Red tapism is a common jargon associated with government offices. Nonetheless, the term is as inevitable as the necessary visits to these offices. SonyLIV’s very first Malayalam web drama Jai Mahendran brings to the table such encounters experienced by many people all over the country alike. This is titular actor Saiju Kurup’s debutant series directed by Srikanth Mohan and written by Rahul Riji Nair. Besides Saiji Kurup, the script writer, too, runs as the co-star in the series and the other lead actors are the versatile Suhasini Maniratnam (as Tahasildar Shoba), Balachandran Chullikad (as Tahasildar Shibu), Suresh Krishna and Miya George (as Priya, wife of Mahendran).
The narrative is based in a fictional taluk office in Palazhikulam, Thiruvananthapuram where the reins of the Taluk office are taken up by deputy Tahasildar Mahendran G since the Tahasildar Shibu is retiring.
The narrative is based in a fictional taluk office in Palazhikulam, Thiruvananthapuram where the reins of the Taluk office are taken up by deputy Tahasildar Mahendran G since the Tahasildar Shibu is retiring. As a member of the political party, he is active as the president of the employees association. With his political connections, he could get many things done without much effort, say for instance, get some papers cleared or moved at his beck and call. He utilises this to serve his superiors and co-workers to gain their favours and interest.
It is also important to understand that he is also a kind and compassionate government servant for the many commoners that visit the Taluk. Though also, at times, he cunningly uses his power to punish those who don’t please him.
Mahendran representing the stereotypical government servants
Though all the government servants cannot be universally labelled as lazy and inefficient, the experience for majority of the laymen is not different. Thus, the main theme is focused on the behavior and mode of operation of civil servants and public offices. The taluk-goers mostly common people without any power or support are simply left at the mercy of the officers there. This compels them to act in a certain way as shown in the series or they will need to visit the office a greater number of times.
This is exactly what happens to the man who comes to collect his genunity certificate from Menaka’s desk; even when he visits the office for the seventh time, she will not grant him his certificate. When this is the treatment meted out to him from a lower division clerk, the rest is imaginable.
Mahendran, while reigning as the all-in-all in the taluk office as deputy tahasildar, decides the designation of his co-workers and assigns his rivals to the dusty space of the record room far removed from the happenings of the office. He also happens to get the new lower division clerk transferred to an undesirable location just because he is unwilling to join Mahendran’s party employees association. Even when things are such, Mahendran also has his good side, he is compassionate to the poor and aged people who come to the office.
Even when things are such, Mahendran also has his good side, he is compassionate to the poor and aged people who come to the office.
He arranges for their demands and request with steadiness and gets them done. Thus, most of the scenes inside the office suggest how the procedure and signature of a single civil servant can also oblige the needy people to give them gifts, treats or fee waivers.
Use of satire to scorn corruption
Mahendran and his usual ways are interrupted with the retirement of Shibu since Shobha joins as the new tahasildar. She being a strong and independent woman with ethics, makes sure all procedures are followed as in the protocol, so that their are work is legitimate. This leads to a few conflicts between them until they ultimately end up in a corruption case in a vigilance raid.
It puts an end to their beliefs since neither corruption nor ethics cannot help them out of this. It is a veiled satire directed towards all those civil servants who believe that they are extremely powerful and no one can beat them. They are powerful only as long they enjoy their privileges and as soon as they are relieved of their job, they are forcefully stripped of all these.
As a whole, the web drama Jai Mahendran is a satire on how the government system works, interrupted by politics. Also, in between this, come a number of people who work hard to become popular and the media who are after sensational news. And, the final reality is everything works only when one serves the most powerful; therefore, the race for power keeps on going.
The organic making of Jai Mahendran
Though many web dramas are released every day, most of them lack an organic nature. But Jai Mahendra is a series that is so organic and natural that the audience is enraptured by it. The different characters, their order of appearance and the situations that bind them, all go well together. Rahul Riji Nair and Saiju Kurup has done an exemplary task in leading the narrative without any loss of interest. They act with versatility which is much needed for such roles.
For instance, the body language, way of talking and dressing style of Mahendran is the one directly resembling any civil servant occupying a significant position which all of us may have noticed. Events also occur one after the other without artificiality. Though each episode is short, the eagerness to watch them one after another at a single go is high.
Events also occur one after the other without artificiality. Though each episode is short, the eagerness to watch them one after another at a single go is high.
One of the problems surrounding the web drama Jai Mahendran is that none of the episodes delve deeper into the issues. Each episode peripherally touches and leaves out the details, though this is never felt deeply. Yet, for a new viewer unfamiliar with the scenario, it might not be enlightening. In the middle of the drama, events happen so quickly that the viewers are a little confused as to how or why they happen. Therefore, the script and story line should have been improved a little more. The character of Shoba played by Suhasini Maniratnam should have been assigned a few more scenes and effective dialogues.
Altogether, Jai Mahendran is an instant hit, gaining more popularity each day and it can be thoroughly enjoyed as a pleasurable watch without much thought, helping to release individual frustrations due to personal experiences at public offices. In addition, it is also a take on how things matter to a civil servant and to what extent they can proceed to retrieve whatever they have lost.
Mahendran’s change towards the end realising the nature of the world around him by becoming more flexible and grounded is revolutionary. Priya’s role in Mahendran’s change is also interesting to watch. And, doubtlessly it is a major drama to be considered with its direction, script, acting and the choice of actors.
