Mai review: Sakshi Tanwar is at her finest in this Netflix series that could’ve been a movie

2.5/5

When Sheel (Sakshi Tanwar) sees a personal tragedy, her world comes crashing down. In her effort to uncover the truth, the previously placid and ordinary wife and mother is thrust into exceptional situations. She gets sucked into a rabbit hole of violence and power, becoming engaged in white-collar crime and politics, which transforms her and the world she lives in forever.

Reading the above storyline about Mai, one might believe that, "Oh, this could be an interesting movie to watch." Alas, it's a series that has been explored so deeply from the word "go". Sakshi Tanwar gets her big OTT debut in the best way possible, given that she excels in the drama genre. The actor sucks into the character like it had been tailor-made for her. Well, that's not surprising when talking about an actor of her mettle.

But the big problem with Mai is that she has been proving her acting prowess so much that it doesn't even fit the narrative she has been put in. The series starts with Sheel's daughter (Tanwar) and daughter Supriya (Wamiqa Gabbi) dying right in front of her. What looks like an accident turns out to be a murder. Of course, there's no shock value in that statement.

Mai just takes an ugly turn in no time and it becomes all about a certain crypto key belonging to Jawahar (Prashant Narayan). The actor is an extension of his menacing character from Murder 2 (2011). But I would say that he scared the hell out of me in the Mohit Suri directorial.

The actor in the little part is seen most of the time sharing the screen space with his mistress, Neelam (Raima Sen), whose eyes are on the throne. The characters just keep on growing as the show progresses, and it seems like Sheel just started out leading a dual life.

Tanwar's character is hardly shown mourning the death of her daughter; instead, she is on a hunting spree to find out who is the person behind her daughter's death.

The hunt is so tiring that even six episodes seem so long, and you might run out of patience by the time you reach the third episode. The storyline involves so many characters that each of them is given undue importance to fit the narrative in some other way.

Sadly, Mai is the victim of too many cooks in the kitchen. It's saddening to see a potential show penned by Atul Mongia, Tamal Sen, and Amita Vyas that could have had so many other elements to keep it going. The spoilers also don't have any shock value that might make you hooked on the show.

After a point of time, I said to myself, "Jal lijiye. Aap thak gaye honge."

Hands down, the best part of the show is Sakshi Tanwar. The actor's effortless performance is a treat to watch. But as mentioned earlier, the storyline didn't deserve such a stupendous actor giving her best. There are sequences where she becomes a superwoman, and you will just be in literal shock. But the efforts have sadly gone in vain.

The other actors serve well as catalysts, and there are so many, namely Vivek Mushran, Wamiqa Gabbi, Anant Vidhaat, Raima Sen, Ankur Ratan, Prashant Narayan, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, and Seema Pahwa. Everyone tries to bring out their best in Mai, but most of the characters are lost in translation. It's tough to keep up with who has been brought in and for what reason.

Sadly, Seema Pahwa, who has been slaying in her previous outings, is wasted to the core in Mai and it seems unjustifiable.

While watching the series, one of the popular quotes by Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter struck my mind-"Dark times lie ahead of us, and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right." Here, brutality is an easy way out, and it's so uncomfortable to watch.

Clean Slate Filmz's earlier outing, Paatal Lok on Amazon Prime Video, also had gory scenes, and it seemed necessary given that it deals with the underbelly areas and the circumstances the characters are in. But the consensus on the characters of Mai just goes for a toss.

Tanwar's character Sheel doesn't have any idea who is the person behind her daughter's murder, but she goes on to seek revenge from every person possible without thinking much. Going by her character, it might remind one of Sridevi's film Mom (2017). However, there was a proper plan and execution in place as she sought revenge on her daughter's rapists. Similarly, in Raveena Tandon's starrer Maatr (2017),

Anshai Lal, who helmed Phillauri for Clean Slate Filmz, and Atul Mongia, who has conducted acting workshops for several actors, have directed Mai. The prolonged series gives one nothing to write home about and will make one lose interest very quickly.

To be honest, the Indian content on OTT is getting darker and grittier with every year that passes by. It's not good enough to bring out serious drama content in the name of entertainment.

Sakshi Tanwar brings out her best effortlessly in this lacklustre series, which could have made for a decent watch if it was a film.