Seen ‘Mrs Deshpande’, The Serial Killer?

Mrs Deshpande (Season 1, India, 2025) Hindi Series is a fascinating crime drama about serial killers. And what is the most interesting aspect of this Indian female-led show is the fact that she is an anti-heroine.

Series Review [Spoiler-Free]: Mrs Deshpande (Season 1, India, 2025) Hindi

In FOCUS: On a Cat-and-Mouse Game Among Cops, a Lady Serial Killer & Her Killer Copycat

Series Poster

Madhuri Dixit portrays the protagonist, Mrs Deshpande, who is a serial killer. It is really interesting to see that after the advent of streaming services, even mainstream Indian movie stars have started to play negative characters.

[Behind a mask of beauty lies a darkness she is ready to unleash.]

Series Synopsis

Police seek help from an imprisoned serial killer, Mrs Deshpande (Madhuri Dixit), to catch a copycat murderer mimicking her methods.

Inspired By

‘Mrs Deshpande’, this 2025 Indian show seemed to be inspired by the original ‘La Mante’ (2017) French Series. In that miniseries with six episodes, a serial killer, dubbed ‘La Mante’, decides to assist the French police authorities when a sequence of murders that replicate her approach suddenly surfaces. Another K-Drama titled ‘Queen Mantis’ (The Mantis: Original Sin/2025) Series also follows a similar storylines.

Positives & Negatives

➕ Nagesh Kukunoor has written and directed this Indianized version of this Hindi crime drama quite well. In fact, he has moved the setting of this gripping crime tale to Pune and Mumbai.

[We had reviewed Nagesh Kukunoor's directed 'The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case' (2025/India) Series in our Focus Magazine, so check that out too.]

➕ One more positive aspect of the show is that it has a twisted plotline. Besides, its two writers have successfully adapted and tweaked the French story to the Indian milieu and culture.

So, you might find that both the serial killers freely use the locally available ingredients, tools, gears and weapons to carry out the murder in an Indian style. Furthermore, they justify their murders as a necessity.

➕ We liked the use of sepia-coloured flashbacks to tell the backstory of the ‘Zeenat’ and how she became a serial killer. And in the context of India, how can a sweet-looking mother be a killer?

➖ ‘Mrs Deshpande’ is a slow-burning mystery tale that requires a little bit of patience from the viewers. In addition, we could correctly guess the plotline of this crime drama, as it seemed to be a predictable.

➕ In a major casting coup, Nagesh has managed to get the versatile actress Madhuri Dixit to essay the challenging role of a serial killer. And, we think she has played ‘Mrs Deshpande’ wonderfully.

➖ The justification angle for all the murders (serial killings) by the ‘Mrs Deshpande’ seemed unwarranted and a bit excessive. Maybe it was done to portray ‘Madhuri’ as the ‘anti-heroine’, who is also a mother.

➕ The lead actress, Madhuri, is very well supported by the ensemble cast. We liked the performances of Priyanshu Chatterjee, Diksha Juneja, Nimisha Nair, Sulakshana Joglekar, Vishwas Kini, etc.

Series Rating

Conclusion

The open-ended ending of this drama really surprised us. Maybe its writers have thought about Season 2 and decided to shock us with a cliffhanger. So, now we have to eagerly wait for the upcoming second season to learn the shared destinies of the two key characters. To find out what the future holds for Mrs Deshpande (Madhuri Dixit) and Tejas Phadke (Siddharth Chandekar), as their fates are intertwined.

Mainly for Nagesh Kukunoor and Madhuri Dixit, we have watched this entertaining Hindi series, Mrs Deshpande. Our only wish is to make its screenplay a much tighter and thrilling one in future.

Key Details

Series Trailer

[YouTube Video Clip Link - Hotstar Specials: Mrs Deshpande | Madhuri Dixit | JioHotstar]

Poster & Featured Image of Mrs Deshpande (Season 1/2025) Hindi Series | Pictures Credit: JioHotstar.