International Women's Day is here and #Netflix has a story on the lives of five strong women cutting across economic and social strata. Three of the women are bankers and one almost gets the feeling some insights folks at #Netflix got up and said, “Hey look at the success of women in Indian corporate banking… and some controversy now ..there's a story here”.
Writer #AlankritaShrivastava is back after the successes of #LipstickundermyBurkha and #Dolly KittyAurWohChamakteSitare with #BombayBegums on #NetflixIndia.
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews this six part series which is stoking controversy even as I write this. #PoojaBhatt is back after a long hiatus as Rani Irani the CEO of The Royal Bank of Bombay. From a teller in Kanpur to head honcho at the premier bank in the city of dreams, this has been a stellar career for Rani. However, she is yearning for acceptance from her foster children and dealing with a husband who is caught up with memories of his first wife. She has power and is ready to wield it but is also vulnerable and grappling with the dilemma of what is right and what is wrong.
Next in the hierarchy is Fatima Warsi (#ShahanaGoswami) who is dealing with her career ambitions and inability to bear a child. In the process, she cheats on her husband Arijay (#VivekGomber). Then there is the newbie at the bank AyeshaAgarwal (#PlabitaBorthakur) who is from Indore and has landed in Mumbai to chase her dreams. She has to deal with her own sexual preferences while also confronting the horror of sexual assault and harassment at the workkplace. And finally, there is #AmrutaSubhash as the feisty Lily who is a bar dancer turned prostitute and harbours ambitions of turning around her life for the sake of her son. All this is held together by some contemplative narration by Shai Irani, #(AadhyaAnand), Rani’s foster daughter. Shai is all of thirteen and is grappling with pre-pubescent issues.
#BombayBegums is not just about corporate women and the machinations of the banking world. It is about flawed women. Women who are battling the dilemma between corporate careers and family. They are torn apart between what a patriarchal society dictates and what their own desires both physical and mental urge them on to do. They are fighting for what they think is right and at the same time acceptance from their own folks. All the issues that women in urban India grapple with including harassment at the workplace, boardroom politics, menstruation, sexual preferences and needs as well as the emotional roller-coaster of dealing with the husband and children.
What stands out for sure is the no-kid-gloves treatment in the show. The boldness quotient is at a new high, whether it is about extra-marital affairs, bi-sexuality or even the bedroom inimate scenes. According to the makers, thats an inherent part of the challenges that women have to face up to and to that extent, this is a novel and powerful story. The scenes are sometimes so intense that you do not pay attention to the Mumbai skyscape or the boardrooms or even the over-the-top make-up and ambience. Where the show falters though is the pontiifciation about these themes; adding to that is a certain confused stance on sub-texts that actually deter from the main narrative. There is one sequnece where Rani, the powerful head honcho is observing karva chauth for her husband and there is an overt emhasis on the significance of the tradition. I would personally have liked a little less emphasis on the physical scenes but I guess the point that the director is making here is that men just dont get it!
The episodes are named after popular books written by women who have championed the cause. “The Colour Purple” by #AliceWaller, “A room of one's own” by #VirginaWoolf, “The Golden Notebook” by #DorrisLessing and “The Bell Jar” by #SylviaPlatt. The strident approach makes some of the scenes come on very strong and perhaps that's a bit of a downer. On the other hand some scenes are left magically ambiguous. For example, the scene where Ayesha visits Lily in her chawl and Lily performs a private dance for her. The magical and dream-like quality to that scene contrasts hugely with the other scenes and this makes the narrative a tad inconsistent.
The male actors include #RahulBose, #ImaadShah, #DanishHussain and #ManishChaudhury and they deliver a competent performance. Thankfully, the show does not utter judgement or comment on any of the characters and leaves them believable and grey. The production design tends to be a little over the top but the cinematography and background score act as perfect foil for the story. #AmrutaSubhash and #ShahanaGoswami deserve special mention for the measured portrayal of their respective characters.
“Some women are born to rule. They bleed their dreams and expect others to bleed for them. I am not sure if I want to be that kind of queen. I think I would rather lead the rebellion” says Shai in her musings to her dead mother, even as she completes her picture book. The device of looking at the story of the characters through her eyes is quite novel and works well.
#BombayBegums is a novel plot of flawed women, their underlying angst and their emotional see-saws. You may not resonate with everything on the show but the combination of ambition and morality makes it gripping. Each episode is over 50 minutes long and as you follow the twists and turns of each character, you brace yourself for a finish that is memorable. However, I came away feeling a little hollow at the end of the show. As if I have gone through a book on a technical subject in great detail but at the end of it all, I do not have a grip on the subject at all!
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