Review: Mrs Deshpande

Mrs Deshpande | Director: Nagesh Kukunoor | Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Siddharth Chandekar, Priyanshu Chatterjee | JioHotstar | Hindi

 Her face is a mask, unmoving, except for the pain in her eyes. It could be Botox, but it is most likely the trauma frozen deep into her soul. Mrs Deshpande, a remake of La Mante, a 2017 French series, casts Madhuri Dixit as a serial killer who is in prison for eight murders. The casting itself could have made the director complacent, but not when it is Nagesh Kukunoor.

He extracts a powerful performance from Dixit, as she offers to help the police when a copycat killer strikes Mumbai, killing a series of flashy young men. You are compelled to watch Dixit as she pretends to strangle a young officer, as she throws herself into her Surya Namaskar and as she turns on her abuser. Caged in a safe house, chained when travelling, she channels her rage into a feral smile.

What makes some people monsters, and others saviours? Kukunoor walks that thin line keeping the camera focused squarely on Dixit’s resolute face, as she reveals her plan, incrementally. There is a superfluous love story foisted on the officer deputed to help Mrs Deshpande, but otherwise the series is sharply edited and smartly presented.