Web Series Review: ‘Maharani’

By Deepshikha

Maharani, a recent political high voltage drama leaves no stone unturned to spread a wave of nostalgia especially about the era when Bihar was going through a phase of lawlessness and anarchy.

Whenever you hear about Bihar politics, this particular incident is always comes to your mind when a Chief Minister known for his rustic mannerism picked his barely literate wife to rule the state. Seeking an inspiration from this incident, show creator Subhash Kapoor has brought a series on Sony Liv OTT platform which will unveil the new saga of politics.

The series illustrates the unprecedented journey of ‘Rani Bharti’ who takes on to become ‘Maharani’ i.e. Chief Minister of Bihar after his husband is shot. After being called out as ‘Zero’, she self-proclaims to have 27 years of experience managing her family, kids and also her livestock.

The plot talks about an era between 1995 and 1998. Despite the high voltage political drama and stiff competition, the underlying rigid caste system also runs parallel in the theme.

From milking cows all day to making dung cakes she embraces the new challenge and boldly puts her thumb impression on files. Huma has definitely done justice to her role and it is one of her most appreciated performances on the Tv screen.

The series also encompasses the typical dialect and way of talking of people in Bihar. Some crude slang and swear words are very specific to the region.

Maharani has also stolen hearts because of its cast and crew who support this known plot. The roles despite being small or big appeals its audience. The performers are relatively new but have significant contributions to make. Sohum Shah as Bheema Bharti,

Amit Sial as Bheema’s rival help in being hooked to watch more drama. However, we do expected more twists and turns to be there as their part. The other counterparts Pramod Pathak (Mishraji) and Kani Kusruti (Kaveri) are promising and relatable in their parts.

From being a typically crafted ‘Sahib Biwi and Bihar’ angle, it also touchbases on some critical issues like religion, corruption and zeal to create a difference in Rani Bharti’s case. The drag in the script fails and that is why we cannot match it with some Bollywood masterpieces like Rajneeti, YuvaShanghai, Satta, Nayak and Sarkar.

The background of the series showcases few incidents of preparation for Chhath pooja, Ram leela, some regional folk tune but these could incorporated more to draw the connection with the regional audience. One good part about accent is that they are not super exaggerated like Jabariya Jodi, Super 30 and Half Girlfriend. Twinkle Khanna has also appreciated and congratulated Huma for her commendable craft in the series ‘Maharani.’     

The story also doesn’t fail to highlight the change in ghoonghat positioning and transformation of the body language of Rani Bharti who slowly and steadily starts ruling her territory as a queen. The journey seems realistic and her effort to stand against the odds makes it worthy. The protagonist not only holds her ground but also gives a tough fight to the rudimentary thought process of the state. In the later episodes, we also see her dominate the social and political arena which turns the tables for many males.  

Huma completely disagrees it to have a real political connection and her statement also states that “It is not inspired by any real-life politician or anything. It is completely fiction. Just because it is Bihar, people have made assumptions. Our show is completely a work of fiction and so there were no references to look at.”

Overall, Maharani doesn’t leave you disappointed especially when you are looking forward to watching some Indian masala stuff. The tale is not that amazing to have fancy expectations but certainly it is a ‘One Time Watch.’ The ambition, betrayal and new facets of politics has the capacity to retain its audience especially when you have no fancy movies running around.

A decent attempt which I am sure all of us will appreciate after Scam 1999 on Sonly LIV. Even though the plot might confuse us by picking bits and pieces from past events, the makers completely want it to sound as a work of fiction. So if you are free on your weekend and have little interest in politics, you can take chance to watch this and you won’t be disappointed.

The end will make you feel that the ground is ripe and there is definitely a scope for a second season. The winners and losers will again settle their scores with blend of new twists and turns.