On August 16, two well-known Indian OTT giants announced a path-breaking collaboration. The pronouncement involved AltBalaji and ZEE5 coming together and partaking in the co-creation of 60 projects. The collaboration will prove to be fruitful for both platforms as it takes Indian narratives to a global page.
Cast confirms
MOM (Mission over Mars) went live on September 10, 2019. It is a fictionalised saga of the real ‘Mangalyaan’. The series has given feminism some extra flavour, giving Indian women a deserving round of applause.
According to celebrated TV star Sakshi Tanwar, the lead protagonist, who essays the role of Nandita Hariprasad’, “The woman has been portrayed in a very positive light in Mission Over Mars. She isn’t only a snooty career oriented scientific geek, or just a homemaker, but is also a great wife and a great mother.
The Indian woman has fearlessly adapted to changes and has efficaciously learnt to shift gears. She also strives hard at delivering the best in every role played by her.”
Plotters pot
The Vinay Waikul-directed series revolves around the lives of four women scientists who give their all to make the mission a success. At first the motives could seem personal, but as the series evolves we learn that the intentions are patriotically driven.
Four women (who have polar opposite personalities) come together to combat all the challenges delivered by the Delhi High Command, to beat China, and give India the recognition it deserves in the field of science and astrophysics.
Moshmi Ghose (role played by Mona Singh), is the bull-headed sorts. She is a go-getter, and has an undying spirit. However, she has a number of misses to her ‘credit’, and sadly her team-members only know her for that! But she is all out to turn tables more advantageously to the country’s favour.
She does have shortcomings, but doesn’t let her ego come in the way of her love for the mission and her country. She is amusingly accused of poaching members from her ex-husband’s team, who willingly gives in to her passion towards the project.
Meghan Reddy, played by Palomi Ghosh, is a comical character who uses her wit to steer the plot very progressively. She has been poached by Moushmi to get onto the Mission Over Mars project. Neetu Sinha played by Nidhi Singh, very efficiently fills in all the blanks of the project, giving M.O.M the required back-up to see it orbiting at the right time.
The three women are led by Nandita Hariprasad, whose calm demeanour helps them overcome all challenges. The interesting bit is how these women have braved severe budget cuts, giving this mission the real Indian flavour.
The writers Sambit Mishra and Vinay Waikul have penned dialogues that are positively moving. One can see the grit that comes in to make the project for real, and makes the series a huge success.
Soumik Mukerjee’s cinematography suffered a bit, misleading audiences by not incorporating appropriate cues in some places. The post-production team too hasn’t been able to cover the gaps concerning photography.
All in all, this is every binge-watcher’s delight.
Rating: ***
