Mai Web Series Netflix Review

Introduction

Nowadays, it's not uncommon to find entertainment that glorifies vigilante justice.

However, the criminal thriller series on Netflix stands out because it profoundly explores the theme of loss.

How Does the Story Start?

In the Netflix original film Mai, Sheel Chaudhary (played by Sakshi Tanwar) is a mother devastated by the loss of her daughter (played by Wamiqa Gabbi). However, as she begins investigating her daughter's death, she discovers more to the story than initially thought.

Unfortunately, her search for the truth only leads to more trouble, and she finds herself at the center of a revenge plot. Mai was produced by Clean Slate Films and was written by Tamal Sen, Amita Vyas, and Atul Mongia, with direction by Mongia and Anshai Lal.

Performances

In terms of performances, Sakshi Tanwar shines as Sheel in the production. Her portrayal of the character's composed demeanor, which occasionally gives way to slight panic when faced with danger, is outstanding. Anant Vidhaat delivers an excellent performance as Prashant, the deceitful henchman, while Shankar, Prashant's partner and lover, and Vaibhav Raj Gupta are also impressive actors.

Despite playing a completely different role from his previous work in Gullak, Gupta excels in his performance. Prakash Narayanan gives a superb portrayal of the ruthless and unhinged Mohandas. Although her character is poorly written, Raima Sen still delivers a commendable performance. Unfortunately, Ankur Ratan's portrayal of SPF officer Farooque Siddiqui falls short. Vivek Mushran's portrayal of Sheel's spouse Yash is less significant to the story. The rest of the cast members give average performances.

Analysis

Mai is a typical example of a story that sounds thrilling on paper but is disappointing in practice. "After accidentally killing a mafia boss, a middle-aged woman is unwittingly swept into the underworld, where her cult slowly gains notoriety," the logline on the paper states. However, if you watch the entire show, it is evident that the circumstances leading up to her 'cult gaining recognition' are hardly believable in their implementation.

Imagine a lady who is so docile that she does not even whimper when her husband sends his child to his sibling who is not a parent. She is so gentle that she does not know "no." She had no idea that her daughter had been having an affair with a married guy for months since she was so illiterate. But when a disaster strikes, the same lady turns into a lean, cruel murdering machine.

Mai's storyline involves her learning dangerous mafia secrets, infiltrating the lairs of dangerous villains, performing daring assassinations, and more. Despite this, she is portrayed as a typical middle-aged mother with no experience as an undercover spy or anything similar. This makes her story seem unrealistic, artificial, and challenging for the audience to relate to, which can be frustrating.

Along with this obvious flaw, Mai's writing is also blatantly incompetent. There is no real meaning to terms like "Mozambique style of killing," "angadiya network," "crypto-keys," and others that are thrown around with creative carelessness. The storm's central medical fraud is scarcely discussed and never made explicitly. Instead, the story focuses on unimportant details, like a woman sentenced to prison for killing her abusive husband.

This widow converses with Sheel's lonely husband in German, a police officer in an unhappy marriage, his wife's fake suicide attempt, another officer who is afraid to go into the field, and many other things. The subplots in Mai could have been avoided. Instead, a fascinating portrayal of criminal operations would have enhanced the story.

As previously mentioned, the show "Mai" has several shortcomings that make it less enjoyable. Although the audience becomes invested in Sheel's story and hopes for her success, the plot lacks excitement and fails to surprise. Additionally, Wamiqa Gabbi's character, Supriya, is uninteresting and lacks empathy throughout the narrative. The only redeeming factor in the show is Sakshi Tanwar's impressive and controlled acting.

Music and Various Departments

Sagar Desai has composed a fittingly somber background tune for Mai. The soundtrack complements the story's emotional ups and downs flawlessly. Ravi Kiran Aayagari's camera work is stunning, particularly the aerial shots captured at night. Manas Mittal's editing is precise and impactful. Meenal Agarwal's production design is meticulous and flawless.

Highlights

Watch Sakshi Tanwar's performance.

Drawbacks

• The presence of numerous subplots that do not contribute to the main storyline is excessive and unnecessary.
• The writing quality could be better.
• The characters in the story need to be well-developed.
• The plan seems unlikely to work.

Do I enjoy it?

It appeared to be quite ordinary.

Will You Suggest It?

The only performance worth watching is that of Sakshi Tanwar.

Rating

Overall, it's worth a rating of 3.5 out of 5.

Conclusion

Mai is an original Netflix movie about a mom trying to figure out what happened to her daughter after she lost her own. She finds out what the mafia knows and goes to their hideouts. The story has a few surprises or characters, but the actress playing Sheel is outstanding. It's worth watching.