# Queen (2019 TV series)
**Queen** is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language biographical drama web series directed by [Gautham Vasudev Menon](https://www.edgepedia.org/gautham-vasudev-menon) and Prasath Murugesan, starring [Ramya Krishnan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramya-krishnan) as Shakti Seshadri, a woman who rises from a state topper in school to a film star and then the youngest Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25251/tamil/queen/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11393148/) It was produced for the free streaming platform [MX Player](https://www.edgepedia.org/mx-player) as an MX Original Series and is an authorized adaptation of the novel *The Queen* by Anita Sivakumaran, adapted for the screen by Reshma Ghatala.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/gautham-menon-ramya-krishnan-queen-mx-player-6166716/lite/) • [4](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/9075307/) Although the makers consistently described it as a fictional work, the series was widely understood as a thinly veiled retelling of the life of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, a reading that shaped both its publicity and a court case brought by Jayalalithaa's niece.[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2019/Dec/04/first-look-of-queen-unveiled-15861.html) • [6](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/states/tamil-nadu/2021/Apr/16/madras-hc-bench-upholds-single-judge-order-on-web-series-on-late-tn-cm-jayalalithaa-2290847.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Tamil-language scripted web series, 11 episodes of about 50 minutes each, season 1 released 14 December 2019 on MX Player[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25251/tamil/queen/) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/54379/queen) |
| Source | Authorized adaptation of the novel *The Queen* by Anita Sivakumaran, published 28 April 2017; screenplay by Reshma Ghatala[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/gautham-menon-ramya-krishnan-queen-mx-player-6166716/lite/) • [4](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/9075307/) |
| Lead role | Ramya Krishnan as Shakti Seshadri, with Anikha Surendran as the schoolgirl Shakthi and Anjana Jayaprakash as the young actor Shakthi[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2019/Dec/04/first-look-of-queen-unveiled-15861.html) |
| Real-life parallel | Loosely based on the life of J. Jayalalithaa; Indrajith Sukumaran played GMR, a role inspired by M. G. Ramachandran[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2019/Dec/04/first-look-of-queen-unveiled-15861.html) |
| Makers' position | Directors and MX Player denied any connection to Jayalalithaa, calling it a largely fictional work with a disclaimer that it is not a biography[8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Dec/10/gautham-menon-queen-is-not-based-on-any-real-person-ramya-krishnan-15977.html) • [4](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/9075307/) |
| Legal outcome | A Madras High Court division bench in April 2021 upheld the refusal to restrain the series, since it had already been released and viewed[6](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/states/tamil-nadu/2021/Apr/16/madras-hc-bench-upholds-single-judge-order-on-web-series-on-late-tn-cm-jayalalithaa-2290847.html) |
| Audience score | 7.7/10 on IMDb from about 12,000 user votes[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11393148/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and production
The series follows Shakti Seshadri, a state topper in school who is forced to quit her education, pushed into the film industry, and later enters politics, becoming the state's youngest Chief Minister.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/gautham-menon-ramya-krishnan-queen-mx-player-6166716/lite/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11393148/) The first season traces her life from age 12 to 44 in three phases, played by three actors: Anikha Surendran as the schoolgirl, [Anjana Jayaprakash](https://www.edgepedia.org/anjana-jayaprakash) as the young actor, and Ramya Krishnan as the politician.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/gautham-menon-ramya-krishnan-queen-mx-player-6166716/lite/) • [9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2019/Dec/17/queen-review-a-rare-good-tamil-web-series-2077016.html) The narrative is framed by an interview with a journalist, played by [Lillete Dubey](https://www.edgepedia.org/lillete-dubey), through which Shakthi recounts her life.[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/queen-review-web-series-mx-player-6168432/)
MX Player bought the rights to Anita Sivakumaran's novel *The Queen* and approached Gautham Vasudev Menon, whose partner Reshma Ghatala adapted it into a screenplay.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/gautham-menon-ramya-krishnan-queen-mx-player-6166716/lite/) Menon said he chose the streaming format because the story could not be told in two hours and the medium offered creative freedom without the compromises of a three-hour theatrical piece.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/gautham-menon-ramya-krishnan-queen-mx-player-6166716/lite/) The music was composed by [Darbuka Siva](https://www.edgepedia.org/darbuka-siva), with cinematography by S. R. Kathiir, Manikandan, and Velraj, and editing by Praveen Antony.[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25251/tamil/queen/) Filming had been scheduled to begin on 4 December 2018 but rain delayed the start to 5 December.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11393148/) The first look, showing Ramya Krishnan in a white saree with AIADMK colors on the border against a political rally backdrop, was unveiled on 4 December 2019.[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2019/Dec/04/first-look-of-queen-unveiled-15861.html)
### Season 2
Ramya Krishnan began shooting for a second season in May 2022, with reports again describing the series as based on Jayalalithaa's life.[17](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/ramya-krishnan-begins-shooting-for-queen-season-2-fans-call-her-junior-jayalalithaa-1956301-2022-05-31)
## The Jayalalithaa question
The series' relationship to its obvious real-life subject was contested from the start. Press coverage described it as loosely based on the life of the late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, and the trailer itself invited the comparison, promising the story of a maharani lovingly called "Amma" by millions.[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2019/Dec/04/first-look-of-queen-unveiled-15861.html) • [11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddghV2VVOic) Menon, however, insisted throughout promotion that the series had nothing to do with the former Chief Minister, calling it a largely fictional work built from inspiration taken from the book, and Ramya Krishnan told Scroll.in that any resemblance to the actor-politician was a huge coincidence.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/gautham-menon-ramya-krishnan-queen-mx-player-6166716/lite/) • [8](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Dec/10/gautham-menon-queen-is-not-based-on-any-real-person-ramya-krishnan-15977.html) • [12](https://scroll.in/reel/946529/is-the-web-series-queen-about-jayalalithaa-heres-what-ramya-krishnan-has-to-say/1000) In court filings, the director's counter affidavit stated the series was not intended to be a biopic of Jayalalithaa, that it was an authorized, fictionalized and dramatized version of Sivakumaran's novel, and that it carried a disclaimer that it was not a biography of any character.[4](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/9075307/)
**Legal challenge.** Jayalalithaa's niece J. Deepa Jayakumar, describing herself as a Class I legal heir, filed a suit seeking to restrain the biopic projects, arguing that portraying her aunt without the family's consent would invade her privacy and could tarnish her image.[4](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/9075307/) • [13](https://www.indiatoday.in/entertainment/ott/story/queen-trouble-for-web-series-on-jayalalithaa-1626672-2019-12-09) A single judge of the [Madras High Court](https://www.edgepedia.org/madras-high-court) rejected her interim plea on 12 December 2019, and the series was released on MX Player on 14 December 2019.[6](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/states/tamil-nadu/2021/Apr/16/madras-hc-bench-upholds-single-judge-order-on-web-series-on-late-tn-cm-jayalalithaa-2290847.html) • [4](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/9075307/) In April 2021 a division bench dismissed Deepa Jayakumar's appeal, holding that since the series had already been released and viewed by scores of people, an injunction against its telecast could not be granted, and that her only remaining remedy was to seek damages; the bench also observed that the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the [Constitution of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/constitution-of-india) is not restricted on the premise that a film-maker must portray only one particular version of facts.[6](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/states/tamil-nadu/2021/Apr/16/madras-hc-bench-upholds-single-judge-order-on-web-series-on-late-tn-cm-jayalalithaa-2290847.html)
## Reception
Reviewers praised Ramya Krishnan's performance while dividing over the pacing. [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) gave the season 3.5 stars out of 5, calling it a riveting, largely fictional account that works well as a web series, with suspense at the end of each episode and nuanced acting from Krishnan, particularly in the sequence depicting GMR's funeral procession.[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/queen-review-web-series-mx-player-6168432/) The New Indian Express called it a rare good Tamil web series and the first good web series its reviewer had seen in the Tamil OTT space, while noting that some episodes felt sluggish and that the romance portions with the Telugu filmmaker character Chaitanya Reddy grew tedious.[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2019/Dec/17/queen-review-a-rare-good-tamil-web-series-2077016.html) The News Minute wrote that Krishnan shone in a story let down by its glacial pace, and Mid-Day was more negative, calling the linearly structured season a tepid tribute that could not be saved by Krishnan's unflinching performance.[14](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/queen-review-ramya-krishnan-shines-story-let-down-its-glacial-pace-114131) • [15](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/web-series/article/queen-web-review-tepid-tribute-to-one-of-the-most-fearless-leaders-22276180) Reviewers also noted the opening interview scene as an echo of [Simi Garewal](https://www.edgepedia.org/simi-garewal)'s famous television interview with Jayalalithaa.[15](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/web-series/article/queen-web-review-tepid-tribute-to-one-of-the-most-fearless-leaders-22276180)
The series was made available in Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, and an English-Tamil bilingual version; one reviewer judged the English-Tamil version the most successful, since the Tamil-only dub produced awkward conversations in settings where characters would ostensibly speak English.[11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddghV2VVOic) • [9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2019/Dec/17/queen-review-a-rare-good-tamil-web-series-2077016.html) As of late 2026 the series streams on Amazon MX Player and Amazon Prime Video free with ads.[16](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/queen)
## References
1. [Queen Tamil TV Series, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25251/tamil/queen/)
2. [Queen (TV Series 2019– ), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11393148/)
3. ['It was a liberating experience to direct Queen', The Indian Express, 14 December 2019](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/gautham-menon-ramya-krishnan-queen-mx-player-6166716/lite/)
4. [Deepa Jayakumar vs A.L. Vijay, Madras High Court, 12 December 2019, Indian Kanoon](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/9075307/)
5. [First look of Ramya Krishnan in Queen unveiled, Cinema Express, 4 December 2019](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2019/Dec/04/first-look-of-queen-unveiled-15861.html)
6. [Madras HC bench upholds single judge order on web-series on late TN CM Jayalalithaa, The New Indian Express, 16 April 2021](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/states/tamil-nadu/2021/Apr/16/madras-hc-bench-upholds-single-judge-order-on-web-series-on-late-tn-cm-jayalalithaa-2290847.html)
7. [Queen, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/54379/queen)
8. [Gautham Menon: Queen is NOT based on any real person, Cinema Express, 10 December 2019](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Dec/10/gautham-menon-queen-is-not-based-on-any-real-person-ramya-krishnan-15977.html)
9. ['Queen' review: A rare, good tamil web series, The New Indian Express, 17 December 2019](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2019/Dec/17/queen-review-a-rare-good-tamil-web-series-2077016.html)
10. [Queen review: A fascinating watch, The Indian Express, 15 December 2019](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/queen-review-web-series-mx-player-6168432/)
11. [Queen | Official Trailer - Tamil | MX Original Series, YouTube, MX Player, 5 December 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddghV2VVOic)
12. [Is web series Queen about Jayalalithaa? Ramya Krishnan clears the air, Scroll.in, 11 December 2019](https://scroll.in/reel/946529/is-the-web-series-queen-about-jayalalithaa-heres-what-ramya-krishnan-has-to-say/1000)
13. [Queen: Trouble for web series on Jayalalithaa, India Today, 9 December 2019](https://www.indiatoday.in/entertainment/ott/story/queen-trouble-for-web-series-on-jayalalithaa-1626672-2019-12-09)
14. ['Queen' review: Ramya Krishnan shines in this story let down by its glacial pace, The News Minute, 15 December 2019](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/queen-review-ramya-krishnan-shines-story-let-down-its-glacial-pace-114131)
15. [Queen Web Review: Tepid tribute to one of the most fearless leaders, Mid-Day, 17 December 2019](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/web-series/article/queen-web-review-tepid-tribute-to-one-of-the-most-fearless-leaders-22276180)
16. [Queen - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/queen)
17. [Ramya Krishnan begins shooting for Queen Season 2, India Today, 31 May 2022](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/ramya-krishnan-begins-shooting-for-queen-season-2-fans-call-her-junior-jayalalithaa-1956301-2022-05-31)
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*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 › Premiered 2013 to 2024*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license