BOTTOM LINE
Stuffy, Overstretched Mother-son Drama
PLATFORM
PRIME VIDEO
RUNTIME
4Hrs 30 Mins (8 Episodes)
What Is the Film About?
Agastya, a math prodigy, believes every human problem, from his mother’s loneliness to his own social gaps, can be resolved through an algorithm. When he hacks a dating app to salvage his mother’s love life, his belief in data collides with the unpredictability in relationships. As he manipulates variables to control people around him, Agastya must decide if logic alone can truly help him in the long run.
Performances
Mihir Ahuja is building an impressive body of work in the OTT space with a steady stream of worthy appearances. He taps into the disillusionment and confusion of Agastya effectively and knows well about holding his own. Mona Singh, as Vinita, gets abundant screen space, but the character has little/no evolution at all, without giving her enough agency to take control of her life (beyond motherhood).
Ranveer Brar’s ‘gentlemanly’ ‘sorted’ middle-aged roles are honestly getting boring now, and the safe casting defeats the purpose of the part. In fact, it is Angira Dhar who shows spunk in the shoes of a math professor attracted to her student. There’s a quiet confidence and assurance in her performance that helps the role land. Celesti Bairagey is charming in a limited yet underwrought role.
Analysis
Maa Ka Sum spends four hours driving home the point that relationships cannot materialise through algorithms, but through the raw instinct the director calls the X-factor. This central theme unfolds through a contemporary single-mother/prodigy-son drama, weaving a messy potpourri of subplots that ultimately establish how human connections are inherently imperfect and come in all shapes and sizes.
The very first sequence sets the (annoying) tone for the story, where a 19-year-old Agastya prevents a heartbroken college mate from ending his life, offering his gyaan/stats on the probability of finding another girl on his campus. His single mother, Vinita, is desperate to find a man in her life. She is so ‘progressive’ that she wants her son to move out of their home soon so the world doesn’t label him a ‘mamma’s boy.’
What really turns you off from the initial episodes is the kind of influence Agastya has on his mother’s life. He is a young adult but behaves like a know-it-all, to the point that it messes up Vinita’s relationships. Yes, you don’t expect emotional maturity out of him, though it’s really surprising how they push this discussion to the final episode, where the mother holds up a mirror to him.
Neither the mother nor the son wants to discuss the elephant in the room: their mental health issues. Instead, they distract themselves with dating algorithms, compatibility scores, and math projects, burying their deep-rooted emotions. Every subplot in the story feels like a mechanical element for discussing how awry relationships can get. Much like the protagonist, they ‘appear’ logical and yet don’t strike a chord.
Agastya’s casual situation-ship with a college-mate, Annie, almost results in pregnancy, and he soon senses a genuine connection with a math professor, Ira. He finally opens up on the dark space that drew him to mathematics – his father’s abandonment. A friend keeps wearing a mask to come to terms with his father’s death. Annie shares why she understands Agastya’s panic attacks – a tragedy around an elder brother.
Most characters are perpetually in ‘trauma bonding’ mode. It’s good for characters to have a sounding board and express their concerns, but everything becomes a formula eventually. The show stuffs all its messages in lengthy monologues. Everything has to be explained, and there’s no space for audiences to reflect on what the character may be going through, almost undermining their emotional intelligence.
Vinita is another mess altogether. It’s difficult to process why it takes 7 episodes for a mom to put her son in his place and ask him to mind his business. He works out all the math for her with every man she meets on a dating app. She is dead-tired of all the modern mom ‘talk’ about her dating life with her son beyond a point. The show needn’t have taken such a circular route to discuss her discomfort.
By the end, Agastya’s transformation from his turbulent experiences is needlessly glorified. A son giving some space to his mom to take a relationship forward is basic ‘dignity’ after all. Maa Ka Sum just strived to be a reflective tale in an increasingly data-driven world with convenient dating options, where numbers threaten to gatekeep relationships, though it could’ve been less indulgent and preachy.
Music and Other Departments?
All three songs in the show – Batiyaan, Main Hoon Tere Liye, Beparwah – get the breezy, light-weight storytelling style the creators aim for. The background score serves its purpose, letting the narrative amble along without screaming for attention. Kuldeep Mamania’s cinematography, production design and costumes are peppy and easy on the eye. At the writing level itself, the show needed pruning; the subplots are too cluttered and segmentalised to ensure a strong emotional connect.
Highlights?
Unique premise
Decent performances
Technical finesse
Drawbacks?
Stuffy narrative/writing
Poor characterisation
Takes too long to make its point
Did I Enjoy It?
It was a mixed bag. It had its moments, but the elastic is overstretched.
Will You Recommend It?
Only if you are patient enough to watch a 4-hour show that could have been a 90-minute film too
Maa Ka Sum Series Reviewed by M9 News
