Paurashpur Review: This Period Drama About Gender Politics Is The Best Series To Binge-Watch This New Year’s Eve

The most awaited ZEE5 series has finally released and it seems to have exceeded all our expectations. Based on a fictional kingdom from medieval India, Paurashpur on ZEE5 is essentially a period drama. The series is a must-watch for people who want to watch something that’s unique and for fans of historical fiction. The show begins with a narration about the kingdom, where women are suppressed and have harsh rules thrust upon them, like always catering to the men, giving up their lives after their husband’s death, etc.

Watch the trailer here:

The opening scene has great cinematography. Also, the whole show has been shot really well. In the opening scene, we see a woman breaking the rule set for widows and having an affair with another man. What follows is a scene that gives a really ominous feel and manages to get our undivided attention. The woman is killed for the ‘crime’ by her own people, as the kingdom’s rules say.

The title sequence of the show is well-edited and the music suits the backdrop. What then begins, is a saga of politics, lust, greed, and a big conspiracy. We are introduced to the tale of King Bhadrapratap (Annu Kapoor), who despite being in old age is deeply submerged in his lust. Queen Meerawati (Shilpa Shinde) is his first wife and is shown loyal to the kingdom. The king’s other wives from his many marriages have all gone missing and that forms the crux of the story. Annu Kapoor’s performance as the misogynist king is brilliant. He performs so well, that we instantly start hating his character. 

The king does not bother looking for his lost wives, rather, to satisfy his lust keeps marrying new women. We are introduced to the rest of his family during his wedding. Prince Aditya (Anant Joshi), the eldest son of Queen Meerawati, Princess Kusumlata (Kashish Rai), Aditya’s wife, and Prince Ranveer (Aditya Lal), the younger son of the Queen. We also see the dance teacher Bhanu (Sahil Salathia) and leading the dance ceremony, Boris (Milind Soman). Every character is introduced well, but the best entry by far in the show is of Boris.

After the wedding, we see that the new queen is subjected to the king’s wrath after failing to satisfy his lust. Later, an unknown masked entity enters the kingdom and a small search-and-kill ensues. Amidst all this, like the previous queens, the new queen also vanishes mysteriously from the kingdom. Malhar Pandya plays the role of the Senapati of the kingdom and his stance and actions make him a perfect fit in the role.

Also read: Paurushpur: Here Is Why We Think Milind Soman Is a Real-Life Boris Who Supports Women Empowerment

Later in the show, we also find that the elder prince is not in love with his wife. His wife, Princess Kusumlata, is always unsatisfied and is not scared to be sarcastic in front of the queen. Kashish Rai has acted that part really well and the way she delivers her lines will make everyone fall in love with her character. The younger prince is an artist and a lover of arts. He also loves his muse, who is the queen’s maid, Kala (Poulomi Das). When the queen finds out about this, she is not happy with the fact that her son, a prince, would want to marry a maid. Hence, showing her merciless political side, she lures the king to marry Kala to satisfy his lust.

 

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Also read: Paurashpur: If You Loved Game Of Thrones, Here Are 5 Reasons You’re Going to Love This New ZEE5 Period Drama

Further, we also see that the queen herself is not loyal to the king and has an affair with Bhanu. Bhanu is also shown to have more than one love affair – another with Prince Aditya, who is then revealed to be homosexual, and another, with Boris! The queen, then finding out about Aditya, is left shocked and decides to show more of her evil side. We see that things that mostly occupy her mind, are kingdom and politics, and she manages to win it all.

We also see Shaheer Sheikh’s character, Veer the vyapari, make an entry like a boss. Right from the scene when he appears in the show, he owns the scenes he is in. Boris’ scenes of a head-to-head conversation with the king are very well-written. The dialogues written there, are strong and fitting. From scenes of Boris being the bravest and being the only one who can answer the king, to seeing him being powerless in an identity crisis, Milind Soman gives an absolutely masterful and applaud-worthy performance.

Shilpa Shinde’s portrayal of Queen Meerawati is too good. Besides her stature as a queen, we also her dark shades in this role, and she has excelled in them. Annu Kapoor gives a very believable and terrifying performance as King Bhadrapratap. This unique role for him is yet another feather in his hat of being a versatile actor. Poulomi Das’s acting is also noteworthy. Her expressions when being a lover or when being powerless tell her complete story to the audience. Sahil Salathia’s postures and movements as a dance teacher are superb. Kashish Rai, as the sarcastic and fearless princess, breathes life into her role. Her dialogue deliveries and expressions are amazing. Aditya Lal and Anant Joshi also perfected their roles. They also had places where their roles demanded a lot many emotions from them and they nailed the parts.

Shachindra Vats has given a masterful direction. It is already tough to direct a period drama, but that being a long show, is tougher. Shachindra Vats achieves the feat effortlessly. The scenes where we see Queen Meerawati observing her ploys unfolding are directed very well. The cinematography, editing, and background music all successfully add to the periodic and conspiring theme of the show.

With even more politics coming into play, people from the royal family going missing, and a huge conspiracy behind all disappearances revealing itself, this show is an exhilarating watch and we suggest you include it in your list of must-watch. 

Watch Paurashpur on ZEE5.