Maharani 2 Web Series Review: Fairly Realistic And Entertaining

The inspiration for this continuing series is more than obvious. The former political regime led by a husband-wife duo may have become fodder for series writers highlighting the ebb and flow of Bihar politics through fictional takes and this is just one of the many we've been privy to. Season 2 of Maharani basically catapults housewife and political consort, Rani Bharti (Huma Qureshi), a novice, into the hurly burly of vicious and turbulent politics of a State better known for its criminality than its model of Developmental Governance.

The series' makers deny any inspiration from real life right at the outset but anyone who has read a newspaper regularly would know that that's not entirely true. Maharani takes its dips into real-life political events that include the Lalu Prasad Yadav-Rabri Devi episode, the self-immolation of Rajeev Goswami surrounding the Mandal/Reservation drama, the Shilpi-Gautam murder case and several other defining moments from the state's lawless political history. But the source material has been twisted and embellished to lend a convoluted slant to the event-ology.

So, we as an audience become privy to Rani Bharti's emergence as a seat of power from where she uses her native sharpness and grit to establish her own form of an idealistic road map - but the power hungry satraps who have been temporarily demolished are more than likely to rise and stab her in the back.

Well...you expect that from a series like this, which goes 10 episodes long with a runtime of approximately 50 minutes per episode. The plot and plotting dig deep into Bihar's political history for meaty fodder and come up trumps. It's interesting, intriguing and traverses a path that underlines what we all know - that politics is so dirty that even lily white novices will get stained by the dirt hurled at them in the desperate attempts to ensure macrocosms of power.

The protagonist here has the native intelligence to lead her state down the right path but her political opponents and temporary friends keep pulling her into the muck. Of course, the rivalry, competitiveness and aggression gets murderous and out of hand on several occasions.

Performances, Music, Narrative

For most of its run, Maharani 2 is studded with meaningful, memorable dialogue, distinctive signature theme music and inveigling background score.

Most of the performances are beautifully poised and studied - especially Sohum Shah as Bheema Bharti, Dibyendu Bhattacharya as Martin Ekka from the Enquiry Commission, Kani Kasturi as the Malayali who resigns from the IAS and becomes Rani's trusted lieutenant and advisor, and above all, Huma Qureshi doing duty as the 'gawaran' Rani who swings back and forth from the hot seat of power. Mannerisms of real life politicians are writ large out here.

The narrative is way too long drawn out. But the internecine drama keeps you engrossed despite the tediousness of having to sit through so much winding around a theme that is already well known and familiar.

Technical Aspects

The pacing, editing and cinematography is also top-notch. So even when you feel the lag, your eyes and senses continue to be gripped by what ensues on the small screen. This is a well-represented and fairly realistic take and the viewer is bound to be entertained!

Rating

We go with 3 out of 5 for Maharani 2.