Richa Chadha stands out amid powerhouse performances

In politics, Uttar Pradesh is a crucial state. It’s populous, houses a chunk of Lok Sabha seats; a crucible of ideologies and caste affiliations. In this patriarchal system rises a woman from the shadows of poverty to become the state’s chief minister. ‘Madam Chief Minister’ charts this journey.

While one must appreciate the makers for releasing it amidst the pandemic and uncertainty, 'Madam Chief Minister' would have done better as a series. The reason for this argument is that the film has three plots: Tara’s (Richa Chadha) rise in the world of politics, the challenges she faces when her mentor passes away and her struggles when she faces threats from her inner circle.

The last part in fact gives a different dimension to the story. These phases would have worked better as episodes of a gripping series with their fair share of 'controversies’. The story is about a woman from a lower caste under the mentorship of a person revered as “masterji”, who fights for the rights of the community.

The ‘Thank you’ credit to current UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath is intriguing. A dialogue between two characters, where one tells the other that the person who comes to power in UP is the one who builds temples and not a metro, is akin to rubbing salt in the wounds.

'Madam Chief Minister' is a full house of power-packed performers with Saurabh Shukla and Manav Kaul in their elements, but Richa outshines them all.

She embodies the character to the core that at a point one could ask: Is that Richa?