[ad_1]
Jai Mahendran review: Those working in government offices are people all love to hate. They are frequently labelled as “irresponsible, corrupt, negligent of the urgency and importance of cases, those who finish work only at the pace they wish, and power abusers.” It doesn’t matter if one has had first or even second-hand experiences justifying these claims; but such perceptions have solidified into a standard stereotype of public service staffers and indeed, the actions of many have played a key role in shaping such a consensus. SonyLIV’s first-ever Malayalam original, the satirical drama Jai Mahendran, starring Saiju Kurup in the titular role, is set in such an office, specifically at the fictional Palazhikkulam taluk office in Thiruvananthapuram, where each staff member is more sketchy than the other.
Though the office has a tehsildar and several others, deputy tehsildar Mahendran G (Saiju) runs the place. As both the go-to person for the powerful and the department’s troubleshooter, he is approached by all to facilitate any work that requires bending the rules. The series begins by showing the officials attempting to demolish a tea stall, claiming it sits on poramboke land, and trying to evict the elderly owners. However, the couple is unwilling to relinquish their land and, with local support, they protest by refusing to leave. As officials, including police, stand perplexed on how to resolve the situation without escalating tensions, Mahendran enters the scene. He persuades the elderly woman by promising to get her allotted a three-cent plot during the government’s next title deed distribution for the poor if she agrees to vacate now. Elated by the offer, she consents. When his subordinate Balu (Rahul Riji Nair, who penned the series and serves as its showrunner) asks how he achieved this, Mahendran replies, “No one can resist the lure of (hollow) promises,” reflecting his overall nature and approach to his responsibilities and the people he is supposed to serve.
While being cunning, Mahendran is also a do-gooder — but only for those in power, who have connections, or are rich. Anyone who tries to act smart or defy his instructions will face repercussions commensurate with the level of shame he felt they brought upon him. With strong connections in the department, the ministry, his service organisation and across society, he can easily arrange for people he dislikes to be assigned to inconvenient night shifts in control rooms near a dam facing structural threats, permanently relegated to the file storage room in his office or even have the hospital where his pregnant wife Priya (Miya) is treated waive her medical fees. Just like that, he abuses his power for anything and everything, with or without reason.
However, once the sitting tehsildar Shibu (Balachandran Chullikkad) retires and Shobha (Suhasini Maniratnam) takes over, Mahendran’s fortunes begin to change, as she is an honest and straightforward officer. As a result, even Mahendran’s powerful friends begin to feel the consequences of her integrity, as their illegal activities are no longer facilitated. Thus, a few hatch a plan and have Shobha suspended pending an investigation for allegedly issuing a new title deed unlawfully. They throw Mahendran too under the bus and he also faces suspension as an accomplice. While Shobha seeks to save herself through legitimate means, Mahendran resorts to leveraging his connections. However, both soon realise that neither strategy is effective and Mahendran comes to understand that those he once served no longer care for him as he isn’t useful to them anymore. Thus, he devises a plan for retaliation to prove their names and the remainder of Jai Mahendran follows their efforts.
Watch Saiju Kurup exclusive interview here: ‘I no longer wish to play roles that Mohanlal, Mammootty, or Prithviraj did’
Though Jai Mahendran’s premise is both tried and tested and somewhat worn out, it still had the potential to become a light-hearted watch, providing a few laughs and a couple of hours of relaxation to viewers. However, with uneven writing that causes most of the supposed humour to fizzle out like wet firecrackers, Jai Mahendran ultimately fails to impress and if not for Saiju Kurup’s presence and performance, it could have easily been labelled avoidable. Despite the potential for comedy in such an office setting, Rahul’s script barely scratches the surface of the plot’s possibilities and many moments, seemingly designed to be funny, end up giving a sense of déjà vu, such as the scenes featuring the accidental firearm discharge at the taluk office, an official who can’t drive attempting to take the wheel only to crash and the sighting of a large snake in the office. The show has numerous scenes like the ones mentioned above that are disconnected from the core plot and appear inserted solely for quick laughs, most of which end up falling flat.
Another major issue with the series lies in how most episodes conclude. While a cliffhanger isn’t essential and an episode could effectively end with a natural conclusion or a scene that influences the main storyline, the majority of episodes in Jai Mahendran end on a rather bland note, failing to compel viewers to continue watching. Until the end of episode three, when Mahendran and Shobha are suspended, there’s barely any conflict — aside from Shobha’s arrival, which lacks sufficient weight to qualify as a real conflict — making it a risky gamble for this type of narrative.
Watch Jai Mahendran trailer here:
Though the series also attempts to highlight the hypocrisy of certain characters, such as an RTI activist who outwardly fights against societal injustices yet builds his new house unlawfully, these moments too feel shallow, as if Rahul included them merely to tick off certain ideas he had without fully integrating them into the narrative. Even the emotional scenes, like the exchanges between Mahendran and Priya, or Shobha and her daughter amidst the chaos, fail to leave a lasting impression.
At the same time, director Srikanth Mohan never manages to elevate the show’s overall quality, relying heavily on the script without enhancing the visual language to achieve a comedic high. Although Saiju Kurup, serving as Jai Mahendran’s backbone, delivers a solid performance, even he fails to rescue Jai Mahendran from its downfall. Suhasini, in contrast, feels misplaced, as if she arrived in this setting by accident. Rahul, too, appears miscast and his portrayal of Balu is anything but convincing. While Miya, Zhinz Shan, Sidhartha Siva and Vishnu Govindan play their parts decently, it’s Vinita Venugopal, in her small role as LD clerk Menaka, who stands out despite the character being minimally developed. Though Sidhartha Pradeep’s music enhances certain scenes, many a time it comes across as too much.
Jai Mahendran cast: Saiju Kurup, Suhasini Maniratnam, Rahul Riji Nair, Miya
Jai Mahendran director: Srikanth Mohan
[ad_2]
