5 min readUpdated: Feb 8, 2026 05:38 AM IST
When the creators of Kohrra returned to explore the darker underbelly of rural Punjab, Sudip Sharma had one overriding concern: not to ruin it. The challenge for the co-director and co-writer of the Season 2 was to craft an engaging story without piggy-backing on the success of the first. “The new season is a living, breathing thing in its own right. It’s a new case led by a new investigator, while Garundi’s story continues from Season 1,” says Sharma.
Joining the cast of the show, which streams from February 11, is Mona Singh as lead investigator Inspector Dhanwant Kaur, marking the actor’s first turn as a cop. The experience, she says, was intense but deeply satisfying. “My character appears calm but she’s going through emotional turmoil. She’s navigating a man’s world, especially one where masculinity is celebrated, like law enforcement,” Singh explains.
Actor Barun Sobti is reprising his role as assistant sub-inspector Amarpal Garundi, a character that earned the popular television star a new fanbase. What intrigued him about the second season was how familiar yet different Garundi felt on the page. “It’s the same character but a lot about him has changed. Not every day in our lives is the same, right? Similarly, this is just another day in Garundi’s life,” says Sobti, who was careful to retain the mannerisms and body language established in Season 1. Sobti notes that the show has changed the way audiences engage with him. “When people meet me now, they don’t just want a photo. They want to discuss the show because it appeals to them intellectually. I had many questions myself before shooting the first season.”
Sudip Sharma.
Created and written by Gunjit Chopra, Diggi Sisodia and Sharma, Kohrra Season 2 shifts its noir-tinged narrative to the fictional town of Dalerpura. Like the earlier season, it weaves personal turmoil into a murder investigation. “We’re interested in the characters’ emotions and their relationships with the people around them. Crime is a subset. We’re curious about the ‘why’,” says Sharma, who is the screenwriter of Udta Punjab (2016) and Sonchiriya (2019).
To prepare for their roles, the actors underwent intense preparation under Nitin Goel, their acting coach. “There’s this emotional recall we get into, understanding our own griefs and digging deeper to understand the character better. The exercises were also customised. The workshops were intense but immensely satisfying,” says Singh, adding that the exercises helped her create a backstory for the character. Speaking Punjabi on screen was especially fulfilling for her. “It feels authentic because the story is rooted in Punjab. I crave roles like this — the slow burn, the layers that open with every scene,” says the actor, who has won much praise for her performances in Made in Heaven (2023), Kaala Paani (2023) and, most recently, The Ba***ds of Bollywood (2025).
Faisal Rahman who teamed up with Sharma to co-direct the show after collaborating with him in Paatal Lok, says, “We had a brilliant cast and they were really just playing off against each other. The dynamics were wonderful to watch and to bite into as a director. At the prep stage, we do a lot of script readings. We had one table read with all the actors together for the first time and we could see the energy coming and settling in.” He credited casting director Nikita and Nitin Goel, who conducted acting workshops, for ensuring compelling performances. “Because it’s a long format show, the graphs are gradual. You get to witness the range of the actors’ explorations through the journey.”
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Faizan Rahman.
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Calling Gunjit “a sort of adopted son of Punjab”, Sharma says since both of them have written scripts set in Punjab in the past, it’s easy territory for them to get into. “The writing is never easy but to understand how a place is and how the characters might react to certain situations comes naturally to Gunjit and, by extension, to me. When we finished the first season, we felt like there was more of this land and these people that we wanted to talk about,” he says, adding, “We decided not to repeat our tricks and find newer things to talk about.”
Though mainstream cinema is currently dominated by hyper-masculine heroes, Sharma hopes the trend doesn’t seep into long-form storytelling. “I understand the pull of stardom… But OTT platforms are meant for intimate, immersive experiences. If you bore people here, they simply won’t come back,” he says. Referring to the nuanced portrayal of men in the first season of Kohrra, Rahman says: “I love the way Balbir Singh (Suvinder Vicky) and Garundi’s masculinity was explored. That is being taken forward this season with Dhanwant’s husband. That is a gripping exploration.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
