Mrs Deshpande Review: Flawed yet compelling thriller thanks to narrative and performances
Mrs Deshpande Web Series Rating: 3 Stars
Watched Mrs Deshpande Web Series on Jio Hotstar. Now, let’s analyze the cast, release date, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this web series.
Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Siddharth Chandekar, Kavin Dave and Priyanshu Chatterjee
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor
Release Date: 19th December 2025 on Jio Hotstar
Duration: 6 Episodes/ 40 Minutes
Story: Story revolves around Mrs Deshpande (Madhuri Dixit) who has been in a Hyderabad jail for 25 years. She is a serial killer serving her sentence under a changed identity. Suddenly, murders in the style of Mrs. Deshpande starts occurring in Mumbai, marked by the same two-foot blue rope and victims’ eyes left open post-mortem.
IPS officer Arun Khatri (Priyanshu Chatterjee) is assigned the task to unmask this serial killer. To solve the case, he collaborates with ACP Tejas Phadke (Siddharth Chandekar), a sharp and relentless police officer. Mrs Deshpande is brought out of jail and placed in a secure bungalow to assist in the investigation. As the search progresses, the mystery of the murders and the killer’s plot deepens.
As the investigation progresses, Seema begins offering sharp insights into the killer’s psychology, often guiding the police toward suspects before they even consider them. Her intelligence and control slowly unsettle Tejas, who suspects she is manipulating the case for personal gain. Meanwhile, Seema’s presence starts affecting those around her, including Tejas’ family, as the case inches closer to home.
What follows is a cat-and-mouse investigation riddled with red herrings, false leads and unsettling psychological insights both into the copycat killer and into Mrs. Deshpande herself.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Story
3. Direction
4. Cinematography
Negatives
1. Length
2. Uneven Screenplay
3. Unnecessary subplots
4. Climax
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this web-series planned to watch in my free time as loved the trailer. Adapted from the French television thriller series La Mante (The Mantis) and In a desperate bid to catch a copycat serial killer, the police turn to the original murderer, Mrs Deshpande who has been incarcerated for the past 25 years.
Crime thrillers captivate audiences with their elements of mystery that maintain their interest. It is the element of curiosity that keeps viewers engaged throughout the narrative. Mrs Deshpande is based on the French thriller La Mante. The story of a famous serial killer who is getting the police’s help to find the murderer who is copying him and making Mumbai frightened. The main idea of the story is very suitable for creating a powerful cat-and-mouse narrative, and the theme of an imprisoned criminal helping law enforcement brings the emotional and psychological tension with it. The strength of this series is rooted in its writing. The narrative is concise and well-crafted. This contributes to an engaging viewing experience. There are several moments in the series that keep you on the edge of your seat. Director Nagesh Kukunoor maintains a clear vision across the three episodes, effectively balancing character development with plot advancement. The director ensures that neither aspect overshadows the other. Furthermore, the direction remains focused throughout. In fact, the pacing of this series is both tight and assured. It allows key scenes to unfold effectively while sustaining overall momentum. Regarding visual impact, thoughtful and atmospheric lighting is employed to enhance the mystery and emotional depth of each scene. The approach keeps the series accessible, though at times it also limits the intensity associated with darker psychological thrillers. Categorized as a psychological crime thriller, the show relies on interrogation sequences, psychological exchanges, and incremental revelations rather than action-driven storytelling. It sets out to explore the uneasy overlap between monstrosity and motherhood, crime and consequence and for the most part, it succeeds, largely on the strength of its leading lady.
Madhuri Dixit delivers a compelling and measured performance as Mrs Deshpande. Instead of relying on dramatic outbursts, she allows her expressive eyes and delivery to convey her character’s depth. Conversely, Priyanshu Chatterjee brings authenticity to the role of ACP Arun Khatri. The actor maintains a consistent balance throughout. Siddharth Chandekar portrays Tejas Phadke with confidence and ease. He is especially effective in his scenes with Madhuri. Their exchanges in the series are layered and captivating, adding depth and tension to the narrative. Their characters are functional to the narrative and maintain pacing, though they are not written to command independent attention. It sustains engagement through consistency rather than escalation. The concluding episode, however, appears compressed, resolving key threads at a quicker pace than the preceding narrative suggests.
The primary drawback of this show is its duration. Some episodes feel elongated, with certain scenes reiterating ideas that have already been established. As a result, the narrative loses its momentum at times. Moments that should resonate powerfully tend to lose their impact. A more concise edit of certain scenes and episodes could have improved the storytelling and provided a more satisfying viewing experience for the audience. The ending feels slightly too predictable; long before the final episode arrives, you can sense where the story is headed. Instead of delivering a truly unsettling payoff, the climax lands with a sense of inevitability, softening what could have been a sharper, more disturbing conclusion. It is more of a miss than a hit, and due to its uneven and languid pacing, it feels significantly longer than it is. It takes all the time in the world to pull off even the most basic twists and feels immensely dragged despite a tight premise. Plus, there’s little subtlety or room for surprise. Drenched in predictability, the show suffers from muddled execution, and often, it’s tough to figure out which direction the story is heading in. Moreover, the formulaic execution devours the show’s interesting ideas. Kukunoor’s direction is assured but restrained, and the screenplay could have benefitted from sharper editing and greater tautness. Certain thematic issues are introduced only to be skimmed over, and a few narrative conveniences are forgiven largely because Dixit’s performance holds the viewer’s attention. In moments, the series relies too heavily on her gravitas to smooth over writing lapses.
Overall, series is a captivating and skillfully crafted crime thriller. It is enhanced by strong writing, clear direction, and Madhuri’s commanding performances. Despite its length that somewhat diminishes the impact, the series remains engaging enough to keep viewers invested. It functions as a straightforward crime thriller that meets genre expectations without attempting to significantly expand them. Its primary distinction lies in its casting and controlled execution rather than innovation. The final reveal may divide opinion, but the journey to the climax is packed with enough twists and psychological tension to keep viewers invested right until the end. My view on this series Recommended.
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