The first two seasons of the Prakash Jha-directed Aashram were released in 2020, within a few months from each other.

The much-anticipated third season of this crime-political thriller took two years to come and was finally released on June 3, 2022.

Upon its release, Aashram received a positive response- both from fans and critics. And hence, the fan expectation was high from the third instalment. But...

The first two seasons’ flow and pace were smooth. The characters held a command.

Blame it on the makers, or on something else, Aashram season 3 is nowhere near its predecessors.

The narrative moves at a snail’s pace and the entire focus is on building up a larger-than-life image of megalomaniac Baba Nirala.

Is there anything new here? I mean, did not Jha do exactly the same in the first two seasons?

From politicians to the police, scientists to geologists- everyone is shown as Baba’s pet.

Baba creates a fake archaeological site overnight in a dense forest, which is approved by the top archaeologists of the country.

In the first two seasons, those who resisted Baba and his evil deeds were shown to possess some power. But in the third season, their power gets lost somewhere.

With such a brilliant ensemble, Jha could have delivered a better and stronger knock-out punch. But he falls flat.

Bobby Deol and Chandan Roy Sanyal's characters did not develop much.

Performances of other actors - Aaditi Pohankar, Darshan Kumaar, Rajeev Siddharth and Tridha Choudhury- are monotonous and there is nothing much to write about.

Strange was Anupriya Goenka's retreat from the scene halfway through the show. It made no sense.

Jha tried a lot of things and created a huge canvas, but he failed to maintain the hook.

The third season is nothing more than a worn-out drama that has been dragged on unnecessarily, testing the audience’s patience.

The only change in this season so far is the use of fewer cuss words and minimal nudity.

Except for one seductive dance of Esha Gupta in the fifth episode and a few random titillating scenes, Aasharam 3 has no more sex to offer to the audience.

Overall, it is a cold and dull season.

Jap Naam!

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