ZEE5’s latest exclusive title, to be made available for streaming for free on November 18, 2022, is Country Mafia, starring notable actors like Ravi Kishan, Soundarya Sharma, Anshumaan Pushkar, Anita Raaj, and Satish Kaushik. The ‘direct-to-digital’ series has been directed by Shashank Raai and produced by Deepak Gupta and Balendu Dixit under the banner of production house Gold Harvest Film.

The series run lasts approximately 22-25 minutes per episode, with 7 episodes narrating the first part of the storyline. Running amok in this political thriller is the theme of bloodthirsty vengeance. Ajay (Pushkar) and Nannu (Sharma) are two young IAS aspirants in Bihar whose life molds them into something unimaginable once tragedy strikes their family. The two embark on a murderous path, driven by their appetite for a vendetta against the liquor baron, Babban Rai (Kishan).

ZEE5 describes the series as follows:

Siblings Ajay and Nannu aspire to become IAS officers. But fate seems to have other plans, as they get pulled into a revenge spree against Bihar’s Liquor Baron Babban for murdering their father.

-Country Mafia Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-

Taking a dive into the liquor mafia world ruled by Babban Rai, Ajay and Nannu’s lives are entangled in a lethal mess after their father’s murder under his orders. Their mother, Mamta (Raaj), pushes them further into the ruthless world of red without giving it a second thought. And just like many paths to vengeance are unclear and nonlinear, Country Mafia presents the same disorder in packing grief and the need to exact revenge as synonymous entities with its inadequacy.

As pointed out by Raaj’s character, the show doesn’t highlight the usual fight between Good and Evil; rather, it’s more about who adorns the greater evil, especially in a crime-ridden society like theirs, where the struggle for survival isn’t a piece of cake. The overt presentation of the storyline is a gripping sequence; however, the series falls apart despite the numerous veteran actors in the mix.

They play their strong-headed bits as the lacking plot demands of them, ultimately producing one-dimensional and single-minded roles. The build-up is lacking and never quite makes up for the angst driving Pushkar and Sharma’s characters. They jump the gun straightaway without giving us an insight into their respective and individual psyches. They’re merely fleshed out as a thoughtless extension of their mother’s need for payback.

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Their reluctant indignation at being compelled to join the narrative is barely spoken about. Almost every character hides behind the explosive muzzle blasts of the ongoing warfare, but their dilemma’s human essence is never highlighted.

Music plays to accentuate emotion at certain junctures, but it’s severely abrupt, out of place, and unprompted. Furthermore, shooting sequences have no emotional connection. All actors involved spew gaudy abuses in tandem, but that’s not enough to contain the vengeful wrath of either of the clashing parties, especially since the action itself is bleak.

In the midst of it all, new characters are thrown in when there’s no need, thus adding nothing to the broth despite their flashy heroic countenances. The same introductions are cast aside just as quickly, making you wonder what role they were meant to serve in the plot.

Country Mafia: Final Thoughts

The renowned group of actors can’t pull the story off the ground because their portrayals are inadequately characterized. The clash is unfeeling even when the two absolute rivals finally meet head-on. Making it all about outward grand explosions, every innate action in the series presents itself to be limiting and unworthy.

Throughout the seven-episode run, everyone is constantly in motion, but still, there’s no progression. All threads remain untied, and the first few episodes aren’t vocal enough to instill a strong sense of trepidation in the viewer for the antagonist. As we move on, the victimized family’s purpose and intent slacken and never assume a full-fledged, well-rounded track of retribution. The cause for their fight is never established as an emotionally stimulating objective, and the series adopts the image of engaging in armed violence to fuel the ongoing thematic vision (prevalent in the mainstream) of the Indian state as a sight for criminal activities, which again is never delved into holistically.

Country Mafia is streaming on ZEE5 for free.

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