Desi Rascals Series 2 ~ Review

Backed by popular demand, Desi Rascals returned to our TV screens for a second series of drama and masala, breakups and makeups, and weddings and birthdays.

This time though, Desi Rascals was promoted from the relative obscurity of Sky Living to a primetime Wednesday night slot on Sky 1.

Big name mainstream reality TV personalities also joined the cast, such as ex-TOWIE star Jasmin Walia and Solomon Akhtar from The Apprentice.

The second series kicked off with a wedding, just like the first.

Anj and Wajma, who had already been married in an Islamic nikaah ceremony, celebrated their wedding reception in style.

The highlight was a surprise, pre-rehearsed dance routine by the lads: Owais, Shmoyel, Praks, Jason, Mo and Anj.

While Anj was loved up though, his brother Moses was experiencing heartbreak.

MoJo broke up at the start of the series, ending their fairytale Bollywood love story from Series 1.

Although they graciously stayed friends, it was clear that Mo and Jo were moving in opposite directions.

With Moses single, former Take Me Out girl, Farha Rai, was hoping to mend his broken heart.

She invited him over for dinner in episode five. Mrs Rai wished them good fortune by ‘warding away the evil eye’.

But despite sharing good on-screen chemistry, a fabulous sense of humour, a love of DJing, the two were destined to just be good friends.

Bollywood dancer Jo applied and auditioned for a place at Anupam Kher’s prestigious acting school in Mumbai.

In episode seven, the ‘Dad in Every Bollywood Film’ called Jo personally to give her the good news.

The extremely proud Shahdashians, Manoj, Celia, and Nat, along with the rest of the Desi Rascals family, bid farewell to Jo with a fantastic send-off.

And despite her going away, MoJo shared a kiss to remember, in a gorgeous garden, under the night sky, in the last scene of the series.

Before Series 2, Solomon Akhtar was creating a storm about how he would take Owais Khan’s crown as the Alpha Male.

But that challenge to be Top Dog came from Solly’s millionaire playboy friend, Adam Michaelidies.

He made an immediate impact, by cruising the boulevards of the West End in his white Ferrari, and hosting a house party in episode one.

Owais and Adam eventually came to verbal blows in episode three in a massive bust up. Thereafter though, the tension calmed down.

But Adam’s tension with Yasmin did not dissipate. Friends long before the show, they have always been in that grey area of ‘more than friends’ but ‘not in a relationship’.

While Yasmin wanted to get married and settle down, Adam was not on the same page. This tension exploded into a numerous slanging matches.

Adam was quite friendly with Kavita at the beginning, which was another source of anger for Yasmin.

Her and Kavita had an ugly fall out, only to make up later. But a by-product of this feud was a major fallout between Kavita and Feryal.

Solly came to Desi Rascals searching for love, and he told DESIblitz that he was interested in the ‘mermaid’ Yasmin.

Although she enjoyed the attention, and they enjoyed a short-lived business-relationship, Yasmin was not interested.

Solomon turned his focus to Kavita, and displayed his famous persistence in ‘courting’ a woman.

After a cinema date with Kavita in episode four, she continued to turn him down for a second date.

When she did agree to a ‘fun friend date’, she brought along Yasmin to ambush poor Solly, and the two of them teased and poked fun at him the entire time.

But Solly would not take no for an answer. In the episode eight, on a lovely day out to Margate, Kavita continued to play coy. But eventually she admitted that his ‘persistence might have paid off’.

Desi Rascals 2 provided the golden opportunity for Jasmin Walia and Ross Worswick to be together as a couple on TV for the first time.

It was a real emotional rollercoaster for the two of them. Particularly when Jasmin wanted to follow Jo and go to Bollywood.

However, it was a Happy Ending for the young sweethearts. In the final episode, Ross ‘proposed’ that Jasmin move in with him. He presented her with a key in a box, and she tearily accepted.

Will Desi Rascals be returning for a third series? At the time of writing, there has been no official announcement.

Nevertheless, Desi Rascals lovers will hope that Britain’s favourite Asian TV show does.

Why should we want to watch a Series 3? Kavita Sodha tells DESIblitz: “Why wouldn’t you? It’s hilarious.

“It’s giving you a window insight of completely different contrasting bunch of British Asians.

“After English people, British Asians are a big deal in the UK.”

And speaking to DESIblitz, Adam Michaelidies, who is half-Greek Cypriot and half-Turkish, says: “It’s a chance for the general public to learn about Asian culture, Asian people. What they do, what they get up to.

“If there isn’t a season 3, there might not be another Asian TV show for God knows how long.”

The British Asian population contribute in a positive way to the rich fabric of British life, socially, economically, and culturally.

A reality TV show exploring what the dynamic Desi youth are really up to, could never be more relevant to our community.