'Mayasabha' Ending Explained And Series Recap: What Happens To Reddy And Naidu?

Mayasabha had the potential to be a riveting political drama, but its attempt to dramatize the narrative and heighten the theatrics came at the cost of the series distancing itself from the truth and losing its conviction. I am not against dramatization; in fact, I love it when characters have a flair in their performances. But then there is a certain kind of drama that accentuates the narrative, and the other kind that makes the performances look caricature-ish and the story less impactful. The stereotyped characters, the mundane dialogue and screenplay, and the filmmaker’s tendency to jump from one high point to another do not give the story the chance to build the necessary tension. I still remember how the character of Veerendra Pratap owns the stage in Rajneeti and declares war against his own brothers. There was drama, there was passion, but the film knew how to be realistic, and the performances were so convincing that it never felt like a work of fiction. There were twists and turns in Rajneeti too, but they were incorporated in a manner that didn’t seem like a relentless twist-laden narrative that was force-fitting the subplots just for the sake of it. That said, I have to admit that Mayasabha is an entertaining watch nonetheless, but the premise had so much more potential that I felt that the end result was a bit underwhelming. 

I do not understand why the series gives a disclaimer where it states that it is entirely a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental. Almost each and every development in the series draws inspiration from real-life events. Who does not remember how undivided Andhra Pradesh’s political landscape changed on September 1st, 1995? A young Nara Chandrababu Naidu waged a war against the superstar and his father-in-law, NT Rama Rao. Naidu was not happy with the kind of interference Rao’s second wife, Lakshmi Parvathi, wrought in the party’s day-to-day affairs. The series literally starts with this scene, and then it tells us that everything they are showing is fictional. Mayasabha documents the political history of Andhra Pradesh, from the rise of Chandrababu Naidu (Krishnama Naidu in the series) and Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy (M.S. Rami Reddy in the series) to them becoming the leaders of their respective parties. There are creative liberties taken by the makers, but when the character of the prime minister is called Iravati, who makes her subjects chant the slogan “Ira is India, India is Ira,” then it becomes hard for me to accept that the series is entirely a work of fiction. That said, let’s find out what happened in the series and if Naidu and Reddy are able to climb the ladder of success.

Spoilers Ahead

How did Reddy and Naidu meet? 

Krishnama Naidu grew up in a farmer’s house in Narsipalli, Chittor district, in Andhra Pradesh, and he was a gifted student as a young boy. He completed his graduation and then decided to get a PhD, which his parents were quite against. They didn’t understand what he would do after that, and they just wanted him to stay at home and help his father out on the farm. But Naidu was a rebel, and he was not going to give up on his dreams. Similarly, Rami Reddy was born into a criminal family. Reddy’s father, Shiva Reddy, was ostracized from his own community, which in a way had triggered him to take up arms. But walking down that road, Shiva Reddy had come so far that he didn’t realize that he had become exactly like those who had once tortured him. Rami Reddy was studying medicine, and he had made it very clear to his father he wanted no part of his bloody business. But I guess the universe had already scripted a story in which Reddy and Naidu were soon going to shake the political landscape of Andhra Pradesh. Naidu tried his hand at politics when he stood against the college goon, Deepak Reddy, who happened to be the nephew of the MLA Mahendra Reddy, in the student council elections. Naidu had all the support of the people of his community, and the others felt like he was the apt candidate for the post too. But Deepak played his cards right and won the election as he lured in one set of students by offering them a lucrative position in his council. That day Naidu got a taste of what politics was. He knew that he had committed a blunder by putting his guards down and underestimating the power of money. 

Naidu suffered yet another setback when he decided to marry Anu Harika, the daughter of a famous dancer in that region. Anu’s mother was Minister Mahendra Reddy’s mistress, and the lecherous man was forcing himself onto Anu too. Naidu got to know about it and made a plan to let her escape. All that while, Naidu believed that Anu was in love with him, but after he made all the arrangements for their marriage, he realized that she had no such intentions. Actually, Anu did love Naidu, but she knew that she would make his life even more miserable if she married him. The people looked down upon her because her mother was a mistress. Every day, the girl’s character was assassinated, and objectifiers like Mahendra and Deepak just wanted to take advantage of her. A heartbroken Naidu was going back after Anu told him that she had gotten a role in a film and that she believed they should part ways. He was traveling in a bus listening to sad songs on his radio when a man sitting next to him with his wife asked him to stop boring the passengers. That man was Rami Reddy. That was the beginning of a glorious partnership that was going to take the entire state by storm. 

What made Reddy fight the elections? 

Reddy’s in-laws didn’t like him as he belonged to a criminal family. Reddy convinced them and married the love of his life. Just like Naidu, Reddy didn’t give in to his circumstances, and he wasn’t scared to put up a fight. At that time, Iravati Basu, the prime minister of India, had declared a state of emergency. Her son, Anand Basu, who was an impulsive man, passed an order to sterilize the people, as he believed that the increasing population of the country was the reason why development couldn’t happen. Reddy, at that time, was still interning at a medical hospital, and he didn’t understand the logic behind that policy. Naidu and Reddy once again came face to face, as the former was a part of the youth wing of the ruling party, and he was making sure that the sterilization drive was carried out properly. That meeting could have very well turned into a rivalry, but surprisingly it didn’t. In a dramatic moment, Reddy was able to make Naidu realize that the government was not doing anything for the welfare of the nation. Reddy and Naidu, at that time, belonged to different factions, but still the nation’s progress was paramount for them. Both of them had a lot of respect for each other, and they became the best of friends. Even then, Reddy didn’t want to become a politician, and he was very happy helping his good friend out and helping people in general as a medical professional. Reddy worked day and night and made sure that people believed in Naidu’s bona fide intentions. At that time, Iravati Basu, who had just lost the Lok Sabha elections, decided to launch her own party in Andhra Pradesh, as she knew that people loved and supported her there. Andhra Pradesh was one of those few states where her party was still in the majority. She knew that it was her face that mattered, and even if she decided to launch a new party, the people would support her. Naidu, even after facing a lot of resistance from the party’s senior leaders like Babu Rao, got the ticket to fight the elections. Reddy was very happy for his friend, but his father wanted a ticket for his son too. Reddy told his father that he was not cut out for politics, but Shiva Reddy was just not ready to listen to him. Rami didn’t get the ticket, a senior leader from their constituency was given the opportunity instead. I believe that if that leader wouldn’t have disrespected Shiva and Rami, things would have turned out differently, and Rami wouldn’t have gone into politics. But he said something that hurt Reddy’s ego. That was the moment he decided to contest the elections, and he made it very clear that no matter what happened, he would emerge victorious. 

How Did Reddy And Naidu Get Cabinet Positions? 

Reddy and Naidu decided that even if they were members of different parties, their first objective was to get into the state legislative assembly, because only then could they make sure that the government worked for the welfare of the people. Reddy and Naidu started raising important issues in the legislative assembly, and that’s how they came into the limelight. Meanwhile, Iravati knew how she needed to take charge of things in the state that had shown unwavering loyalty towards her. Iravati was a ruthless pragmatist, and it was hinted in Mayasabha that she had her son Anand Basu killed when she realized that he was going a bit out of control. Anand, as stated earlier, was an impulsive man, and he always wanted to have his way. He treated senior ministers with utter disregard, and Iravati knew that he would become a problem for her in the future. Iravati was an old schemer, a seasoned player in the grand game of power: apart from having a hold of the state affairs, the tides of destiny, combined with her shrewd game plan, made her win the Lok Sabha elections with a thumping majority. It was strange, as just some time back she was criticized for declaring an emergency and disrespecting the democratic fiber of the nation. She was called a dictator; she had the audacity to invent the slogan “Ira is India, and India is Ira,” thereby declaring herself the anointed queen of the nation, yet the people had faith in her. That moment made Naidu and Reddy realize how the people could be easily manipulated. They realized that, apart from making roads and trying to work for the development of the nation, they needed to put on a show. I believe the mid-seventies made people realize the power of public relations. It was important to create an image in the minds of the people even if it was not true. Also, in state politics, caste played a very big role. No matter how much the candidate wanted to be fair, he had to play the caste card at the end. Naidu and Reddy were supporting different candidates who they thought could become the CM. They wanted that, in either case; at least one of them was in a position to decide who the cabinet ministers would be. But their ploy did not work, as Iravati decided to make a different minister the CM of Andhra Pradesh. That’s when Naidu played a masterstroke. He contacted a newspaper and gave a list of ministers who were going to be part of the cabinet. The newly elected CM was devastated, and he went to meet Iravati to make her understand that it was not his list, and that he wouldn’t have dared to announce anything before consulting her. But surprisingly, Iravati liked the list, as it had representation from various communities. Naidu and Reddy’s names were also on that list, and that’s how they became two of the most influential members of the party. 

Why Did Naidu Go Against RCR? 

RCR was the superstar of Andhra Pradesh, and Telugu people literally used to worship him. As Reddy said, everybody in Andhra Pradesh had a picture of him in their home, and for them he was no less than an incarnation of god. RCR did not like how Iravati disrespected the Telugu culture, and how she treated the sitting CM like he was her servant. Even Iravati was astonished when she realized that there was somebody who was more popular than her and who enjoyed unparalleled support from the masses. Iravati considered herself to be the uncrowned queen, and she wanted others to swear allegiance to her. RCR, on the other hand, demanded respect, and though he had no plans of entering politics, he decided to support Minister Babu Rao, as he wanted to teach Iravati a lesson. An affluent businessman (played by Nassar) also supported Babu Rao, and he knew that with RCR’s support they could defeat Iravati’s party. Things became a bit complicated when Naidu and Reddy went to meet him at his residence. Reddy was already a huge fan of RCR, and the latter was quite impressed when Naidu gave a speech in his honor at a public event. RCR called both of them to dinner, and he found out that Naidu was single, so he decided to get him married to his daughter, Rameshwari. Naidu became the son-in-law of the biggest superstar of Telugu cinema, and he would have hoped that it would boost his political career even more. But RCR decided to contest the elections against Iravati’s party, and he even won with a landslide majority. Naidu tried canvassing against his father-in-law, but he wasn’t able to withstand the support and love that RCR enjoyed. 

In Mayasabha’s ending, Naidu decided to join RCR’s party, though he knew that it would mean that he and Reddy would become rivals. But then, after serving RCR for 12 years, Naidu relayed that he had literally gone senile and he was no longer the man who wanted to bring about a wave of change. It was said that RCR’s second wife ran the government from the shadows. The man was apparently head over heels for her, and he didn’t understand the kind of damage she was doing. Even RCR’s son was sick and tired of his father’s misjudgments, and he too decided to support Naidu in his endeavors. Naidu and RCR’s son, together with 160 MLAs, decided to go against RCR. When the superstar sensed that he was standing at the brink of a political upheaval, he tried his level best to win the trust of his ministers. But Naidu was a force of nature, and he was not going to stop until RCR assured everybody that his wife wouldn’t interfere in political matters. The series ended on a cliffhanger after one of Naidu’s supporters threw a slipper at RCR. It was the beginning of the end for the great man, and it was time for Naidu and Reddy to finally hold the reins in their hands. If there is a season 2 of Mayasabha, I think Naidu is going to win the elections, and his political rivalry with Reddy will take an interesting turn.

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