The Gone Game, which won wide acclaim upon release last year, is all set to return for a second season, with actress Harleen Sethi joining the cast of the thriller web series in a pivotal role.

While the story takes off from the cliffhanger point where the first season ended, Harleen joins as Sharmila Sangma, a CBI officer who leads the investigation in the Gujral case.

The shoot of season two is slated to start soon and the new episodes are expected to release later in 2021. The original cast of Sanjay Kapoor, Arjun Mathur, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rukhsar Rehman, Lubna Salim and Dibyendu Bhattacharya will return, too, essaying familiar roles.

"Having seen the first season, I was instantly sold on the idea of joining this stellar cast and essaying the role of a well fortified CBI officer Sharmila, a headstrong woman who has made a place for herself in what is predominantly a man's world," Harleen tells IANS.

The Gone Game became popular owing to its unconventional storytelling, narrating a mystery drama involving five members of a family who are separately stranded at home and cannot step outside owing to Covid lockdown. The entire story is captured through cameras on laptops, cellphones and also CCTV lenses, as the protagonists converse with each other.

"I am excited to showcase what a criminal investigation would be in the new normal. The first season pushed the boundaries on what a lockdown pandemic could be and I'm positive this season is only going to take it a notch higher," she adds.

The Gone Game 2 will return on the streaming platform Voot Select.