Ambitious Girl To Chief Minister – Queen Tells A Gripping Story Of One Female Politician

If the story of a young ambitious girl with dreams in her eyes becoming a CM, fascinates you, MX Player’s newest drama Queen is made just for you!

“You can be great at the things you hate,” says director Shridhar Vasudevan to a young Shakthi Seshadri.

To the unacquainted, the above line is from a scene of MX Player’s latest original show called Queen.

Directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and Prasath Murugesan, it is based on a novel of the same name written by Anita Sivakumaran. The 11 episode series spans the tale of a young girl who faces trials and tribulations to become a successful political figure.

A brilliant student with stars in her eyes

Young Shakthi Seshadri (Anikha Surendran) is a brilliant student. She is an overachiever and excels at everything. You name it, and she is excellent at it. As a school captain, you can see how she is strict with her own batch mates. She exudes confidence and authority. It foreshadows her upcoming careers. She also has the closest set of friends who are always there for her- they are “sisters for life.”

Everything is good for her at school, which is a stark contrast of what home is for her. At home, she is dominated by her mother. Though initially you dislike the mother, with the story’s progression, you realise she, too, is a victim of her own situations and circumstances.

Though it is slow paced in the first two episodes, one cannot complain. It is necessary to build a base and surround a narrative around it. Every episode ends with a note which leaves you hanging to know more. Cliffhangers are used quite cleverly.

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From stars in eyes to stardom

Young Shakthi is forced to enter the world of glitz and glamour in films in order to provide for her family. She struggles to wrap her head around the film industry. And she is forced to leave her aspirations of studying in a reputed college and becoming a lawyer.

As a naïve young girl, it is too much for her to take in. Her relationship with her first director Shridhar Vasudevan, changes her perspective and helps her finally grow into a wonderful actress. 

The successful actress Shakthi (Anjana Jayaprakash) is impeccable. She has transformed into a bold, strong relentless woman. Shakthi sails smoothly in a male dominated world establishing her own prominence and authority.

She is vulnerable and emotionally fragile. Her chemistry with GMR, played by Indrajith Sukumaran, and later with Chaitanya Reddy (Vamsi Krishna) shows her maturity. She has grown from a naïve awestruck girl to a woman who is unyielding and strong like iron.

Lilette Dubey plays the host of a talk show where Shakthi is invited as a guest. She asks Shakthi questions about her life and Shakthi answers them. Through this, each aspect of Shakthi’s life is revealed.

Isn’t reality always taken from fiction?

The novel is roughly based around the life of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa. And the directors have always displayed in the disclaimer that the series is a work of fiction and all resemblances are purely coincidental. But one cannot miss the slight resemblances.

The setting of the series depicts the whole mood of Tamil Nadu. It is the colour scheme and editing needs to be appreciated. Warm and vintage hues are used to assert the point. Apart from the stellar performances by the actors, the writing and script hits the bull’s eye.

Towards the end of the series, Shakthi is shown as a failing actress but a budding ace politician. The writing never glorifies her or puts her on a pedestal. She is raw and full of emotions. You can relate to her and the struggles she goes through tugs your heart.

Why I thought it was brilliant

The character of GMR is portrayed in a balanced scale. On one hand he is a clever politician and on the other, he is also shown as a manipulator. The character of Pradeepan acts as an antagonist and the audience is always suspicious of each act of his.

Queen is a brilliant watch. The 11 episodes keep you engaged throughout.

If you don’t have a plan for New Years, watching this series should definitely be on your list.

Picture credits: Still from the series Queen.

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