BOTTOM LINE
Madhuri Dixit Wasted in A Borefest
PLATFORM
Jio Hotstar
RUNTIME
4 hours 57 minutes | 6 Episodes
What Is the Film About?
Bollywood star Virat Malhotra is murdered by a copycat killer mimicking a serial killer from decades past. A cop, Khatri, ropes in a convict, Mrs Deshpande, to assist the investigation. As a special task force forms, she reveals her own dark expertise to Tejas and baits the suspect through secret letters. Following a high-stakes hostage exchange and shocking revelations, justice is finally delivered.
Performances
It is unfortunate how not a single project (barring Aaja Nachle, to an extent) from Madhuri Dixit in her second innings has capitalised on her strengths effectively. Her performance creates little impact, significantly due to the dull execution. Siddharth Chandekar is sincere in his portrayal of a cop’s role with mommy issues, though it does not always land effectively. Diksha Juneja fits the bill as Tejas’ supportive on-screen wife and Nimisha Nair fares well in the last couple of episodes. Priyanshu Chatterjee plays his part with restraint.
Analysis
Mrs Deshpande, lead by Madhuri Dixit and helmed by Nagesh Kukunoor for Jio Hotstar, is the official Indian adaptation of the popular French show La Mante. It is a story where an ex-serial killer, Mrs Deshpande a.k.a. Zeenat, joins a special task force to hunt a culprit who is mimicking her crime patterns, nearly 25 years after she had committed the murders.
The protagonist, spending her prison time in Hyderabad, is a calm and composed woman who never lets emotions get the better of her, despite a bitter past. She only has one condition while accepting the offer to be a part of the investigation: the presence of officer Tejas Phadke in the team. The latter is apprehensive of her involvement in the case, though. What connects her to Tejas?
The series is an investigation drama at heart; a calculated blend of the professional and the personal. All major characters, the protagonists and the antagonist, in the story are bound by a common link: a loveless childhood. All of them need a shoulder to lie on. They experience loneliness, physical, mental, and sexual abuse, but adopt different methods to tackle their trauma.
The narrative alternates between the present and glimpses of the past, while elaborating why the characters ended up treading their paths. Like a conventional police procedural drama, the officers are hoodwinked across multiple occasions. None can be trusted and the investigation goes back to ground zero time and again. The tone of the show is grim, almost emotionless.
The writers plant crucial twists in the narrative in their desperation to pique a viewer’s curiosity, though the effort goes in vain most of the time. One feels that a lot of what the story wants to communicate through its characters is lost in translation. The theme of the drama may be universal, but the marriage within the Indian cultural context goes for a toss.
Both the filmmaking and performances are surprisingly passionless. The storytelling is pale and dull and the actors react to the situations mechanically, as if it were a dress rehearsal. Though there is novelty in the idea of a convict helping cops with an operation, the kind of comforts that Mrs Deshpande is provided with, from the clothes to groceries to her styling, is too hard to believe.
The heart of the story is the emotion and longing that the characters feel for one another, but the execution lacks any such warmth or the personal touch. It is difficult to empathise with anyone’s plight, despite all the obstacles they have confronted. What appears to be a taut, personal, and a socially relevant script, packed with twists and turns, leaves you exhausted and, sadly, unaffected.
Another major issue with the disconnect is perhaps the timing of the show; the audiences have clearly moved past the vanilla vigilante justice stories and the gloom surrounding dysfunctional families. Mrs Deshpande gives no reason for you to take notice. The series rides solely on Madhuri Dixit’s presence and she is royally wasted in an indifferent, passive role. Disappointment is the final word.
Music and Other Departments?
Tapas Relia’s background score sustains the grim, passive mood of the show without going overboard. The cinematography lacks a specific, distinct flavour and the visual choices are too safe and ordinary to make a vivid impression. The long-drawn storytelling style, minus a strong emotional foundation, is the major problem; the show is like a fragile building that could collapse anytime. The adaptation could have been much better, purely by the standards Kukunoor has set for himself.
Highlights?
Unusual premise
A couple of twists
Drawbacks?
Wastes Madhuri Dixit’s presence royally
Storytelling is dull and flavourless
Lacks emotion or urgency
Did I Enjoy It?
Not really
Will You Recommend It?
Even if you’re a hard core Madhuri Dixit fan, think twice
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Mrs Deshpande Webseries Review by M9
