Movie: Mayasabha
Rating: 3/5
Rating: 3/5
Cast: Aadhi Pniisetty, Chaitanya Rao, Nasser, Sai Kumar, Srikanth Iyengar, Shankar Mohanty, Divya Dutta, Tanya Ravichandran and others
Director: Deva Katta
Produced By: Hitmen & Proodos Productions LLP
Streaming On: SonyLIV
Though the makers have not mentioned any names, one can easily see that Mayasabha is based on the legendary politicians Nara Chandra Babu Naidu and late YS Rajasekhar Reddy. Krishnama Naidu (Aadhi Pinisetty) comes from a farming background and starts his career in student politics. On the other hand, Rami Reddy (Chaitanya Rao) is a medical college student who comes from a family background. The nine-episode series, now streaming on Sony Liv, is about how these two different individuals, who take the path of politics, become close friends and end up becoming hardcore enemies after taking big posts in Andhra politics in the bygone era. .
Performances;
Aadhi Pinisetty leads from the front, and his transformation from a helpless leader to a mature politician is amazing. Aadhi gets a tough role as his character stammers. This aspect is showcased beautifully by him. Chaitanya Rao comes out of the syllabus and shocks everyone with his natural performance. Everyone had doubts as to how a young actor like him would pull off such an intense role. But Chaitanya is just amazing.
Nasser is a seasoned actor, and the way he portrays the media baron Sivaji Rao brings a lot of depth to the series, though he does not have many dialogues. Sai Kumar is cast perfectly in the role of RCR. Be it his voice or the towering presence he brings, Sai Kumar's entry gives a new high to the series. But one feels that his character is under utilized, as it arrives in the series too late.
Srikanth Iyengar and Shankar Mohanty were good in their roles. Divya Dutta gets to play a crucial role, and her screen presence brings a lot of depth to the proceedings. Tanya Ravichandran is also good in her role. The supporting cast was also good in their respective roles.
What worked for the Series:
The best part of the series is the casting. Deva Katta and co-director Kiran Kumar are spot on with their casting, and the actors chosen deliver top-notch performances.
Mayasabha also does not shy away from showcasing the caste system, which was rampant during the late 80s in Andhra.Without taking sides, Deva Katta shows that he has researched about the crucial events during the period in which the series takes place.
The initial episodes, the first three to be particular, are perfect and provide the right impact. The starting steps of Naidu and Reddy are shown well, and how they became good friends is also nicely depicted. There are many dialogues about social inequality, politics and societal problems at regular intervals, which maintain the impact. The intrigue around the main characters, including RCR makes the series gain strength in the final episodes.
What did not work for the Series:
No matter what the series' creator Deva Katta says, everyone who is aware of Andhra Pradesh Politics knows that the series mirrors the political journey of CBN and Late YSR, the two powerful political leaders of the state.
So, the viewers will not like the fictionalizing of the real events, especially the last scene of the series. Even if we ignore this issue, the series struggles to maintain the flow after a powerful start. The scenes involving Ira Vasu's character could have been much better.
The love portions of both heroes are not that good, and derail the pace for a while. The side tracks of Vijayawada, and Naxal related scenes do not provide any impact. Also, Deva Katta could have shown RCR as a real person instead of showing him as a similar person to late NTR
Mayasabha Review and Verdict:
Deva Katta delivers a decent political drama with Mayasabha. The series really gains from the acting of Aadhi Pinisetty, Chaitanya Rao, and others. It kicks off with a bang and keeps the excitement going during key scenes. Though it drags in the middle with all the characters, it gets better towards the end.
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