Fearless Mai: My quick take on Sakshi Tanwar’s web series “Mai” (Netflix)
The title Mai has a certain kind of magic, in 2012 we had seen legendary singer Asha Bhosale making her acting debut in a Hindi film which was titled Mai, secondly another legend Padmashri Sindhu Tai Sapkaal is fondly remembered as Mai. Hence the word Mai has a certain kind of reverence attached to it.
It is said that a mother is the fiercest warrior when it comes to defending her children; she can quickly switch off her caring and adoring avatar and activate her Kali or Chandi avatar if she suspects something is wrong with her children. This is the premise of this miniseries, which does not have a particularly novel plotline. We've seen it before in films like 'Mom' (Sridevi's comeback film) and 'Maatr' (Raveena Tandon), as well as in the Bengali web series 'Kaali,' in this series the talented Sakshi Tanwar plays the mother of a teenager who dies in an accident. What appears to be a straightforward case in which the truck driver confesses to his crime and is sentenced, but the mother has a sneaking suspicion that it was not an accident but a well-planned murder.
Sakshi Tanwar's transformation from a timid and docile mother to a fearless and vengeful mother is remarkable. The Series is packed with powerful performers, Prashant Narayan leads the pack (I am surprised that this talented actor is not getting more roles), beautiful Raima Sen has excelled in the vampish role with aplomb, Hazel eyed Wakima Gabbi (at times she looks like Aishwarya) is Sakshi's daughter in the series, she plays a mute girl around whose death the plot of the series revolves. She has done an excellent job, without a doubt, but she appears to be older than Sakshi in many frames. Seema Pahwa makes a surprise appearance, and she may remind you of Chief Brodmann's character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Anant Vidhaat is a rising star to be watched, who has landed a pivotal role in the series and has not disappointed us. The plot is set in the nawabi city of Lucknow, and the cinematography is superb.
The writer tended to turn the plot into a typical Bollywoodish action drama near the end, which I believe could have been avoided. Season 2 is clearly in the works, as the series concludes with an obvious appendage that will dovetail into season 2. I'm not sure how Season 2 will pan out; the writers will have to think outside the box to make it appealing.
Sakshi has dominated this web series, which you can watch for her outstanding Mai. I'm not sure if there are any awards for web series performances, but if there are, she's a strong contender for a podium finish.
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