Navarasa is an Indian anthology TV series by Mani Ratnam, produced under the banners of Madras Talkies and Qube Cinema Technologies. The series is actually a collection of nine standalone episodes. These episodes are based on the concept of Navarasas (an Indian concept that means nine emotions).
Cast: Vijay Sethupati, Suriya, Manikuttan, Arvind Swami, Siddharth, Revathi, Atharvaa, Anjali, Sananth, Bobby Simha, Yogi Babu, Parvathy Thirovothu, Prakash Raj, Aditi Balan, Menon, Gautham Vasudev, Prasanna, Shamna Kasim, Rohini, Riythvika, Prayaga Martin, Ramya Nambeesan, Delhi Ganesh and Nedumudi Venu.
Writers: Mani Ratnam, Arvind Swami, Pattukkottai Prabakar, Selvaa, Mohan Karky, Someetharan, Arpita Chatterjee.
Navarasa is a 9 episode series that was originally released in the Tamil language. The idea of creating Navarasa struck Mani Ratnam’s mind when he was indulged in social service amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The release of the series also marked the digital debut for Mani Ratnam.
It was one of the most anticipated series in the Tamil entertainment industry due to the star cast that included several superstars.
Where to watch: The series was released on August 6, 2021 and it is available for streaming on Netflix.
Premise: The 9 episodes are based on different emotions or “Rasa” like anger, courage, fear, disgust, fear, love, peace, and compassion.
Rating: The series has received 3 stars on average by different reviewers and critics. This itself indicates that despite the big names associated with it, Navarasa is an average series. However, it isn’t that bad, considering it was Mani Ratnam’s first digital project.
The humongous task of portraying 9 different “Rasa” was too big for the five-hour anthology. Mani Ratnam and Jayendra Pachapakesan are the two main minds behind the series. They have done well as far as storytelling is concerned.
The main intention behind creating Navarasa was to support the film industry workers impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This explains such a big cast and even bigger support team. However, Covid-19 didn’t factor into the storyline in any of the 9 episodes.
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Two of the most impressive films in the series are those portraying Agni and Roudram. Revathy and Vijay Sethupathi shine in Edhiri, whereas Parvathy Thiruvoth and Siddharth are successful in establishing an emotional connection with the audience in May. These 4 movies based on 4 different ‘Rasas’ did well in grabbing the audience’s attention.
Edhiri is the opening film. It means Enemy. The film is based on Karuna ras or compassion. Edhiri has been directed by Bejoy Nambiar and hits the right chords. However, as the movie progresses, it appears to be losing the plot and slightly deviating from the emotion of Compassion to anger and violence.
Sethupati features as the murderer in the film, whereas Revathy plays the wife of the victim (Prakash Raj). This explains the story of the entire series. It also portrays the feeling of remorse, but it doesn’t last with one character for a long time. Characters appear to be falling apart, and the plot looks directionless at times. Prakash Raj, however, looks impressive in his cameo performance.
The movie that fell directly under the firing range of critics is Summer Of `92: Hasya/Laughter by Priyadarshan. As per the reviews, the film is nothing close to being funny. The talent of Yogi Babu and Nedumudi Venu is wasted. While Babu plays a version of himself, Venu features as a school principal looking for a match for his daughter (Ramya Nambeesan).
One particular movie that has done well in portraying the correct emotion is Project Agni: Adbhuta/Wonder. Directed by Karthick Naren, the movie is also a tribute to Christopher Nolan. Arvind Swamy and Prasanna are the lead characters in the movie. Swamy invites Prasanna, an ISRO employee, to share with him the findings of his research on the human subconscious. Swamy’s obsession with the urge to see things beyond human intelligence displeases Prasanna. This one is a delightful film to watch despite all the loose ends in the plot.
To conclude, the series is very uneven, with two films being really good, while others are failing to live up to the expectations. For those in love with binge-watching, this might not be the right series to go with. You can watch individual films separately as there isn’t a lot to miss.
