Mafia is an Indian streaming television series released in the year 2020 directed by Birsa Dasgupta.The series is written by Aniruddha Dasgupta, Rohan Ghose and Aritra Sen. Mafia revolves around the story of a group of friends trying to discover their past as those events have a resonance in their present. They discover the truth through heinous acts exercised by them in the past.[1]

Mafia
GenreThriller
Written by
  • Aniruddha Dasgupta
  • Rohan Ghose
  • Aritra Sen
Directed byBirsa Dasgupta
Starring
Theme music composerNabarun Bose
Country of originIndia
Original languageHindi
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
  • Himanshu Dhanuka
  • Ashok Dhanuka
  • Aritra Sen
  • Parambrata Chattopadhyay
  • Supriyo Sen
  • Rohan Ghose
Production locationIndia
CinematographyGairik Sarkar
EditorSumit Chowdhury
Production companyEskay Movies
Original release
NetworkZEE5

Premise

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Six friends and their partners embark on a bachelor party in the jungles of Madhupur. The group was inseparable during their college years, and Madhupur was their favorite weekend gig. But with time they grew apart. Betrayal, backstabbing and distrust led them on their separate ways.

Five years after their friendship was laid rest in the very place they return, each with a hidden agenda of their own. Centering on the popular parlor game ‘Mafia’, this is a gruesome psychological thriller that will keep its viewers on the edge. The aspects of the game spill out onto the life of its players and they are forced to confront and pay for their crimes.[2]

Cast

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Main

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Production

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Development

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On June 23, 2020, ZEE5 announced that[5] Birsa Dasgupta directed the series alongside Parambrata Chatterjee who produced it.[6] Production companies involved with the series are Eskay Movies, Roadshow Films and EmVeeBee Media (P) Ltd.[7] The series premiered on July 10, 2020.[8] Birsa Dasgupta along with his associate Shaket banerjee, Dop Gairik Sarkar and production designer Riddhie Basak was set to start shoot from the beginning of the year 2020.

Casting

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The show will host stars like Namit Das, Tanmay Dhanania, Saurabh Saraswat, Anindita Bose, Madhurima Roy, Aditya Bakshi, Riddhima Ghosh and Ishaa Saha[9]

Release

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ZEE5 released the official trailer for the show on 27 June 2020 and it premiered on 10 July.[10]

Episodes

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Reunion"Birsa DasguptaAniruddha Dasgupta, Rohan Ghose, Aritra Sen10 July 2020 (2020-07-10)
22"Best Friends"Birsa DasguptaAniruddha Dasgupta, Rohan Ghose, Aritra Sen10 July 2020 (2020-07-10)
33"The Stranger"Birsa DasguptaAniruddha Dasgupta, Rohan Ghose, Aritra Sen10 July 2020 (2020-07-10)
44"Addiction"Birsa DasguptaAniruddha Dasgupta, Rohan Ghose, Aritra Sen10 July 2020 (2020-07-10)
55"Robinhood"Birsa DasguptaAniruddha Dasgupta, Rohan Ghose, Aritra Sen10 July 2020 (2020-07-10)
66"Lust"Birsa DasguptaAniruddha Dasgupta, Rohan Ghose, Aritra Sen10 July 2020 (2020-07-10)
77"Split"Birsa DasguptaAniruddha Dasgupta, Rohan Ghose, Aritra Sen10 July 2020 (2020-07-10)
88"Vendetta"Birsa DasguptaAniruddha Dasgupta, Rohan Ghose, Aritra Sen10 July 2020 (2020-07-10)

Critical reception

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Mafia received mixed reviews from critics. Gripping narrative and thrilling plot shifts of the series were highlighted and appreciated.

The Indian Express explained that the series offered unlimited thrill that would always keep you at the edge of your seat.[11]

Shikha Desai from Times Of India rated the series 3 out of 5 stars and wrote Its the plot which makes the series watchable however she had qualms with the execution for which she stated could have been better.[12] Pratishruti Ganguly from Firstpost stated the execution of series as confusing, and wrote that the series shows glimmers of excellent plot but the conclusion disappoints.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Birsa's web series". anandabazar.com.
  2. ^ "Mafia". timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
  3. ^ "Namit Das decodes how 'Mafia' will bring the thriller game alive". telanganatoday.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Namit Das, Ishaa Saha, Ridhima Ghosh, Anindita Bose, Tanmay Dhanania, Saurabh Saraswat, Madhurima Roy, Sayan Banerjee in ZEE5's Mafia". iwmbuzz.com.
  5. ^ "Mafia: ZEE5's latest entry in the thriller genre". theenvoyweb.com.
  6. ^ "Mafia queen Anindita Bose". telegraphindia.com.
  7. ^ "Namit Das & Madhurima Roy in Zee5 Series Mafia!". indiaforums.com.
  8. ^ "ZEE5 original thriller drama MAFIA Teaser Out Now!". boxofficeindia.co.in.
  9. ^ "Zee-5 is bringing a new crime series 'Mafia', based on the famous game of the same name". jagran.com.
  10. ^ "ZEE5's mystery drama thriller Mafia featuring Namit Das to premiere on July 10". indiatvnews.com.
  11. ^ "When wilderness unravels unlimited thrill: 'MAFIA', a hard-hitting web series on ZEE5, tells the tale of betrayal & deception". The Indian Express. 11 July 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020 – via MSN.
  12. ^ "Mafia Season 1 Review: A tale of a reunion gone wrong".
  13. ^ "Mafia review: ZEE5 thriller series is unable to rise above its confusing execution". Firstpost. 13 July 2020.
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