{ "id": "ep62nght21", "slug": "maharani", "title": "Maharani", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_south_asia", "label": "South and Southeast Asian serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_south_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_south_asia.south_asian_web_serials", "label": "South Asian web serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_south_asia.south_asian_web_serials" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_south_asia.south_asian_web_serials", "label": "India · 2021 and later: South Asian web serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_south_asia.south_asian_web_serials", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021", "label": "India · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_south_asia.south_asian_web_serials", "label": "South Asian web serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_south_asia.south_asian_web_serials" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Maharani (महारानी) is a SonyLIV Hindi political drama created by Subhash Kapoor, premiering 28 May 2021, starring Huma Qureshi as Rani Bharti, an illiterate homemaker who becomes Bihar chief minister after her husband Bheema Bharti (Sohum Shah) is shot; four seasons, loosely echoing Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi.", "snippet": "Maharani (महारानी) is a SonyLIV Hindi political drama created by Subhash Kapoor, premiering 28 May 2021, starring Huma Qureshi as Rani Bharti, an illiterate homemaker who becomes Bihar chief minister after her husband Bheema Bharti (Sohum Shah) is shot; four seasons, loosely echoing Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_south_asia.south_asian_web_serials", "markdown": "# Maharani\n\n**Maharani** (महारानी) is an Indian Hindi-language political drama streaming series on SonyLIV, created by Subhash Kapoor, that follows Rani Bharti, an illiterate homemaker in 1990s Bihar who becomes the state's chief minister after her husband, the incumbent, is shot. The first season of ten episodes premiered on 28 May 2021, directed by Karan Sharma, and the series has since run to four seasons.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/maharani-web-series-104783) • [2](https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/maharani-1500002529)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Premiere | 28 May 2021 on SonyLIV; season 1 has 10 episodes, certificate 18+[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/maharani-web-series-104783) |\n| Creators | Created and written by Subhash Kapoor with Nandan Singh and Umashankar Singh; produced by Kangra Talkies (Dimple Kharbanda, Naren Kumar)[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/maharani-web-series-104783) • [3](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/maharani-review-huma-qureshi-led-cast-plugs-gaps-in-tale-of-ambition-and-betrayal-2-5-stars-2451182) |\n| Lead cast | Huma Qureshi as Rani Bharti; Sohum Shah as her husband, chief minister Bheema Bharti; Amit Sial, Kani Kusruti, Pramod Pathak, Vineet Kumar, Inaamulhaq in supporting roles[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/May/28/maharani-web-seriesreview-huma-qureshi-headlines-a-flawed-yet-gripping-political-drama-24731.html) |\n| Setting | Bihar in the 1990s; season 4 fast-forwards to 2012[2](https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/maharani-1500002529) • [5](https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/maharani-1700000725) |\n| Seasons and directors | Season 1: Karan Sharma (2021); Season 2: Ravindra Gautam (2022); Season 3: Saurabh Bhave (2024); Season 4: Puneet Prakash (7 November 2025)[6](https://www.tring.co.in/popular-web-series/maharani) • [7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/maharani-season-4-review-huma-qureshi-show-needs-sharpness-brevity-10351271/) |\n| Languages | Hindi original, dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and Bengali[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/maharani-web-series-104783) |\n| Audience rating | 7.9/10 on IMDb from about 11,000 user ratings[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14420552/ratings/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and season 1\n\nThe story begins when Bheema Bharti, a backward-caste chief minister of Bihar who rose after years without one, is shot in an assassination attempt and, while critically injured, names his homemaker wife Rani Bharti as his successor. Rani has no political experience, aspirations, or formal education, and in her first assembly session she falters and admits she cannot read or write.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/May/28/maharani-web-seriesreview-huma-qureshi-headlines-a-flawed-yet-gripping-political-drama-24731.html) • [1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/maharani-web-series-104783) She assumes office reluctantly, her mind fixed on her home and children, and is initially treated as a placeholder meant to keep her husband's seat warm.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/May/28/maharani-web-seriesreview-huma-qureshi-headlines-a-flawed-yet-gripping-political-drama-24731.html) • [9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/maharani-review-after-a-few-flourishes-this-huma-qureshi-drama-is-just-a-drag-7334087/)\n\nOver the ten episodes the show traces her transformation from ridicule to a formidable politician, set against caste massacres, a large corruption scandal in the animal husbandry department, and a male-dominated party structure. A large part of the season concerns a corruption case that threatens to bring down the government; the NDTV reviewer Saibal Chatterjee wrote that the season could well have been titled \"Scam 1998\".[3](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/maharani-review-huma-qureshi-led-cast-plugs-gaps-in-tale-of-ambition-and-betrayal-2-5-stars-2451182) The season ends at a point that leaves the ground open for another season.[3](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/maharani-review-huma-qureshi-led-cast-plugs-gaps-in-tale-of-ambition-and-betrayal-2-5-stars-2451182)\n\n## Real-life parallels and the fiction question\n\nThe premise closely mirrors Bihar politics of 1997, when chief minister [Lalu Prasad Yadav](https://www.edgepedia.org/lalu-prasad-yadav), facing the fodder scam, was replaced by his wife [Rabri Devi](https://www.edgepedia.org/rabri-devi), who had no formal education and went on to serve three terms.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/May/28/maharani-web-seriesreview-huma-qureshi-headlines-a-flawed-yet-gripping-political-drama-24731.html) • [10](https://www.mid-day.com/amp/entertainment/web-series/article/huma-qureshis-maharani-loosely-based-on-rabri-devi-23166572) Reviewers also identified parallels to the Laxmanpur Bathe massacre of 1997, left-wing militancy, and the Ranvir Sena in season 1, and to the Shilpi-Gautam murder case, Rajeev Goswami's self-immolation during the reservation bill agitation, and the demand for a separate [Jharkhand](https://www.edgepedia.org/jharkhand) in season 2.[6](https://www.tring.co.in/popular-web-series/maharani) • [11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/maharani-season-2-review-huma-qureshi-sohum-shah-8111719/)\n\n**The makers have consistently called the story fiction.** Sohum Shah said he expected comparisons with Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi but that \"there's nothing like that in the series. It's a fictional story\", adding that neither he nor [Huma Qureshi](https://www.edgepedia.org/huma-qureshi) tried to copy the real figures.[12](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/sohum-shah-on-comparisons-with-lalu-prasad-rabri-devi-after-maharani-it-is-a-fictional-story-7339837/) Writer Saurabh Bhave said the story blends real events with fiction, and that while the first season struck viewers as drawn from real life, \"as it has progressed, it has become clear that it is the work of fiction\".[13](https://www.indianbroadcastingworld.com/maharani-director-on-audiences/) The writers Uma Shankar Singh and Nandan Singh said at the 52nd [International Film Festival of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-film-festival-of-india) that they lifted facts from reality and added their own inputs, aiming to show politics from the inside without resembling \"a Wikipedia page on politics\".[14](https://www.timesofbennett.com/campus/catching-the-pulse-of-bihar-was-crucial-for-maharani/articleshow/89095358.cms)\n\n## Later seasons\n\n**Season 2** (2022), directed by Ravindra Gautam, picks up after Rani has her own husband arrested in the fodder scam; she fights accusations of misgovernance and corruption while Bheema runs a proxy government from prison and becomes one of her chief foes, with state elections approaching.[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/maharani-season-2-review-huma-qureshi-sohum-shah-8111719/) • [6](https://www.tring.co.in/popular-web-series/maharani) The India Today review found most twists justified and subtly executed, but criticized one-dimensional characters other than Bheema and Rani and a rushed election episode.[15](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/entertainment/ott/story/maharani-2-series-review-huma-qureshi-shines-in-an-intense-but-middling-political-drama-1992188-2022-08-25)\n\n**Season 3** (2024), the directorial debut of writer Saurabh Bhave, was shot on a larger scale in locations including Chanderi, Jammu, and Kashmir. Bhave said the biggest challenge was living up to the expectations set by the first two seasons, and that the series was the second most watched on the Sony platform.[13](https://www.indianbroadcastingworld.com/maharani-director-on-audiences/)\n\n**Season 4**, released on 7 November 2025 and directed by Puneet Prakash, fast-forwards to 2012: Rani is now a two-term chief minister and a rising national force, facing prime minister Sudhakar Joshi ([Vipin Sharma](https://www.edgepedia.org/vipin-sharma)) as his coalition crumbles. [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) noted that the two main characters are widely read as based on Atal Behari Vajpayee and Rabri Devi, and rated the season 2.5 out of 5, calling for brevity and sharpness; the Moneycontrol review rated it 4 out of 5, praising Vipin Sharma's performance and the show's refusal to take sides.[5](https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/maharani-1700000725) • [7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/maharani-season-4-review-huma-qureshi-show-needs-sharpness-brevity-10351271/) • [16](https://www.moneycontrol.com/entertainment/ott/maharani-season-4-review-huma-qureshi-s-fire-meets-vipin-sharma-s-ruthlessness-in-a-season-charged-with-power-games-article-13658492.html)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response to season 1 was mixed. The Cinema Express review rated it 3 out of 5, calling it a flawed yet gripping drama with a dull protagonist and praising Sohum Shah's performance as the season's driving force.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/May/28/maharani-web-seriesreview-huma-qureshi-headlines-a-flawed-yet-gripping-political-drama-24731.html) NDTV gave 2.5 stars, crediting the Huma Qureshi-led cast with plugging gaps in a tale of ambition, betrayal, and blood feuds.[3](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/maharani-review-huma-qureshi-led-cast-plugs-gaps-in-tale-of-ambition-and-betrayal-2-5-stars-2451182) The Indian Express's Shubhra Gupta called Qureshi \"a prime example of how a competent actor gets imprisoned in banal writing\", while [The Week](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-week) found her riveting but the character undercooked, and the Deccan Herald rated the show 1.5 out of 5.[9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/maharani-review-after-a-few-flourishes-this-huma-qureshi-drama-is-just-a-drag-7334087/) • [17](https://www.theweek.in/magazine/theweek/leisure/2021/06/03/despite-huma-qureshis-impressive-performance-maharani-fails-to-thrill.html) • [18](https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/maharani-series-review-huma-qureshi-starrer-fails-to-impress-991004.html) On IMDb the series holds 7.9 out of 10 from about 11,000 ratings, with season 2 episodes scoring highest (8.0 to 8.6).[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14420552/ratings/)\n\nProduction moved quickly: shooting began in November 2020 and the first season was shot, edited, and released by May 2021, which Sohum Shah contrasted with the seven years his film Tumbbad took.[12](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/sohum-shah-on-comparisons-with-lalu-prasad-rabri-devi-after-maharani-it-is-a-fictional-story-7339837/) Season 1 was filmed in Bhopal rather than in Bihar, a choice the Cinema Express review found visually unconvincing even if practically understandable.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/May/28/maharani-web-seriesreview-huma-qureshi-headlines-a-flawed-yet-gripping-political-drama-24731.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Maharani Web Series (2021) at SonyLIV, Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/maharani-web-series-104783)\n2. [Maharani Season 1, Sony LIV Originals](https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/maharani-1500002529)\n3. [Maharani Review: Huma Qureshi-Led Cast Plugs Gaps In Tale Of Ambition And Betrayal, NDTV (Saibal Chatterjee, 28 May 2021)](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/maharani-review-huma-qureshi-led-cast-plugs-gaps-in-tale-of-ambition-and-betrayal-2-5-stars-2451182)\n4. [Maharani Web series review: Huma Qureshi headlines a flawed yet gripping political drama, Cinema Express (28 May 2021)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/something/2021/May/28/maharani-web-seriesreview-huma-qureshi-headlines-a-flawed-yet-gripping-political-drama-24731.html)\n5. [Maharani, Sony LIV (Season 4 page)](https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/maharani-1700000725)\n6. [Maharani: Cast, Season, Review, Episodes And More, Tring](https://www.tring.co.in/popular-web-series/maharani)\n7. [Maharani Season 4 review: Huma Qureshi series needs sharpness, brevity, The Indian Express (Shubhra Gupta, 7 November 2025)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/maharani-season-4-review-huma-qureshi-show-needs-sharpness-brevity-10351271/)\n8. [Maharani (TV Series 2021– ) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14420552/ratings/)\n9. [Maharani review: After a few flourishes, this Huma Qureshi drama is just a drag, The Indian Express (28 May 2021)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/maharani-review-after-a-few-flourishes-this-huma-qureshi-drama-is-just-a-drag-7334087/)\n10. [Huma Qureshi's Maharani loosely based on Rabri Devi?, Mid-Day (2 April 2021)](https://www.mid-day.com/amp/entertainment/web-series/article/huma-qureshis-maharani-loosely-based-on-rabri-devi-23166572)\n11. [Maharani Season 2 Review: Huma Qureshi-starrer political drama, The Indian Express (2022)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/maharani-season-2-review-huma-qureshi-sohum-shah-8111719/)\n12. [Sohum Shah on comparisons with Lalu Prasad Yadav after Maharani: 'Expected this but it's a fictional story', The Indian Express (June 2021)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/sohum-shah-on-comparisons-with-lalu-prasad-rabri-devi-after-maharani-it-is-a-fictional-story-7339837/)\n13. ['Maharani' director on audiences' expectations & challenges, Indian Broadcasting World (PTI interview with Saurabh Bhave)](https://www.indianbroadcastingworld.com/maharani-director-on-audiences/)\n14. [Catching the pulse of Bihar was crucial for 'Maharani', Times of Bennett (25 January 2022)](https://www.timesofbennett.com/campus/catching-the-pulse-of-bihar-was-crucial-for-maharani/articleshow/89095358.cms)\n15. [Maharani 2 Review: Huma Qureshi shines in an intense but middling political drama, India Today (25 August 2022)](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/entertainment/ott/story/maharani-2-series-review-huma-qureshi-shines-in-an-intense-but-middling-political-drama-1992188-2022-08-25)\n16. [Maharani Season 4 review: Huma Qureshi's fire meets Vipin Sharma's ruthlessness, Moneycontrol (Abhishek Srivastava, 7 November 2025)](https://www.moneycontrol.com/entertainment/ott/maharani-season-4-review-huma-qureshi-s-fire-meets-vipin-sharma-s-ruthlessness-in-a-season-charged-with-power-games-article-13658492.html)\n17. [Despite Huma Qureshi's impressive performance, 'Maharani' fails to thrill, The Week (June 2021)](https://www.theweek.in/magazine/theweek/leisure/2021/06/03/despite-huma-qureshis-impressive-performance-maharani-fails-to-thrill.html)\n18. ['Maharani' series review: Huma Qureshi-starrer fails to impress, Deccan Herald (28 May 2021)](https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/maharani-series-review-huma-qureshi-starrer-fails-to-impress-991004.html)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › South and Southeast Asian serials › South Asian web serials*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/maharani", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/maharani.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Maharani\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/maharani. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Maharani](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharani)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/maharani](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharani). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Maharani\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/maharani. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Maharani is a SonyLIV Hindi political drama created by Subhash Kapoor, premiering 28 May 2021, starring Huma Qureshi as Rani Bharti, an illiterate homemaker who becomes Bihar chief minister after her husband Bheema Bharti is shot; four seasons, loosely echoing Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi." }