.
"I wish I could say it was all thought through. But Jaideep is a friend, a brother. I told him in passing that I'm directing the first time with Kohrra season two and wished that he were a part of it because he has been such an integral part of my journey in the last few years. It was a few months ago and it kind of didn't go anywhere.
Jaideep Ahlawat (centre) in an unnamed cameo in Kohrra 2 with Barun Sobti (left) and Mona Singh (right). (Photo: Netflix India)
"Then he landed in Amritsar to surprise me. At first I thought he has come to meet me. The next day he landed on set and said, 'I'm doing this part'. I was like, 'Wait a minute, it's a part written for a day player, not for a seasoned actor like you. Are you sure you want to do this?' He said, 'I'm doing it'. And it really was very gracious of him to agree to do that. It was wonderful to have three of my favourite actors in one frame. I was looking at that frame and I was like, 'Oh wow! This feels good," the director told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
Sudip Sharma wants to surprise himself every time with the work he does.
And when he was conceptualising that key chase sequence in Kohrra season two set in Manali as a director, he wanted to bring "a little freshness to it". That's how Sukhbir's evergreen party banger Ishq Tera Tadpave came to be part of the show.
"The idea of using a song kind of came from there. How do we make this sequence fresh? Also, this character was that of an influencer and a dance choreographer. It just felt like here is an opportunity where we can do it without making the situation farcical. I'll be completely honest with you, original song that we had in mind was something else, but it didn't work out with that song.
"One day, I was sitting dejected in the edit room and my colleague Purvi walked in. She works with me as a creative supervisor, and she said, 'You know what? I think we have the perfect song for it. How about this one?' And then we approached Sukhbir, and he was gracious to let us have it. It just worked out very well," Sudip Sharma added.
Tanya Bami, Series Head, Netflix India, is also over the moon with the response to Kohrra season 2 which many have dubbed as a notch above season one. The top executive said there was "a lot of pressure" on the team after the stupendous success of the first chapter, but it was expertly handled by series creators Sudip Sharma, Gunjit Chopra, and Diggi Sisodia.
"I wouldn't look at it as a comparison, because we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for season one. We absolutely love season one, and building a franchise is really no easy feat. For season two to be loved, season one has to be a really strong bet...
"To land a story which is connected to the universe that Kohrra set up, but really moves forward so deftly to establish a whole new world, bringing in new protagonists... The way Sudip has led that vision speaks of extreme clarity. We always knew we were in the very safe hands of Sudip. It's a full hat-tip to him and his team," Tanya Bami told NDTV.
Having Barun Sobti return as the "reliable" Garundi and Mona Singh as the "new entrant" only took the series to "another level". "It's been a force multiplier," she added.
With season two, Sudip Sharma said, there was "a sense of responsibility" on the makers as they didn't want fans, who were instrumental in making Kohrra a franchise, to be disappointed.
The main aim while working on a second season of any show is to "not repeat yourself", he added.
"What they really liked about the first season, I presume, was its novelty in setting up characters. You have to keep that freshness intact and not fall into the trap of doing the same things all over again. Just because they loved it the first time that's no guarantee they will love it the second time..."
Season one saw two male cops Balbir Singh, played by Suvinder Vicky, and Amarpal Garundi form a brotherhood of sorts even though they differed in age and rank, and chase the murderer in Jagrana. With season two, there was a shift in the power dynamic with the entry of Mona Singh's Dhanwant Kaur. Now in Dalerpura, Garundi is reporting to a female boss, a methodical cop who is fighting her own demons on the personal front.
And that's how moving the story into a newer space in terms of the location, from Jagrana to Dalerpura, and a new character as a senior cop who happens to be a woman in the fray helped bolster season two of Kohrra.
"That was the idea of making Dhanwant's character as the female cop because that would have meant an entirely new dynamic between him and her. What I like about the dynamic between the cops this season is that it grows over a period of time. In the first season, the two bosses have been working together for a while. They're both men, they share the same jokes. There's a lot of common ground for them even in terms of personalities. They're both kind of rough around the edges," said Sudip Sharma.
But season two of Kohrra was different.
"There is a female boss now. She's also someone who goes by the book. She has burnt her hands in the past by subordinates who did not follow protocol. This time around she wants to make sure that there are no problems that arise in her career because of that.
"There was that sense of friction (between the two cops) when we started and by the end of it, slowly, they kind of warmed up to each other... They get to know that the other person has my back. That growth in their relationship was fun to explore, both for me, personally as a director, and also for Mona and Barun as actors," he added.
Kohrra season two also stars Rannvijay Singha, Anuraag Arora, Pooja Bhamrah, Prayrak Mehta, and Pradhuman Singh.
Also Read | Kohrra 2 Review: Mona Singh Plays 'Mother' Of All Roles, Barun Sobti Excellent In Netflix Series
