Mathagam – web series review

First up, about the title. A curiosity inducing one and when the meaning turned out to be forehead of an elephant, it did make one wonder how it related to the story line. With just 6 episodes, having average run time a touch under 40 mins, the series came with an added incentive of a short span as well. Above all with Manikandan, the present toast of Tamil cinema, who is breathing life into every character he plays, something that Vijay Sethupathi and Vikram used to do in their prime, playing the role of villain, being one of the many other reasons that made me watch this series. 

The very first episode tests your patience with Atharva, the hero, hogging most of the screen time with his wooden expression, be it while conversing with his wife or with his sub-ordinate police officer or with his superiors. Wonder how he manages to retain the same reaction for every situation thrown in!!! The flake that kickstarts what ends up in a snowstorm of events happens within the first half hour and is seemingly innocuous considering the magnitude of the events to fold. What starts as a routine stop and enquiry by a night patrol, unravels the biggest “birthday party” ever organized by crime lords in Chennai, the event organizer being a don (Manikantan) long feared dead. Each episode introduces one new rowdy or history sheeter, along with his case file being detailed. Giving the best possible introduction to every new character that forms a part of the play. Before the tediousness of repetition sets in, luckily the season ends. Kudos to the editor for ensuring a tight screenplay and possibly brickbats as well, if in case the second season doesn’t live up to the hype created in the first.

The plus points of the series are that, despite being a done to death genre of police officer’s vs crime lords, despite being a well repeated premise, each of the episodes manage to hold interest. There is enough number of open plots to build on season 2, like the love story of the villain, his backstory, the reason behind the birthday party (being the paramount plot), the pending intro of the “sait” character and possible extension of the sinister attempts by the minister etc. The second season can cherry pick and extend in any direction it chooses to be. The minus points being the kind of language being used – utterly ridiculous number of expletives with newer bad words never heard on prime-time television getting introduced. Wonder when the government is going to wake up to the need of a censor for OTT content. It seems, every director who plans a web series, first picks the list of expletives to use in the dialogues and then think of the story. Filthy is a decent term to describe the words used in this series. The other potential let down being, after building up to a climatic showdown between the lead characters and about the party, what should’ve been the climax, is converted into “interval” and as lead for the next season. By the time, if at all, the next season gets picked up, this would’ve lost much of its steam and relevance.

If one can discount the language used, it is an otherwise decent watch where it doesn’t just glorify the cops but also pulls their leg as in a genuinely funny tongue in cheek manner. Wonder what is in store for the next season and wish they get the green light to make one in first place from Disney Hotstar!!