Mukti review: Ritwick Chakraborty's series would have been more impactful in movie format

3/5

A deputy jailor Ramkinkar (Ritwick Chakraborty) is transferred to Midnapore jail to bring some reform. However, since he is just a junior to the ruthless deputy jailor Alfred Petty, can Ramnikar manage to go against him? Will he? If yes, how?

Bengal sure has some patriotism stories to share and Mukti is another of them. Set in a British prison, this series focuses on how stubborn the Indian rebels were back then. It talks about power in detail and just how scary the consequences of that power could be.

The series is introduced as it plays around with the camera angles to introduce the lead character, deputy jailor Ramkinkar, played by Ritwick Chakraborty. The episode explores Bengal's special association with football during the British era.

It goes on at a good pace and focuses on exactly what it needs to convey. If the makers want to leave you baffled, they do so with conviction, at least in the first episode.

Ritwick slays in his role with his expressions. You are sure to grow fond of him from the first episode itself. Arjun Chakrabarti and he dominate the series with the strong morals their characters have.

Arjun's entry to the series is much welcomed. He makes his entry like a hero and does heroic tasks soon after. His character, Dibakar, has strong morals that will make you want to laud him every single time.

Along with morals, these revolutionaries also have strong relationships, whether friendship or love, which are established as the series progresses.

As mentioned previously, the camera angles and slow-mo shots combined with music make for quite a scene in the first episode of the series. Thus, the take-off for Mukti is smooth.

By the second episode, the music dramatizes the show. However, what I like about the series is that it keeps the reality of how mean the Britishers treated Indians intact. Seeing the revolutionaries trying to change the world is heartwarming and worth the praise.

The series does take a dramatic turn mid-way, especially thanks to the music. This effect takes away from what is a powerful scene.

It is remarkable how the series managed to show women as revolutionary leaders as well, when many other films or series tend to gloss over the fact that there were many women, revolutionary leaders, back in the day too.

As is the case with many series these days, the story goes on in circles, as if it is stuck in a loop. While the makers had an interesting concept and good methods of execution, nobody wants to see the same story being repeated over and over again.

While most actors are brilliant, some of them overact, which does not help the already-sinking series. Thanks to the same storyline being told at least through seven different incidents by episode six, you lose interest in the show.

Very small developments happen, like Parva (Dibakar's lover) making a surprise visit to Ramkinkar's home, leaving you hopeful, but mainly, the series keeps on dragging to a point where you no longer feel intrigued to know what will happen next. Petty's nightmare scene also leaves little impact on the show.

Much like you expect from the series, it adapts the Lagaan formula-the Britisher out of India for a match (here, football). The makers might have thought that it might have piqued people's interest again, but honestly, what more can one show?

As the series reaches its end, it only makes you wonder why it couldn't be made into a film. Then the story would probably have been more crisp and impactful rather than running in circles.

The series' climax scene is slightly different from all the sports dramas you have seen so far. It comes quite close to Chak De India's emotions but takes it a notch above through the visuals. However, that too lasts just for one episode—the last one.

I love how Mukti manages to invoke a sense of patriotism from time to time. However, the problem with this Ritwick Chakraborty-Arjun Chakrabarti starrer is that it is a series when it could have been way more impactful as a film. Since it is a series, various elements have been stretched and the story runs in circles between the stubborn rebels and the mean officers.