When it's not spouting excessive maths jargon -- algorithm alone is uttered a zillion times -- too many characters with too little context crowd the scenes and turn Maa Ka Sum into a slog, observes Sukanya Verma.
We've seen Shah Rukh Khan's pre-teen daughter gatecrash a wedding to get her dad remarried in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Akshaye Khanna endeavour to reunite his widowed father to his childhood sweetheart in Mere Baap Pehle Aap and Ayushmann Khurana embrace the idea of his mom's need for companionship in Doctor G.
Maa Ka Sum draws out on similar single-parent child psychology in the story of a teen mathematics genius using his skills to create a perfect match for his lonesome mom. Except there's a dark side to his purpose. He doesn't just wish to see his mother happy with somebody but also make that choice for her.
By absolving his problematic behaviour, Maa Ka Sum undermines the very wisdom it means to promote.
Directed by Nicholas Kharkongor, the eight-part series is so enamoured by the geekdom of 19-year-old Agastya's (Mihir Ahuja) gifts, it never quite becomes the mother-son slice-of-life it set out to be.
Though Vinita (Mona Singh) has raised him alone from a young age after his father mysteriously vanished from the picture, Agastya's patronising tone doesn't sound like he thinks too much of it.
Equally bewildering is how desperate Vinita appears to date yet ends any romance as soon as the guy gets close. For all her eagerness to get on the Gen Z slang bandwagon, she's a stereotypically old-fashioned mummy incapable of putting her needs before her adult raja beta.
Agastya's entitlement makes him a hard sell. There's something off putting about the way he records every tiny detail of his life in sneaky computer folders, remarks 'You're too old to be...' to his mother, drops the F-bomb in front of teachers and family on the pretext of spontaneity, storms out of classes deeming them unworthy of his stature or a kiss-and-tell attitude towards a friend-with-benefits (a lovely albeit underused Celesti Bairagey).
And so when Agastya decides to work up the dating algorithms and oust the guy she wants (Ranveer Brar) for the guy she needs, it's as emotional as Roopesh Kumar shopping for Nirupa Roy's Prince Charming.
Between Vinita's unfunny encounters of the male kind and Agastya's number games with hot Harvard teacher Ira (Angira Dhar in boss lady mode), Maa Ka Sum spreads itself thin over teen pregnancy scares, forbidden student-teacher equations and subplots concerning depression, divorce, suicide, spiked drinks, hackers, covid, mysophobia, wealthy in-laws, Haryanvi spewing Delhi cops and 'Tu jaanta nahi mera baap kaun hai' threatening Delhi brats.
When it's not spouting excessive maths jargon -- algorithm alone is uttered a zillion times -- too many characters with too little context crowd the scenes and turn Maa Ka Sum into a slog.
A breezy movie length premise dragged into eight endless episodes, writers Ravinder Randhawa and Sumrit Shahi share most of the blame as does the one helming it. Having enjoyed the believable chaos in Director Nicholas Kharkongor's Axone, which looked into the marginalisation of North-Eastern identity, it's disappointing to see so little of that imagination in Maa Ka Sum.
What works is Mona Singh's yummy mummy. The actress is a pleasant presence and exudes grace in all kinds of roles. But even her inherent warmth is not enough to ignite chemistry between her onscreen son or onscreen love.
While Ranveer Brar continues to mistake grinning for acting, Mihir Ahuja's wily portrayal of a whiz is a miss from start to finish. Good data with good analysis always gets good results, Maa Ka Sum reminds us instead of itself. And that's where it fumbles.
Maa Ka Sum is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Maa Ka Sum Review Rediff Rating: