(The Silence of the Lady?)
With the plethora of serials of the crime & mystery thriller genre on OTT platforms each promising to be more spellbinding, what made us opt for ‘Mrs Deshpande’ ? Two major reasons were – our all time favorite star ‘Madhuri Dixit’ hitting the small screen in most intriguing promos & that the director was Nagesh Kukunoor, an acclaimed film-maker.
As stated in the credits, the inspiration of the Web-series comes from French series ‘La Mante’ but to old film buffs like us, the plot might appear loosely based on the chilling American horror-thriller “The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991) that got five Oscars including Best Actor & Best Actress to Sir Anthony Hopkins & Jodie Foster for amazing portrayals. There are many similarities to the American classic (even the ending) like seeking the agency of a convicted serial killer lodged in jail to unravel the complex serial murders that have recurred again after two decades with striking resemblances to the past serial crimes. The convict with his psychology of a criminal, was best suited to understand how the mind of the new killer operated, using his methods !
This is a crime thriller with a storyline that spans over long period of time & events. No spoilers here – it’s revealed right from the beginning that ‘Zeenat’ (originally called Mrs. Deshpande) is a convicted serial killer who’s serving a sentence and enjoys a good image for her impeccable conduct in prison and who loves her cooking. Into her life comes the Police Commissioner who had nailed her but now seeks her help since he knows that she’s no ordinary criminal. Madhuri Dixit adroitly executes a complex lead role, emoting through inscrutable facial that are tough to penetrate. She exhibits composure of a person in control (but has a few genial moments too), unlike the chilling menace of Dr. Hannibal Lecter of ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ ! With her impassiveness, it’s an uncertain route to take for the cops to discern her real thoughts and secrets. Kudos to her for the role she plays with finesse, despite the fact her character could’ve had meatier content !
For a maker of Kukunoor’s stature, the series should have had tighter script & concluded in five episodes instead of six that drag a bit after the third. There are many sub-plots, red herrings & false leads prolonging the final climax and sinister characters introduced are not properly fleshed out. Of supporting actors, Priyanshu Chatterjee is impressive as Police Commissioner. Siddharth Chandekar, the deeply committed Cop, who undergoes emotional turmoil as the entire case unravels, tries to bring intensity in his performance while the other actors are adequate !
Madhuri fans hope having entered OTT’s thriller genre that often provides challenging women-centric roles, she soon gets to play gritty characters ala Kate Winslet in ‘Mare of Easttown’ or closer home Shefali Shah in ‘Delhi Crime -1’. Move on ‘Mrs. Deshpande’ !
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