The Rebellion
As the penultimate episode rolls round, Leila picks up right where it left off from before, beginning with Bhanu and another man taking a dead body to the dumps. They discuss how Dixit was framed and how that they want to get rid of Joshi. In the slums, word spread that Shalini has been taken to Guru Ma. A trial for Shalini’s crime is being held but Guru tells her she is now beyond purification. He later meets with Bhanu with a message from Rao saying he wants Shalini back and although reluctant at first, Bhanu convinces Guru to let her go back to Rao. Bhanu then tells Shalini that there is a resistance and that the Dixits were publicly executed. They want the plans to the dome and in exchange, he will find out what happened to her daughter. More importantly though, he’ll check to see if she’s still alive. He gives her instructions; she must get the plans from Rao’s computer. He also tells her that it was her brother Raz who sent the repeaters to her house. Salini then goes and sees Raz, questioning him over what he’s done but he tells her again, with no remorse, that it was all her fault. He then sounds an alarm while she asks him about Leila. Bhanu arrives just in time and takes her away before the authorities can arrive. Cunningly, she then puts a GPS tracker on Raz’s scooter in a bid to find out where Leila may be. The government then send drones to the slums; they start shooting at the rebel’s centre of operation. Fortunately, they miss it and nothing too major gets damaged but it’s also a wake up call to try and remain vigilant in the face of adversity. Shalini tries to get close to Rao. He tells her that he knows all about her and her past. He also explains that things are better now as there’s no more crime. She also overhears that the Skydome plans need to be finalized which may just be her ticket in to get the plans. Bhanu later gives her a stick to copy all the information from Rao’s computer onto and instructs her to give Rao sedatives in the evening so that she will be able to safely sneak into his office. As the plan goes ahead, she manages to reach the computer, but no files are found to copy. We see, the next morning, that the plans are actually on paper as they know that terrorists have been trying to hack into their systems. Bhanu and Shalini then decide on a new plan, involving taking photos of the files. She also checks on the pacifier’s GPS location and sees that Raz has moved to a school. She’s determined to find out what happened to her daughter though but Bhanu tells her to focus on her mission and get the photos first. Against his wishes, she makes her way to the school and sees her daughter safe and sound but being brainwashed into becoming a young soldier of Aryavarta. The penultimate episode of Leila does well to pick up the pace a bit and inject some urgency into it. Seeing Shalini joining the resistance and finding out what has happened to her daughter does answer some of the plot points but there’s certainly a fair amount to wrap up here which seems doubtful to happen in one episode. Still, there’s enough here to enjoy and Leila sets things up nicely for a dramatic finale to come.
