‘Mayasabha’ Web Series Review

‘Mayasabha’ Web Series Review

Actors: Aadi Pinisetty, Chaitanya Rao, Tanya Ravichandran, Saikumar, Srikanth Iyengar, Ravindra Vijay, Divya Dutta, Nazar, Shatru, Shakul Sharma and others

Music: Sakthikanth Karthik

Cinematography: Suresh Raguthu, Gnanasekhar

Producers: Jayakrishna Lingamaneni, Sri Harsha

Written by: Deva Katta

Directed by: Deva Katta, Kiran Jai Kumar

Ace filmmaker Deva Katta proved his ability to carve out political thrillers with films like Prasthanam and Republic. Now, he has come up with a web series titled Mayasabha, which deals with the story of powerful Telugu leaders who once dominated the politics of united Andhra Pradesh. As the series is streaming on Sony Liv, let's take a look at what makes this political drama special.

Story:

Krishnama Naidu (Aadi Pinisetty) was born into a lower-middle-class family in Narsipally, Chittoor district. Since his college days, he has dreamed of entering politics. Even though his family’s situation isn’t good, he completes post-grad, and during his PhD studies, he entered student politics against his father’s wishes. But nothing goes the way he has anticipated, and he faces hurdles at every step. Even the girl he loved got separated from him.

Meanwhile, MS Ramireddy (Chaitanya Rao) from Kadapa district is an undergad MBBS student. His only dream is to become a good doctor and serve the poor. But his father wants him to enter politics and become a strong leader. Ramireddy’s path into politics is not easy, however, as his father happens to be a local goon.

The rest of the story shows how Krishnama Naidu and Ramireddy, who unexpectedly become friends, support each other in their political journey. It shows how they rise in politics, how they face struggles together, and how their journey brings a change in the political landscape of united Andhra Pradesh.

Story-Analysis:

NTR, Chandrababu Naidu, YSR, Paritala Ravi and Vangaveeti are the five names that made a huge impact on the politics of united Andhra Pradesh from the 1970s to the early 2000s. We’ve already seen separate films dedicated to them — Balakrishna played NTR in ‘NTR’, ‘Yatra’ was made on YSR, ‘Raktha Charitra’ told Paritala Ravi’s story, and RGV made ‘Vangaveeti’. Even a small film came out on Chandrababu, and his character was included in a few others. But the common thing in all these was: they showed only one leader’s side, glorifying them while sidelining the others. That’s why most of these films felt like propaganda narratives.

But in ‘Mayasabha’, director Deva Katta tried something different, claiming that he’s not making a biopic of anyone but only a fictional story. He attempted to balance all characters and show them with some realism. Not 100% facts, not without exaggerations, but still better than most political dramas. Though the series begins with a regular disclaimer that all characters are fictional, the silhouette figures on the poster’s title design itself make it clear. Adi Pinisetty’s Krishnama Naidu is clearly inspired by Chandrababu Naidu, and Chaitanya Rao’s MS Ramireddy reflects YSR. The series takes us from their college lives to their political rise.

It also shows key leaders of that time, including Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, NTR, Nadendla Bhaskar Rao, Paritala, and Vangaveeti. The story covers the major political events between 1970 and 2000, including the times of emergency, during which Andhra politics changed rapidly.

The makers tried to show how politics worked back then, including how caste played a major role. Scenes that don’t have a discussion on caste are very rare in the series. Dialogues are sharp and straight to the point.

The pace is a bit slow during the early college life sequences of Krishnama and Ramireddy, but once their political journey starts, the series picks up. Delhi politics under Indira, Sanjay’s interference, emergency period — all these are covered well. Things get more exciting in the last three episodes, especially when NTR’s (Sai Kumar) character enters. The final episode with NTR’s track is the best part of the series.

Srikanth Iyengar as Nadendla Bhaskar Rao adds some fun to an otherwise serious series. Not everything is perfect in the series though as the Paritala-Vangaveeti portions are a bit weak. Also the series takes some creative liberty, especially in showing YSR and Chandrababu as close friends or as larger-than-life leaders, making us think if that’s indeed true.

Still, ‘Mayasabha’ manages to stay engaging throughout. It keeps the focus on the leaders who shaped AP politics and tries to show their journey without picking sides. Those who enjoy political dramas will find this series worth watching.

Performances:

The two lead actors in Mayasabha gave strong performances. Aadi Pinisetty didn’t try to look like Chandrababu Naidu or copy his mannerisms. But the way he acted clearly showed the mindset of a young politician like Chandrababu. He played the role of an ambitious man who wants to grow in politics and maintained that serious tone throughout the series.

Chaitanya Rao’s performance can be called the best in his career so far. After watching the trailer, some people had doubts about whether he could pull off a role like YSR. But in the full series, he surprised everyone with his performance. His acting reminded viewers of YSR, especially the way he showed the character's growth. He was particularly impressive in the last two or three episodes.

Tamil actress Tanya Ravichandran also did very well in her key role. Saikumar gave a stunning performance as NTR. Though Divya Dutta didn’t look much like Indira Gandhi, her acting was strong. The actor who played Sanjay Gandhi also left a good impression.

Srikanth Iyengar, Ravindra Vijay, and Shatru did justice to their roles. Nassar, who appeared as Ramoji Rao, was okay in his part.

Technician:

On the technical side, Mayasabha was made with high standards. Even though it’s a web series, the production quality feels like a feature film. Every episode maintains seriousness and attention to detail. The makers did a good job recreating the 70s and 80s setting, which clearly turned up on screen.

Sakthikanth Karthik’s background score adds depth to the scenes, though the songs aren’t very catchy. The cinematography by Suresh Raguthu and Gnanasekhar is visually rich and well done.

One of the biggest strengths is Deva Katta’s writing. He blended real events with fiction in an engaging way. Many of his dialogues hit hard like bullets. The direction by Deva Katta and Kiran Jai Kumar is also solid. They kept each episode tight and gripping, with a good flow in storytelling and interesting visuals.

Finally: Magical Maya Sabha

Rating- 3/5