Politics mat lao: Tej Pratap and Manish Kashyap lock horns on Rise & Fall 2

"Politics mat lao" became the defining line of the latest episode of Rise & Fall 2, where Tej Pratap Yadav and Manish Kashyap clashed during a fireworks challenge that quickly spilled beyond the task itself. What began as an attempt by the Workers to build fireworks for the Prize Pot turned into a wider confrontation over authority, effort and how the Workers were being treated inside the Tower.

The episode also pushed the divide between the Rulers and the Workers into sharper focus. While the Basement struggled with repeated rejections, internal disagreements and the pressure of possible exits, the Penthouse dealt with the fallout of the Tej-Manish argument, Shehzad Poonawalla's exchanges with Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, and fresh rivalries that surfaced as the game moved ahead.

The task came with a strict condition: the Workers had to ensure their fireworks passed inspection, but if two fireworks were rejected, they would have to identify the weakest link and remove one Worker from the game. In the first round, Shehzad rejected one firework and asked if he was wrong. Priyanka replied, “Aage chalo Shehzad, tumhara footage bahot ho jaata hai beech mein (Move along, Shehzad; you're taking up too much screen time in between.)”, to which Shehzad responded, “Mein footage khaaane ko nahi aaya hu apna kaam karne aaya hu (I haven't come here to seek publicity; I've come to do my job)”.

The tension escalated in the next round when Shehzad rejected Manish Kashyap’s firework. Manish’s frustration drew Tej Pratap Yadav into the exchange, and the disagreement over the task soon turned into a heated argument. Tej accused Manish of trying to manoeuvre the situation after his firework was rejected, while Manish pushed back against what he saw as the Rulers mistreating the Workers.

The argument then moved into questions of identity, privilege and power, with Manish asking Tej to acknowledge the Workers’ efforts and Tej accusing him of bringing politics into the game. With the Ultimate Ruler refusing to back down and Manish openly voicing his displeasure, the face-off set up a fresh rivalry in the house.

More rejections, more exits

Another twist changed the task further when the quality-control officers failed to reach a consensus on the fireworks, after which the Ultimate Ruler was given the authority to make the final decision. When three fireworks were rejected in the next round, the Workers were forced to face the consequence they had tried to avoid and choose one contestant to leave. Anish Bhagat volunteered to step out, but the pressure only increased in the following round when all three fireworks were rejected after Kajal Raghwani missed the colours.

Niharika Tiwari was then chosen to leave, a decision she found difficult to accept. Her reaction led to a confrontation with Gautam Gulati. As the situation grew more tense, Kaira Anu stepped in, but eventually chose to remove herself from the situation. At that stage, the Workers were no longer dealing only with the task, but also with the strain building within their own group.

Workers lose ground in Prize Pot race

The later rounds brought some relief. The fourth round saw three fireworks approved, and the fifth delivered a clean sweep. However, the recovery came too late to alter the result. Out of 36 fireworks made by the Workers, only 20 were approved. The outcome cost them valuable time and added Rs 10 lakh to the Rulers’ pot.

The Rulers won the first Prize Pot task, while the opportunity to claim the first Takhta Palat was missed. The money gap widened sharply, with the Rulers at Rs 38 lakh and the Workers at Rs 3.25 lakh, leaving the Basement with a difficult climb ahead.

Fallout continues beyond the task

Even after the result, the tension did not ease. The Rulers tried to acknowledge the Workers’ efforts by offering to share their food as a reward, but the gesture did little to calm the Basement. The Workers felt their hard work had not been properly appreciated and chose to keep the food for themselves. The frustration then spilled into another round of arguments, with Kajal Raghwani questioning Gautam’s contribution and Gautam pointing towards Shehzad.

Manish also spoke up for Kaira and urged Sara Gurpal and Kajal to recognise her efforts. Niharika and Anish, meanwhile, discussed what they felt was Gautam undermining the women’s ability to perform.

In the Penthouse, the equations were also shifting. Swara Bhasker appreciated Shehzad for standing his ground, while the clash between Tej and Manish continued to affect the balance of power in the Tower. Shehzad also shared his views on Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, describing her as temperamental and narcissistic, adding to the list of growing rivalries in the game.

New episodes of Rise & Fall 2 air on Prime Video at 12 noon.