'Mrs. Deshpande' review: Madhuri's thriller series only works in parts
What's the story
Madhuri Dixit-Nene is back in the streaming space with JioHotstar's mystery-thriller series, Mrs. Deshpande. Based on the French series La Mante, it's directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. It also stars Priyanshu Chatterjee, Siddharth Chandekar, and Diksha Juneja in key roles, and the story is set over six long episodes. Despite appreciable performances and some surprising twists, Mrs. Deshpande ultimately fails to come together.
Plot
Can police stop a serial killer in time?
When a dangerous serial killer starts replicating the old methods of a now-imprisoned murderer named Mrs. Deshpande (Dixit-Nene), the police seek her help. Inspector Tejas (Chandekar) works with her on the case closely, but the murderer, dubbed the "copycat killer," is always two steps ahead of them. When the killer targets Tejas's wife, Tanvi, he must race against time to catch him.
#1
Positives: Dixit-Nene's performance draws you in
Dixit-Nene draws from her fiery Anjaam performance in some sequences. When we first meet Mrs. Deshpande, it's evident she's somewhat of a mythical, larger-than-life figure. Her fellow inmates respect her; she calls the shots, and even the police officers are slightly in awe and disbelief when they speak to her. A formulaic, filmy approach, but it works for the show.
#2
Digs deep into its key characters
While the show is designed as a thriller, it works much better as a human drama. There's more to nearly all characters than meets the eye, and this multidimensional, layered approach helps us understand them better. Flashback scenes, which reveal more about Tejas, his mother, and the suspects, further form the show's bedrock.
#3
Negatives: Where are the thrills in this thriller?
However, Mrs. Deshpande is more of a miss than a hit, and due to its uneven and languid pacing, it feels significantly longer than it is. It takes all the time in the world to pull off even the most basic twists, and feels immensely dragged despite a tight premise. Plus, there's little subtlety or room for surprise.
#4
More on the above aspect
Thriller shows only thrive when you can feel the palpable tension on-screen. But, in Mrs. Deshpande, all developments take forever to happen. There's no edge-of-the-seat thrill (barring a few sequences), and the narrative, when it jumps from one suspect to the next, seems a little all over the place. Its potential is evident, but the wayward execution brings the entire experience down.
#5
The writing is surprisingly uneven
Although Mrs. Deshpande is portrayed as a menacing killer, her backstory isn't always convincing. Drenched in predictability, the show suffers from muddled execution, and often, it's tough to figure out which direction the story is heading in. Moreover, the formulaic execution devours the show's interesting ideas. This is particularly surprising considering Kukunoor recently delivered a riveting, gritty project in the form of The Hunt.
Verdict
Nothing you haven't watched before; 2.5/5 stars
The show belongs to Chandekar as much as it does to Dixit-Nene, and it's Tejas's story that drives the narrative forward. Even when Dixit-Nene isn't on screen, Chandekar makes you keep watching and emerges as an effortless, bankable performer. The hodgepodge screenplay and clunky execution, though, turn Mrs. Deshpande into a disappointing experience. It's simply more of the same. 2.5/5 stars.