Sakshi Talwar Is Outstanding As Mai
Yogendra is freelance writer
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By Yogendra
First publised on 2022-04-21 10:16:01
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Yogendra is freelance writer
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Mai (streaming on Netflix) is a crime thriller where an ordinary person takes up cudgels on behalf of the family and punishes those who wronged the family, on the lines of Hostages, Tabbar and Aarya. Here the Mai (mother) who avenges the death of her daughter is Sheel (Sakshi Talwar) a nurse at an old-age home who painstakingly uncovers the conspiracy (or does she?) behind the death and goes after the culprits. What unravels in 6 longish (between 35 to 55 minutes) episodes is a tightly-knit story of medical scams, money laundering, human money couriers, corrupt judges, hired killers, upright policemen and of course Mai and is enough to keep one hooked.
It is interesting to watch Sheel as she becomes convinced that it was not a hit-and-run accident that killed her daughter when the prime accused and truck driver tells her in court that he was sorry and should not have done it. She encounters walls as corrupt policemen do not allow her to meet the driver to get more of the story. But she relentlessly pursues the gang and tries to find out who killed her daughter and why. She faces questioning by her husband Yash (Vivek Agnihotri) and his elder brother and bhabhi who find her prolonged disappearances strange. But she finds a companion in an inmate at the old age home and shadows suspects, climbs walls, makes unauthorized entries in houses, plants evidence, injects people with sedatives and even kills in order to achieve her end.
Sakshi Talwar is brilliant as Mai. She is most ordinary and vulnerable in her nurse avatar but as the scheming mother out to punish those who killed her daughter, her determination is reflected in her steely eyes and the remorseless way she pursues the culprits. Her grief is written all over the face and her body language is perfect. The way she reacts when Yash tells her about her daughter's boyfriend is awesome. Vivek Mushran is good as her husband who is indebted to his elder brother. All other actors perform well. Mai is definitely worth a watch and the series ends at a point which suggests that the story is not over yet and Sheel has more work to do to avenge her daughter's death.
