Category: Malayalam Webseries Reviews

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1000 Babies: A well-crafted atmospheric thriller with a brilliant Neena Gupta

1000 Babies web series a well-crafted atmospheric thriller

The show suffers somewhat on the account of few unnecessary diversions along with some stagnation in the middle episodes nevertheless there is enough fodder for those who like mystery stories

Starcast: Sanju Sivaram, Neena Gupta, Rahman and others

Writer and director: Najeem Koya

Additional writer: Arouz Irfan

Music director: Sankar Sharma

Producers: Arya and Shaji Nadesan

Production Company: August Cinema

Cinematography: Faiz Siddik

No of episodes: 7

Streaming site: Disney+Hotstar

1000 Babies written and directed by Najeem Koya starts in the year 2010. Neena Gupta is Sarah Ouseph an eccentric older woman living with her son Bibin Ouseph (Sanju Sivram). Bibin is stuck in the job of a lab technician in spite of having a brilliant mind. Sarah as already mentioned is an eccentric woman, she spends a lot of time scribbling on the walls with the markers given by the son. For Bibin there is nothing wrong with his mother. He showers her with lots of love in spite of her strange behavior. Sarah has a mysterious past which the son isn’t aware of. One day she discloses everything leading to a dangerous chain of events. Fast forward to 2022 inspector Aji Kurian (Rahman) is investigating the murder of a well-known actress. Initially it looks a simple case, but Aji soon realizes that there is much more than what meets the eye. Everything is linked to Sarah’s secret.

Neena Gupta as the eccentric old woman Sarah Ouseph

A strong aspect of 1000 Babies is how Najeem Koya along with Arouz Irfan explore the psychology behind the perpetrator’s actions. The direction and the writing are mostly focused without trying to unnecessary mislead the audiences. The web series also deserves credit for not getting into the typical cliches used to depict the mental processes behind the actions of these men.

The flashback episodes of Neena Gupta add a lot of depth to the series. The past portions elevate Sarah Ouseph from just a crazy old woman. The portions of Sarah as the mother to Bipin and also a nurse in a hospital situated in Alappuzha show a different side to Sarah. As expected Neena Gupta tugs at the viewers heart with a moving performance.

Sanju Sivaram’s Bipin is another multi-faceted character. He starts off as a sweet caring man eventually transforming into a very different personality as the series progresses. Sanju Sivaram nails the various shades of Bipin.

Sanju Sivaram’s Bipin is also a multifaceted character. The actor nails the various shades of Bipin

The cinematography of Faiz Siddik adds to the eeriness of the show. His camerawork enhances the eerie portions significantly. His work deserves major appreciation in the tension filled interrogation scenes and also Sarah and Bipin’s house in the beginning episode.

Rahman as the headstrong investigator also comes up with a strong act. The situations that he has to put up with are stereotypical but still the actor comes up with a good performance.

Rehman as the headstrong investigator also comes up with a strong act

As already said the middle episodes of 1000 Babies does stagnate a bit and the running time does make the viewers impatient. Also, there are a couple of plot conveniences which the show could have done away with. For example, there is a portion where Aji Kurian hits a dead end, but he quickly gets a clue without any effort from his side. Still all things considered 1000 Babies is an engaging thriller.

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Jai Mahendran: A fun political satire on the functioning of government offices

Jai Mahendran web series banner

Director Srikanth Mohan successfully feeds upon the general impression that a common man has about the working system in government offices. While not outstanding, the show is a breezy watch if you are looking for some fun

Starcast: Saiju Kurup, Suhasini Maniratnam, Rahul Riji Nair, Miya George and others

Director: Srikanth Mohan

Writer: Rahul Riji Nair

Music: Siddarth Pradeep

Cinematography: Prashanth Raveendran

Streaming site: Sony Liv

No of episodes: 6

As the title suggests the story of Jai Mahendran focuses on the journey of a Deputy Tahsildar Mahendran (Saiju Kurup). Mahendran is the go-to man for any problems that department faces. By hook or crook, he always comes up with a successful idea. Often times he alternates between a miscreant and a helpful officer. However, his helpful nature is only restricted to those in power or the ones with connections. Writer Rahul Riji Nair plays Mahendran’s right-hand man Balu. Balu is the perfect accomplice to Mahendran. Soon Mahendran faces a major opposition in the form of Shoba (Suhasini Maniratnam). Shoba is the new sitting Tahsildar; unlike Mahendran she is a more honest officer. His life takes a drastic turn with her entry, he is no longer the all-powerful entity. This is the story in brief.

Saiju Kurup as Jai Mahendran and Suhasini Maniratnam as Shoba.

A strong aspect of Jai Mahendran are the fun dialogues coupled with the believable scenarios. Writer Rahul Riji Nair does a wonderful job in using satire to talk about what happens in a normal government office. Sure, the situations are stereotypical. You have officers who are both corrupt and lazy. They spend more time in having tea and indulging in activities that are not related to work. Files are passed on endlessly from one desk to another. The applicants come and go fully frustrated. Still the tight writing makes it an enjoyable show.

Regarding the functioning of the government offices two segments need to be mentioned here. One scene involves a young woman flirting on a phone while someone asks her to give an application form. Instead of cutting the call she gets annoyed. In another one an employee is busy munching o unni appams, when a person comes to find out where his government allocated land is. But this employee instead of answering the question asks the man to have one unni appam because they are tasty. Both these scenes may present an exaggerated picture, yet the lethargic nature of these employees comes across strongly.

The show also does a fine job in showcasing the dangers of office politics driven by differing political leanings.

What also makes the show engaging is the on-screen camaraderie between Saiju and Rahul Riji. The chemistry is absolutely spot on, as an actor Rahul Riji does a fine job in evoking comedy thorough his expressions more so in the scenes where he follows Mahendran blindly.

Another strong point for Jai Mahendran is the dynamics between Shobha and Mahendran. Both of them are polar opposites in their functioning resulting in an underlying tension. The tussle between these two give the show some of its best moments. At one point an unlikely friendship happens too when both their careers are at a dead end.

Saiju Kurup in the role of Mahendran aces the various shades of his role starting off as a corrupt tahsildar to underdoing a major transformation. From the initial haughtiness to a sense of despair the actor does a very fine job. Having said that the characterization would have had a stronger impact if Srikanth Mohan had dwelled deeper into his moral compass. Suhasini Mainiratnam is also powerful as the superior officer bringing in the required authority. But even her characterization could have done with little more meat.

Technically there isn’t much to rave about. The title song is a perfect upbeat number, but the background score becomes very repetitive. Prasanth Raveendran’s visuals go well with the realistic setting.

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Poacher: This Gripping Ecological Drama Thriller Is A Reminder Of The Need For Peaceful Coexistence Between Man And Nature

Richie Mehta makes a scathing commentary on the human ambition of wanting to dominate every aspect of the world and its repercussions.
Poacher (Malayalam)
  • Main Cast: Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, and Ankith Madhav
  • Director: Richie Mehta
  • Producer: Alia Bhatt and Prerna Singh
  • Music Director: Andrew Lockington
  • Cinematography: Johan Huerlin Aidt
  • Genre: Action Thriller
  • Episodes: 8
  • Rating: 4/5
  • First Published in: Southfirst

Richie Mehta’s Delhi Crime (2019 and 2022) is easily one of the best web series that has come out in the last decade. Both seasons were gripping, not just as an investigative thriller, but the human drama is equally powerful.

Not surprisingly, Shefali Shah got a lot of acclaim for her brilliant performance. The senior actor got a new lease of life with that show.

Now, the director is back with another binge-worthy show. This time around, Richie Mehta focused his lens on the burning issue of poaching (hunting animals illegally) — in this case, the ivory of elephants being smuggled.

The story of Poacher is based on real-life incidents that took place in Kerala.

Through the eight episodes, Richie Mehta makes a scathing commentary on the human ambition of wanting to dominate every aspect of the world and the repercussions of that on wildlife.

Synopsis

At the heart of its story are some determined forest officers led by Mala (Nimisha Sajayan). Mala’s life mission is to ensure that the poachers are apprehended and paid for their crimes.

A still from the series ‘Poacher’. (X)

She has a deep bond with the forest and the wildlife. She is emotionally driven for a reason, which is better understood by watching the web show rather than saying it.

And then, there are Alan (Roshan Mathew) and Neel (Dibyendu Bhattacharya).

These three officers and a few more people lead an extensive investigation from Kerala to Delhi.

The human–animal conflict and the need for wildlife conversation is a critical socio-political issue that concerns the lives of not just animals but also human beings.

Richie Mehta does an amazing job of making the viewers feel empathetic towards the plight of these majestic creatures.

Running parallel to the investigative drama is a much-needed perspective from the animal kingdom. Some scenes showcase the retaliation of animals.

Through these portions, the director makes the viewers contemplate deeply—even those not passionately interested in wildlife about the potential consequences, if the roles were to be reversed.

Many important questions have been raised about the dynamics between humans and animals.

Analysis

Though primarily a Malayalam web series, there are also segments where the actors speak in Hindi, English and a bit of Bengali. But this switch does not hamper the flow thanks to the captivating narration and the brilliant performances.

Nimisha Sajayan in ‘Poacher’. (X)

This is the second web series of this year after Abhishek Chaubey’s Killer Soup, where the characters alternate between different languages. This is indeed a good trend.

Coming back to Poacher, Richie Mehta also does a wonderful job of exploring the intricate world of poaching.

He talks about how poachers are just pawns in the bigger scheme of things and how the bigger evils are the wealthy dealers and the monstrous human beings who want to dominate the food chain.

Poacher is also technically solid, with particular mention of the cinematography of Johan Huerlin. He does a swell job of capturing both the beauty and the terror of the events happening in the forests of Kerala.

Although Poacher is mostly gripping, some of the climatic scenes could have been done with a tighter edit.

The performances across the board are simply fantastic.

Nimisha Sajayan delivers a spectacular performance by effortlessly conveying the grit and turmoil of Mala.

After The Great Indian Kitchen (2021) and Chithha (2023), this is another powerhouse performance from this brilliant actor.

Roshan Mathew works a perfect foil by bringing in some much-needed lightness. He is very effective in bringing out the humour and sensitivity of Alan.

Dibyendu Bhattacharya’s performance is also top-notch. He brings out the hot-headedness of Neel without any hiccups.

The other supportive characters also shine in their respective parts.

Final take

Poacher is a must-watch on many counts. It is easily one of the best web shows you will find this year.

Richie Mehta did it again with a thought-provoking show, and Alia Bhatt consolidated her position as a quality producer.

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/poacher-malayalam-web-series-review/