MAI - V View Reviews # 65

Sakshi Tanwar is the soul and substance of the series Mai. She played the character named Sheel Chaudhary, a simple, homely, soft-spoken mother and wife, a perfect choice for the bahu-biwi-maa persona. She is stunning and amazing. The dynamic of her life changes when she witnesses a road accident of her daughter. Her world comes crashing down, when she knows, it is more than an accident....it is a murder. She tries to get the real story and is hell-bent on avenging the killing of her daughter. She finds dirty politics, medical scams, involvement of mobsters etc in the process.

The beauty of the series lies in its realist approach to the action. It is believable and relatable. The natural acting, the ambience, and the getup of the actors capture the pain of a parent losing their kid. How a mother gives importance to justice than rituals,  how she seeks it, how she uses her medical training to take her mighty opponents, and how she takes the law into her hand is all the plot is about. A journey of a timid homemaker to a strong woman. Therefore probably the character is named Sheel. The plot will remind you of Sridevi in Mom.

There are too many subplots weaved with the main pattern and that makes the story intricate. The characters are well written. Apart from stunning, simple, sweet, amazing Sakshi  Tanwar as Sheel, Wamiqua Gabbi as her daughter Supriya shines as a performer. She eloquently uses sign language and is very impressive. Raima Sen is a female gangster. These three female leads occupy the major portion of the screen. Vivek Mushran is also impressive enough as Sheel's husband who runs a chemist shop and does repair work and odd jobs. This is his way of keeping himself busy. Ankur Ratan succeeds in leaving an impression with his good performance. Seems Pahwa is effortless in her acting. Anant Vidhut Sharma and Vaibhav Raj Gupta are also praiseworthy.

The cinematography is good enough, set in Lucknow, far from the 'muskurate rahiye' world as the plot demands. The background scores blend with the emotional framework. The editing too is good. Created by Atul Mongia, divided into six episodes, this drama, thriller, and mystery is streaming on Netflix.