Written by: Rajiv G. Menon
Directed by: Nagesh Kukunoor
Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Siddharth Chandekar, Diksha Juneja, Kavin Dave, Nimisha Nair, Pradeep Velankar, Priyanshu Chatterjee
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Release Date: 19 December 2025
Episodes: 6
Rating: 3/5
Mrs Deshpande Review: Madhuri Dixit’s highly anticipated thriller series finally arrives on OTT, and while it largely rests on her formidable presence, the results are clever and compelling.
Madhuri Dixit As Mrs Deshpande
Madhuri Dixit brings to Mrs Deshpande a concentrated, almost regal intensity, an aura that suggests certain characters arrive in her body already fully formed. Across decades and wildly different emotional landscapes, Dixit has displayed a rare elasticity of presence, the kind that makes performance feel like revelation.
In Mrs Deshpande, Nagesh Kukunoor’s Indian adaptation of the French mini-series La Mante, Dixit once again proves her command. The series unfolds patiently, peeling back its layers with the promise of psychological depth and moral unease. At its best, the show creates a chilly atmosphere, one that draws the viewer in and holds attention through mood rather than shock. It is clearly engineered for a mainstream OTT audience: accessible, binge-friendly, and careful not to alienate.
Mrs Deshpande Finale
Yet that caution becomes the show’s biggest limitation. The ending feels slightly too predictable; long before the final episode arrives, you can sense where the story is headed. Instead of delivering a truly unsettling payoff, the climax lands with a sense of inevitability, softening what could have been a sharper, more disturbing conclusion.
The editing, in particular, stands out. In some moments, it is tight and effective, heightening tension through clean cuts and parallel storytelling. In others, it draws attention to itself, nudging the audience toward conclusions rather than allowing dread to unfold organically. Similarly, the bold use of instrumental music often undercuts the drama.
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Even when Mrs Deshpande stumbles, Dixit holds it together. Her restrained performance, marked by dignity and a quietly unsettling calm, keeps the series engaging. The show may play it safe, but with Dixit at its centre, it never feels throwaway.
Mrs Deshpande is a slick, engaging thriller that knows its audience and plays to familiar beats. It doesn’t fully exploit the darkness of its premise, but it remains worth watching—for Madhuri Dixit, if nothing else.
Madhuri Dixit starrer Mrs Deshpande is available to stream on JioHotstar.
