<p>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.</p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>'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.</p>.<p>She embodies the character to the core that at a point one could ask: Is that Richa?</p>
<p>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.</p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>'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.</p>.<p>She embodies the character to the core that at a point one could ask: Is that Richa?</p>