The much-anticipated second season of Netflix’s crime drama Rana Naidu, starring Rana Daggubati and Venkatesh Daggubati, premiered on June 13, 2025, but has failed to live up to the hype, with critics and audiences labeling it a disappointment.
Despite high expectations following the buzz around its 2023 debut season, reviews suggest the show struggles to recapture the intensity and novelty that initially drew viewers.
The series, a loose adaptation of the American show Ray Donovan, follows Rana Naidu, a fixer navigating Mumbai’s underworld while grappling with personal and family conflicts.
Season 2 shifts focus to Rana’s attempts to leave his shady past behind, only to be pulled back into chaos when his son is kidnapped, setting off a chain of betrayals and violent confrontations. New additions to the cast, including Arjun Rampal as the ruthless Rauf, have been a highlight for some, but the overall reception remains lukewarm.
Critics have pointed to a weak narrative and inconsistent pacing as major flaws. The the season is receiving an “underwhelming response,” with the drama falling short of expectations across its eight episodes.
NDTV described it as a “letdown” that “blows hot and cold,” citing a lack of emotional depth and uninspired performances, particularly from Venkatesh.
Similarly, The Free Press Journal gave the series 3.5 stars but criticized its “rinse-and-repeat cycle of betrayals, bullets, and brooding,” noting it loses heart mid-season.
Greatandhra.com echoed this sentiment, stating that despite a star-studded cast and gritty setup, Rana Naidu Season 2 “fails to hit the mark” due to inconsistency.
The show’s creators, Karan Anshuman, Suparn S. Varma, and Abhay Chopra, aimed to delve deeper into family dynamics, but critics argue the narrative gets tangled in subplots that distract rather than enrich. With minimal promotion and a canceled fan event due to a tragic Air India crash, the season’s launch has been subdued.
As Rana Naidu Season 2 streams on Netflix in multiple languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam, the consensus suggests it falls short of its potential. While the stellar cast, including Surveen Chawla, Kriti Kharbanda, and Abhishek Banerjee, delivers compelling moments, the series struggles to balance its gritty action with emotional resonance, leaving critics and fans wanting more.