Telugu cinema is known for exploring different themes, but the industry has a tendency towards ruining things by the end of the movie or the television show. Somehow, they like convoluted and outlandish plots that would make the audience lose their hair out of sheer shock. The Mystery of Moksha Island is one such show with eight episodes lined up that explores the themes of family dynamics. The series is directed by Anish Kuruvilla, and the show is a Disney+ Hotstar Original that was released on the platform on September 20, 2024.
The show begins with the death of a renowned doctor and scientist, Dr. Viswak Sen, who used to live on a private island in the Indian Ocean named “Moksha”. ‘Moksha Island,’ is supposed to be his hub for various experiments, but no one is aware of what kind of work he carries out in the secluded place surrounded by dense forest. In the wake of his death, an invitation is sent out to all the members of his family who are his potential heirs to visit his island. This included the children he had from several marriages and relationships over the years. Vicky, the sharpshooter, is the youngest son of Viswak Sen and wants to find out what happened to his sister, who went missing after his mother was killed. Along with him, many other people show up, including his cousins, half siblings, stepbrothers, and stepmother. The property on Moksha Island is now run by Dr. Viswak’s mistress, Maya, who reveals the purpose of bringing the family to the island is for them to stay on it for a week. By the end of the week, all the money and assets that belonged to Dr. Viswak would be distributed equally among everyone who stayed back, and a new CEO for Dr. Viswak Sen’s pharmaceutical company would also be chosen. Are the family members greedy? Will they kill others to increase the share of their inheritance? Was Dr. Viswak Sen a deranged person? All the above questions are answered by the makers and there are many more revelations made as the story progresses.
There is only one word to describe The Mystery of Moksha Island, tacky. The direction by Anish Kuruvilla is just all over the place. His job is to make sure the screenplay and story are well executed, and the actors perform as per his direction. Sadly, this does not happen in the show. The eight episode show attempts to put forward a story with dystopian elements. The direction ends up making it look like Bigg Boss, where several characters come together and try to survive in a place with basically no way to escape. There are also elements from many shows like Kaala Paani and Lost, which feature a group of people trying to survive near-death situations. There are also dysfunctional family aspects that are not explored in depth. The beginning of the show seems tacky, but as the narrative progresses, the premise becomes interesting, and so do the characters. Even though the execution is subpar at best, the story developing into something interesting is what makes the audience remain engaged. The narrative after the second half, especially in the last two episodes, just got bizarre.
Initially there were reasons why people began to disappear, but by the end of it, the makers wanted to go the season finale of Game of Thrones route. The narrative unnecessarily became chaotic, and characters were just dropping like flies. This does not make sense and does not answer the main question, which is, what is Dr. Viswak Sen’s or his mistress’ end goal? The screenplay had some interesting subplots, which were abandoned by the makers halfway through. Suddenly the focus shifted onto some other plotline, after which the characters who were introduced as heirs are not given any relevance in the narrative. There is a narrative about one of the cousins being gay, which is interesting, but it is executed by the makers in the most problematic manner. We appreciate the attempt at inclusivity, but this character deserved better. Also, why does every closeted gay girl or a boy need to be angry and resort to crime because they are not being accepted? This is a horrendous stereotype that should not be propagated. The subplot about a disfigured man in the jungle is not expanded on. Ideally, there should have been a backstory to how this person physically changed. The makers either did not want to deal with the character they introduced or plainly abandoned it as the show needed to be wrapped up quickly. It is the tacky execution of all the important subplots that makes The Mystery of Moksha Island a bizarre watch, and we do not mean that in a good way.
The screenplay only characterizes Dr. Viswak Sen as a bad person through some flashback scenes. These scenes are placed well in the show, but it did not help in keeping the entire product afloat. There is nothing much explained about the ‘villain’ other than him being a psychopath. His back story could have helped us figure out the reasons behind his motives and actions. Dr. Viswak Sen is hardly explored as a despicable villain. The makers, however, included subjects like parents abusing children throughout their lives and how the trauma changes them. Good of the makers to have pointed out this concern. This is the only redeeming part of the show, apart from some subplots that seemed to have potential. The screenplay by Sanjeev Roy and Prasanth Varma lacked sensitivity. There are intimate scenes added just to titillate the audience. As the show is headed towards the climax, many gore scenes are added just for the shock value, which is of no use in the overall narrative.
The Telugu cinema has had a huge problem with dubbing. The dialogue on the screen enunciated by the actors never matches with the dialogue you hear while watching. We don’t know when the makers will take notice of this and work on it. This dystopian slogfest fails to remain interesting after a point, which is sad as the premise had the potential to become something better. The ending of the show is purely chaotic and confusing. Too many things are happening at a time, and it does not give away any definitive answers about the lead characters. Again, several Telugu movies and shows end up having a convoluted ending with twists and turns added just for the sake of it, and most of them do not even make sense. There is no room for an intelligent ending, and most of the time, makers rely on spoon-feeding the audience.
The performances in the show are purely ornamental. None of the actors stood out. The show had the ability to make every character gray and layered, but the direction, tacky screenplay, and performances turned the show into a cocktail that would cause a massive headache. Ashutosh Rana as Dr. Viswak Sen could not save the show as he had to do nothing but appear as the old man who seemingly has a big plan for his family. Priya Anand, as Jhansi could have had an arc with a good conclusion that might have had a decent conclusion; sadly, that did not happen. Her character is wasted, which is tragic.
The Mystery of Moksha Island has a premise that could have been explored in depth without any convulsions, and the makers could have avoided adding commercial elements. Sadly, it ended up becoming a big letdown.
