In a time where Mythological shows are barely maintaining their TRP ratings, Colors brings its latest offering, Mahakali: Anth Hi Aarambh Hai.
Perhaps its deliberate or just good timing, but the channel couldn't
have chosen a more relevant subject for the current times. The Pooja Sharmaa starrer is all about Naari Shakti and the hidden motifs in mythology that prompt glance in retrospective.
We watched the first two episodes and here's what we thought of the show-
The most looming problem is how the CGI quality declines steadily with time. We see a lot of sloppiness in terms of effects. The settings and the manner in which the supernatural powers are shown on screen looks mostly unrealistic. We won't spoil much, but there is a scene where she slays demons and while she's at it, drinks the blood that spills and leaps right into her mouth.
The story so far...

Mahakali
doesn't beat around the bush. The show gets right into addressing it's
core concept and begins with Parvati having a vision of a female warrior
destroying an army of asurs. Disturbed by the vision she
confides in Nandi (the holy gate-guardian) and approaches Shankar
Mahadev. On Kailash Parvat, we are introduced to Lord Shiva (Sourabh Raaj Jain). Here, we have Lord Indra enter with his soldiers as they seek respite from Shumbh and Nishumbh, the asurs who have captured his kingdom.

There's
loud sounds of a war raging near the mountain and Shiva asks Parvati to
command the invaders to return since its her duty as a warden of his
abode. Here it's interesting to note that Shiv eggs her on saying "isn't
a woman devoid of any power?". Parvati hesitantly asks Chund and
Mund(soldiers of Nishumbh and Shumbh) to leave the place since its a
place for devotees and not warriors and they immediately drop their
argument and leave. They report back to their masters and we are given a
glimpse into their liar-

Here the asur
Shumbh is shown a vision of Parvati and is smitten by her. He sends a
messenger back to Kailash Parvat to strike a bargain. In the meantime,
Parvati is in search for the warrior in her vision to end the war. She
approaches Lord Vishnu (Karan Malhotra),
where the latter and his wife tell her that the warrior she seeks is
probably very close to her and she assumes its Goddess Lakshmi. Note:
She assures Lakshmi that power doesn't come from position or being
someone's wife, its your individual shine that makes you powerful.
Parvati is constantly aware of her being mortal as she encourages the
goddess for finding the warrior in her not realizing it applies to
herself.

Back in Kailash Parvat, an unarmed messenger from the Asurs
arrives, who tells Parvati that they only want peace at the cost of a
sacrifice as women are born just to sacrifice for men and her mortal
sacrifice will keep all Gods safe. He proposes that she leave Kailash
and marry Shumbh as for DevLok's throne, sacrificing a mere woman isn't a
big deal. Parvati lashes back and we see an assertive streak. When she
goes to Mahadev with this new grievance he doesn't react angrily but
says its time for him to go in meditation stating that "a battle won
with help is called a sympathy call, you need to fight your battles, i
don't want my wife to be helpless".

Frustrated by this response she appeals to Goddess Lakshmi again. This time an asur
is sent to drag Parvati to Shumbh's palace. In her quest to find the
female warrior the goddesses agree that it must be Narsimhi Devi
(lioness form) and a war begins with the asur's arrival. In this
war the demons openly challenge the feminine position calling them
sacrificial lambs and beings who should be confined to the bedroom and
the kitchen. Here, when Parvati's near ones are attacked and the
transformation begins. She takes on the form of Goddess Kaali, while
Shiva worries if her power will be too strong to be controlled even by
him.
The Good-
Pooja
Sharma's performance is commendable, she shows all the traits Parvati
is heralded for in mythology and does full justice to her character. Her
antagonists instigate her at every step and the plot constantly moves
head questioning feminine strength and then giving us all the right
answers to those questions. What we like is how the same actress
portrays a non-assertive and an assertive character at the same time.

With
the makeup and effects, the actress completely transforms, which makes
it fun to watch. We were particularly moved by the scene where she
addresses the other female goddesses (with Falaq Naaz and Nikita Sharma
playing Goddess Saraswati and Lakshmi) and tells them she represents
the anger and courage within them. Born of the rage of the "abla naari" Kaali becomes an apt representation of power.
Another
element we enjoyed is the dialogues, mainly the riddles and metaphors-
"for the arrow to flow, the bow has to be set aside just the way a man
must step aside to let the woman take over" and "janm Hota hai aur mrityu Hoti hai" stressing on the female verbs and using clever wordplay to counter Chand and Mund's claim that women come after men.
The Bad-

The most looming problem is how the CGI quality declines steadily with time. We see a lot of sloppiness in terms of effects. The settings and the manner in which the supernatural powers are shown on screen looks mostly unrealistic. We won't spoil much, but there is a scene where she slays demons and while she's at it, drinks the blood that spills and leaps right into her mouth.
Another problem we can think
of is, how often the dialogues spell out precisely what the scene is
about. Given that an Indian audience knows most the age-old tales, the
makers shouldn't have gone around stating the obvious. We don't hate it,
we just wish the makers wouldn't handle the audience with kid gloves
and give us mytho-fiction that retains intrigue.
The Verdict-

Mahakali gives away way too much too soon. Within the first 10 mins we hear Sourabh Raaj Jain mouthing "anth hi aarambh hai".
They spell everything out for you and two episodes already look like
the end of a saga. Considering the run time we wonder how long the
makers can keep it up. We like how Pooja Sharma goes from Parvati's
Gauri avatar to Kaali and owns it along with the attention given to some
props and detailed motifs in costumes. But, the sloppy shots of battle
fields, blurred edges and settings that looked like they were made in a
hurry take a lot away from that praise. Also, can the series survive
riding on the shoulders of its impressive female protagonist? Only time
will tell.
Ratings: **(2/5)
ek dum bakwas serial , gatiyapan se banaya gaya .
ReplyDelete1% humien nahe laktha k hum mahakali serial dekh rahe hai , its more a childrens timepass serial .
serial banane wallo pehele serial banana sekhlo ,phir kuch karna .
aur wo shiv ka trishul ,. disgusting , completely meant for childrens . kuch sekhna hai tho devon ke dev mahadev se sekho .
thiird class serial .
shame shame shame
It's very amazing..I recommend everyone too watch it with Thier faimly.
ReplyDeleteSeriously boosts confidence in women Nd one who commented above has no taste in Indian mythology Nd Indian culture.
Pooja Sharma is like gem to eye on the show she's amazing actress of Indian television..