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2023 saw a huge number of extraordinary web series as well, many of them with memorable women characters. Here's a list for you.
With OTT platforms garnering the support of a large audience, it is important to ensure that the content out there doesn’t portray female characters as inherently vulnerable and in constant need of male aid to rescue them from their perils. With a plethora of problems lurking behind the four walls constructed by society, all sorts of representation are crucial. Female characters do not have to be perfect; they just have to be real. With the current generation’s shifting perception of gender and gender associated stereotypes, many writers are headed in a different direction, shouldering the responsibility their profession confers. Many series are portraying women for who they are and who they can be, instead of giving them empty characters with no substance.
Here are a few such series.
This series follows Anjali Bhaati, a sub-inspector, played by Sonakshi Sinha as she unravels the mystery of inexplicable deaths of women in public restrooms in Rajasthan. A combination of a riveting crime drama and a social commentary, this series manages to convey an important message without boring the viewer.
The series also provides us with a breath of fresh air by being very forward, given the rural setting. Both Anjali, and her male boss are quite progressive by nature.
Streaming on Prime Video
This work of fiction laced with anecdotes that r plot somehow never fails to pique the audience’s interest by exploring the ever-changing dynamics between Nella, who was initially the only black employee at Wagner Books, and Hazel, another black employee who joins the publishing house. The initially thrilled Nella later starts questioning Hazel’s intentions, eventually leading to several revelations regarding the brand’s dark history. The nuanced portrayal of ubiquitous racism and publishing house politics garners the audience’s support.
Streaming on Disney+Hotstar
Set in the foreseeable future in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, this sci-fi thriller is about people gathered for a major event on the island being thrown into a tumultuous situation when the outbreak of an unknown disease occurs. The outbreak isolates them from the rest of the world. Only the doctor-in-charge, Dr. Saudamini Singh, is willing to investigate the cause and bear the brunt of it. Dr. Saudamini Singh is aided by a group of women who make great sacrifices in the process.
The vivid portrayal of a world in crisis makes it a series worth watching.
Streaming on Netflix
Prime Video’s latest Tamil original is a beautiful amalgamation of three women’s desires for independence and their hesitations, making it the perfect slice of life series.
A quirky mother-in-law, a docile daughter-in-law and an ambitious granddaughter embark on an impromptu road trip in pursuit of different things when they are fed up of being dictated by the men in their lives. This trip serves as the perfect bonding experience, allowing them to introspect, rejuvenate and gradually break societal norms of what they are expected to do and feel. It is a heartwarming series that feels close to home.
A prequel of Netflix’s Bridgerton, this show portrayed a love that was far from normal. With Charlotte being the first person of colour in the royal family, she changed the scene of the high society.
The show not only talks of the mistreatment and objectification of women back in the day, but also deals with people’s perceptions of mental health through King George’s disorder. The supporting characters were also assigned pivotal dialogues, contributing to the overall success of the show.
Though her name literally translates to being a married woman, Srimathi is a proud unmarried woman hailing from East Godavari. This Telugu series shows how three generations of women rise to their circumstances with grit. Humour is used to shatter several stereotypes in this seven-episode long show starring Nithya Menen.
Starring Máiréad Tyers, this show uses quirk and silliness to explore the constant feeling that one is not enough, especially as a young adult. When everyone around her gets assigned a superpower at 18, Jen, the protagonist, remains powerless.
The feeling of not fitting in, of not being enough and of not being perfect are highlighted through her interactions with her best friend, her stepsister and her mother. Though titled ‘extraordinary’, this show is about normalising being just ‘normal’.
After the superb season 1 that focused on the 26/11 terrorist attack on Mumbai, the financial capital of India, 2023 saw Mumbai Diaries Season 2, which focuses on the incessant week long rains and the 26/7 Mumbai floods in which so many people lost lives.
The action happens this time also at Bombay General Hospital, taking the story arcs of its main characters ahead with some getting redemption and some resolutions, alongside the main storyline. Worth a watch.
Jagruti Pathak, played by Karishma Tanna, is an established crime reporter. However, like most women who make it big, she also has to hear people say that she didn’t get her position on her own merit. This doesn’t really bother her until she becomes the principal suspect for the murder of fellow reporter Jaideb Sen.
The plot explores how women are always made the scapegoat even in situations that do not concern them in the least.
Katherine Wyler is appointed as ambassador to Britain to handle an international military crisis in the first episode of this series. This strains her marriage with a manipulative Hal who is not used to seeing his wife outshine him. The cliffhanger endings of each episode keep the viewers hooked.
Karan and Tara, the founders of ‘Made in Heaven’ are back. However, with Tara undergoing a painful divorce and Karan still dealing with the aftermath of coming out, things aren’t as smooth as they could be. Karan’s mother refuses to love her son and accept his sexuality even while on her deathbed.
There are several other notable female characters that added a spark to the series.
Bulbul Johari plays a feisty businesswoman who is initially disliked for her brutal ways. Eventually, she gains praise for her business acumen. However, it is her parenting style that truly stands out.
Jazz who plays a chirpy middleclass girl, struggling to make ends meet with her drug-addict brother and elderly parents, adds a rather refreshing touch to the show considering how loaded most other characters are.
Meher Chaudhary’s character increases LGBTQ+ representation in the show without trying hard. Her character blends seamlessly into the plot.
Similarly, Pallavi Menke played by Radhika Apte, is a Dalit Activist who stands her ground and ensures that she gets a no-discrimination Buddhist wedding.
Rani, a matriarch, runs a drug cartel after being forced to place business first with the murder of her husband. The story explores raw feminism and is one of a kind. A struggle for succession coupled with the threats resulting from the minister’s son being overdosed forms the main plot.
An adaptation of Alderman’s 2016 novel, this series explores the possibility of a world where women could generate electricity in their bodies and electrocute anyone at their whim and fancy. The reversal of traditional gendered power dynamics provides for a lot of insight into present day power struggles that women face. Portraying a female-forward society, this series endorses potential equity.
Sushmita Sen respectfully portrays Shreegauri Sawant, trans rights activist and social worker based in Mumbai. The story is set in 2014 leading up to the historic Supreme Court judgement. Gauri’s narration to a journalist is interwoven with several anecdotes of her troubled past.
Streaming on Jio Cinema
Revolving around the impact of Claire’s unprocessed trauma that stemmed from the early death of her mother, this show dissects how she puts her wisdom and guilt from early loss to use by working on the local column ‘Dear Sugar’. She pours her heart out and helps others with information that she was unable to apply to her own life. Gradually there is a shift in her viewpoints, with her slowly withholding from playing the victim card and the blame game.
The show focuses on what it means to heal, to move on and to let go.
A portrayal of a real-life tragedy, this series is about Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy who unfortunately lost their children to a man-made fire in a cinema theatre in Delhi, caused by the callousness of the Ansal brothers.
This series dives into the 26-year long struggle of the parents for justice against the negligent owners of the cinema hall. Neelam’s perseverance despite her immense pain made her fight continually, not just for her children but for all the victims of the catastrophe.
This season, like the first, primarily rests on the mother-daughter duo. The revelation of several sinister secrets from Georgia’s past causes her relationship with her daughter to get more and more strained. With Georgia’s obsession with sugarcoating everything and Ginny’s longing for just a morsel of truth and normalcy from her mother, this season explores familial bonds amidst several other themes.
This regal period drama’s sixth season focuses on Charles’s wedding to Camilla and the final weeks leading up to the death of Princess Diana. However, it has also covered the initial phases of William and Kate’s relationship at Scotland and the death of Princess Margaret among other such events. Elizabeth Debicki steals the show as she portrays Princess Diana in her last few hours. The Princess is seen declining Dodi’s ‘Dis-Moi Oui’ ring before their impending death.
Actress Imelda Staunton brought life to Queen Elizabeth by playing a pivotal role in the series. This period drama never falls short of vibrance and colour.
This eight-part series stars Brie Larson as a chemistry genius whose journey in academia is jeopardised by 1950s sexism. She is forced to leave university before finishing her PhD and she winds up working as a lab assistant and coffeemaker for a team of misogynistic male scientists. Her progressive nature makes this the perfect watch for every feminist!
Streaming on Apple TV+
Shrikant Roy, seeks a debutant actor to work on his movie ‘Sunghursh’. Jamshed Khan is deemed fit for the role. He, however, has an affair with Sumitra Kumari who happens to be Roy’s wife. The couple contemplates fleeing to Karachi while Binod Das, Roy’s trusted aide, is sent to bring them back to the studio. It is only after Binod’s true intentions are unveiled that the plot begins to unfold.
A spicy blend of betrayal, affairs and a hunger for stardom makes this 1940s-50s Hindi period drama set in a time when women often called the shots, before the ‘male superstar’ became a thing, is a must watch series.
These series depict the lives of a myriad of women resulting in the assimilation of varied perspectives. Several women battle sexism and oppression while some battle their own inner demons. These series are a breath of fresh air amidst conventional shows that lay emphasis on the macho man, subverting the importance of female characters if any. Directors must continue to make more such shows in order to bring about much required egalitarianism.
An engineering student with a thing for writing, I hope to become a force to reckon with in the world of media and journalism someday read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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