Mai review: Sakshi Tanwar, who is most famous for her two superhit TV serials, is now all set to rock on the Ott platform with her latest Netflix series Mai. Created by Atul Mongia, Mai also sees Vivek Mushran, Prashant Narayanan, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, Omkar Jaiprakash, and Anant Vidhaat.
The narrative of the story revolves around Sakshi Tanwar who plays the once demure, middle-class mom Sheel from Lucknow who moonlights… as a nurse at an old age home? But after her daughter is killed, Sheel goes on a search for truth which turns into a murderous rampage, or the calmest, most docile version of it.
The OTT space is changing the face of a conventional parent and replacing it with one that can brutally fight the world to save their loved ones. The always happy father is now hatching the riskiest plans to save his family and can go to any extent (Pawan Malhotra in Tabbar). A mother who stereotypical depended on the mandir in her house to solve all her problems, now runs an entire syndicate so no one touches her children (Sushmita Sen in Aarya). Add to the list Mai, a woman who smells something fishy and decides to give her daughter’s soul peace by giving her justice rather than just grieving.
The whole star cast is just simply amazing.
Sakshi ensures that there is not an ounce of pretense left in her performance. Her everyday charm makes you tide over the larger-than-life leaps that Sheel takes as the series progresses. She owns the screen but still manages to look fragile and vulnerable. Sakshi Tanwar is a mad wave of talent and one that the industry failed to acknowledge even after being in the business for decades. The actor embodies the guilt, grief, anger, vengeance, and the softness of being a mother to a dead child.
Wamiqa Gabbi is steller as the brave Supriya. She never overdoses on her part, which is the highest possible and brings in the much-needed depth. She is supposed to be a mystery that slowly unfolds and is impressive. So is Ankur Ratan, who gets to play a Muslim man stuck between love and a long-dead marriage.
Vaibhav Raj Gupta is an actor people rapidly becoming a fan of, and Anand Sharma becomes his best better half. Seema Pahwa is finally getting the work she deserves and not just comedy. In a brief cameo, she serves as another woman who broke the glass ceiling brutally and faced consequences but is also unapologetic.
Raima Sen is on the screen after so long. She does get a meaty part to play but there is not much that we actually get to know about her. We hope her part of the narrative got more attention in terms of screentime.
The writers — Tamal Sen, Amita Vyas, and Atul — are miserly as they drop subtle hints before the action happens, each time pushing the audience to connect the dots. It is a series that will leave you mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end of it, but mostly in a good way.
However, this doesn’t mean that the screenplay doesn’t have loose ends and convenient twists. The emergence of a twin of a crucial character abruptly gives the refined series the feel of a regular potboiler. After a point, the writers leave too much to chance and Sakshi’s acting talent. The end result of a well-choreographed shootout is unconvincing, and so does the way Sheel breaks into a chemist shop before the finale. At the end, when Sheel overhears a revelation, we wonder whether we over-invested in Mai.
Mai is currently streaming on Netflix.
Trailer: