Maharani Season 3 Review: Subhash Kapoor is back with the notorious political saga, besmirched with the greed of power and a fictional allegory of a tectonic event, now lost in the wilting pages of political history. Maharani Season 3 evokes a fresh chapter in Rani Bharti’s life, who is languishing in prison but still raring for vengeance, making her presence felt with the acquired know-how of politics. There is resilience in her demeanor, poise in her diction, fearlessness in her eyes and confidence in her tone. With two critically-acclaimed seasons in the rearview mirror, the third installment was a tough cookie to crack. And yet, the makers take the compelling political drama forward with compelling performances and an exceptionally written script, drawing sporadic inspiration from the underbelly of Bihar.
In season 3, Rani Bharti (played by Huma Qureshi) accused of the murder of her husband Bheema Bharti (played by Sohum Shah) is still behind bars, awaiting her fate at the hands of the legal edifice. Utilising her time to complete her education, Rani Bharti has been acclimating herself in order to strike back, and to assess the gnarly and well-thought moves of her opponents. Operating on the same spectrum, Navin Kumar (played by Amit Sial) is at the helm of Bihar politics as the new Chief Minister. He brings about an alcohol ban in the state, that acts as a domino for the hub of illegal and illicit crimes to flourish. He is motivated to keep everyone in line but he is oblivious from the undercurrent of discontent fermenting within his cadres.
Gauri Shankar Pandey (played by Vineet Kumar) hatches his own plot for Navin Kumar’s downfall and all of a sudden, the premise becomes a heated game of chess, with every stakeholder devising their moves cautiously. The backdrop of this season transcends an ubiquitous approach of over-the-top political dramas by incorporating subplots that transude maturity and relevance to the overarching story.
Maharani 3 is shouldered by gifted actors but the script lacks the punch that the previous seasons had. It is purely due to a rankling dearth of screen time for Rani Bharti a.k.a Huma Qureshi, the character that serves as the inspiration behind the series name. The makers give us a glimpse of Rani’s personal and emotional tussle with her kids, especially her son who half-heartedly believes that his mother is behind the death of his father. Or her time inside the prison, fostering a sense of sisterhood among other inmates. But scenes like these are sporadically spread between episodes, mostly hinting to the audience that Rani Bharti is playing the long-game. In hindsight, it takes chips away the essence of the story.
But actors like Amit Sial, Vineet Kumar, Kani Kusruti, Pramod Pathak and others make up for Huma Qureshi’s lack of screen presence as they bring their very own seasoning and spice to the narrative. It also allows the viewers to understand coherently about their motives behind their lust for power. It decodes the intricacies of real-life politics and the murk within the system. Subhash Kapoor has technically succeeded in unfolding the world of Maharani, layer by layer, without falling prey to hasty execution of its main plot and all the sub-plots that revolve around it. The cinematography is crisp, the background score is atmospheric and some of the songs, especially the one pertaining to the ban of alcohol is a satirical genius, melodically and lyrically rich.
Huma Qureshi as Rani Bharti delivers a very controlled and balanced performance. There is an invisible veil of patience, oozing from her dialogues and her expressions, which adds subtlety to the many nuances of her character. Amit Sial embodies Navin Kumar by grasping the power dynamics bit of his character. His acting chops alleviate the thrill of the story. Vineet Kumar is an underrated talent that has an air of seriousness about him. But even that is laced with a subtle potion of humour, that brings momentarily respite in a complicated story. Even the supporting actors present a realistic layout of the politics.
In a nutshell, Maharani 3 is a vicious take of revenge and regaining power once again, not quite on the lines of a conventional political drama, quite atypical and insidious even, but quite honest to it’s unique treatment. The talented bunch of actors adds grittiness to the plot.
Comments
0 comment