What Is the Story About?
Masterpeace follows a newly married couple and their woes as they lead an unconventional family. Binoy is a determined yet struggling businessman, and Ria, is a dedicated homemaker who are married to each other. They try hard to not just solve their own marital issues but also handle their overbearing parents and their persistent interference.
Performances?
The lead actors of the show Nitya Menen and Sharafudheen try their level best to portray the eccentricities of Ria and Binoy, a couple strained by not just their marital problems but also by their parent’s overbearing and toxic nature. But, they do not appear cut to the tee for the respective roles. They don’t look like a part of the world Sreejith & team created.
Analysis
Sreejith N’s latest Disney+Hotstar outing ‘Masterpeace’ appears to be a wacky romantic comedy on the outside, but takes some solid effort in putting a lot of criticism on the institution of marriage.
Masterpeace opens to Riya and Binoy having a very nasty brawl with the former pointing a knife at the latter. We get it, the show is going to be too loud and on the nose. We then have ‘the parents’ from either side entering into their lives for giving unsolicited advice. Very predictable.
In an apparent step to ‘fix’ the cracks in their child’s relationship, the dominant parent from both sides start clashing with the other and things get worse. In this story it’s Riya’s father Kuriachan who goes on loggerheads with Binoy’s mother Aniyamma. This is how the story basically progresses. Whatever happens next is not a labyrinth to solve, but something that’s predictable from the word go.
Masterpeace succeeds in representing Desi Parents and their never diminishing toxicity when it comes to their own household and that of their children’s. You’d see many Kuriachan’s and Aniyamma’s everyday around you, trying to dominate their own partners, interfere in personal lives of their kith & kin, and proudly be flag-bearers of patriarchy and casteism.
The show mirrors how toxic family culture and marriages work with the illusionary notion of ‘everything looking clean from the outside, no matter how shallow on the inside’ and often mocks it every now and then. Lest not forget the nosy behaviour of many parents to butt in their children’s family lives too.
But, all of this is said and done in just first 3 episodes of Masterpeace. For the rest of the duration the show keeps reiterating the same commentary over and over to break decibels of preachiness. Some of the actors are badly under-used and un-convincing in a way that’s concerning to the engagement-meter of the show.
To be concise, Masterpeace dissects the marital life of three toxic couples with good effort. It does make a lot of valid points but the weight is not carried forward. The situational comedy partly works, but is largely unfunny. The dialogues don’t land either. Nevertheless, as a novel attempt in the malayalam OTT-scape, Masterpeace does win some points. It’s wackiness, camera work and music hits the nail big-time.
Other Artists?
Ashokan and Mala Parvathi are the best two things about this show. While Ashokan asserts his effortless comic timing and finesse like nobody’s business, Mala Parvathi smoothly glides into the shoes of that ‘over-interfering and annoying parent’ or in-law we’ve seen around us. She sometimes get too annoying, and hence she’s too good for the part. If not for these two, the situational comedy would’ve been far off the hook.
Shanthi Krishna tries her best, but unfortunately the writing doesn’t help her much to flex those otherwise strong acting muscles, while the less said about Renji Panicker, the better.
Music and Other Departments?
Bijibal’s music complements Aslam K Purayil’s cinematography seamlessly. The wes-anderson-esque production design, symmetry and frames the Sreejith & team was going for comes across as deliciously wacky and novel to a certain point, but the sheer repetitiveness of the frames do hamper the story telling a bit.
Highlights?
Asokan and Mala Parvathi
Commentary on Toxic Marriages
Music & Camera work
Drawbacks?
Too Overlong
Too Preachy
Dialogues
Repetitive screenplay
Badly sketched main lead characters
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in very few parts.
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, but with huge huge reservations.
Masterpeace Series Review by Binged Bureau
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