The chance discovery of two skeletons seemingly closes the door on one mystery – but opens another. The rotting remains contain enough DNA evidence to convict the man already under arrest for the murders.

Mani, a young jallikattu player, is awaiting sentencing for the deaths of Venba (Deepikka Anand) and Nilavathi (Revathy S). With the evidence stacked against Mani (Yashwanth), and his refusal to defend himself, it appears that sub-inspector Moosa’s investigation is over even before it began.

But Moosa Razaa (M Sasikumar) is sceptical. He is many other things too.

He’s dogged, having fought a case to keep his beard in adherence to his faith. He’s honest. He’s fastidious. He doesn’t believe in closing a case file just to maintain a healthy conviction rate. Handed a jigsaw with every piece neatly fitted into place, Moosa is going to destroy the puzzle and start all over again.

The new season of the Tamil series Vadhandhi (Rumour) continues the overarching theme of separating facts from conjecture. The first season from 2022 on Prime Video followed the murder of 18-year-old Velonie, whose sexual objectification considerably muddled the police investigation.

In Vadhandhi Season Two – The Mystery of Mani, Moosa and his colleagues Ramar (Vivek Prasanna) and Mohan (Johnny) must distinguish between loose gossip and hard evidence. Moosa’s belief in Mani’s innocence is backed by his superior officer Rathika (Anagha Maruthora). The conclusion of every episode yields a surprise that throws Moosa and the others into uncharted territory.

The new season has once again been created, written and directed by Andrew Louis, with Pushkar and Gayatri as creative producers. Vivek Prasanna, as Ramar, is the only returning member of the cast.

The second chapter is an improvement on its previous edition, with more rigorous writing and less sensationalism. Like Pushkar and Gayatri’s own intricately plotted crime series Suzhal, Vadhandhi operates in a rural setting that places emphasis on reputation, honour and conservative values.

Shot on actual locations, Vadhandhi Season 2 throws up thick local flavour and memorable secondary characters. The deep detailing of small-town policing includes a cop who operates out of a tea shop because the “vastu isn’t good” at his workplace.

Apart from the criminal investigation, there are sub-plots around Moosa’s wife Sumaya (Aparna Das) and Rathika’s own marriage. Sumaya is solidly etched, giving Moosa the backing he needs when he is torn between his professional and domestic responsibilities.

Moosa’s Muslim heritage is admirably handled, creating a rare peek into an inextricable but little-seen aspect of Tamil culture, while also quietly creating the groundwork for the prejudice that leads to the killings.

The early episodes are especially gripping in establishing Moosa’s personality, his equation with his colleagues and Rathika’s challenges. Mani’s story emerges in bits and pieces, allowing Yashwanth to offer the full range of his skills.

Vivek Prasanna, packing both good cop and bad cop into a single frame, is an excellent foil to M Sasikumar’s proper, humourless Moosa. Sasikumar’s limited expressiveness and unlimited dourness cannot prevent Moosa from emerging as the show’s most thoughtful and riveting character.

A team from Chennai that arrives to boost Moosa’s investigation can’t match the male version of Marge Gunderson from Fargo, patiently making sense of contradictory leads. The show demands forbearance from viewers too, needlessly piling on the MacGuffins and lobbing twist after twist just to reach the eight-episode mark.

Despite the bloat and indulgence, Vadhandhi Season Two achieves what it sets out to do. Moosa pulls at the skeins of the web of mystery surrounding the skeletons to arrive at a fundamental truth about crime and punishment: you eventually know, but you still don’t know enough.

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