From Hidden Sexual Fantasies to Unconventional Career Dreams, These Indian Web-Series Have It All

The concept of web series has gained immense popularity in India in the last five years. It allows the directors and writers more freedom of content and access to broader genres and less censorship. The Indian audience has been served a platter of interesting web-based shows in the recent past. While our television remains dominated by typical family dramas that are both unrelatable and meaningless, web-series have managed to engage the younger audience and serve them better content. Some of these web-shows have also been women-centric, and unlike our television shows, these plots have believable, relatable women characters. A lot of stories that would have otherwise not been told are now being explored on the web. From stories about a small-town women battling to fulfill unconventional dreams to those of urban women struggling to balance sexual needs and social norms, we have an array of shows online that tell women-centric tales. Here we list down six such shows that you must binge if you are looking for a break from the overly dressed, ever-sacrificing Indian Bahu you see on TV every day.

TWISTED BY VIKRAM BHATT

Aliya Mukherjee (Nia Sharma) of Vikram Bhatt's Twisted series is a woman who lives her life without any shame, regret or fear of being judged. The plot of the show revolves around Aliya who is suspected of several murders and the mysteries of her deeds unfold in the two parts of the series. A model, living by herself, suspected of crimes and being involved with another woman, Aliya  lives with these accusations and labels unabashed and carefree rather than trying to battle them. She doesn't try to defend herself at any point of time. She is content with who is she irrespective of what people think of her. Nia Sharma pulls off Aliya with such ease that she stays in the viewer's mind a long time after watching the series.

ALISHA BY BLUSH

Alisha's (Lianne Texeira) life is all about Chanel bags, LBDs and high heels. The surprise in the show is that Alisha, as you would expect, is not a lame, fashion-obsessed bimbo. She is a detective, and a really good one at that. The show seamlessly binds fashion, crime and mystery. Apart from breaking the stereotype of a fashion-engrossed, dim-witted woman behind layers of shiny lipstick and concealer, the show also breaks the idea that women can't be good friends with each other. Alisha's friendship with BFF Tanny (Sarah Hashmi) will win your hearts and give you major friendship goals. Alisha isn't about a woman with problems breaking away from shackles, but a story of those women who have their life mostly figured out and live it to the best.

MAYA BY VIKRAM BHATT

Vikram Bhatt's web series Maya breaks another shackle. It explores the life and adventures of a married woman, Maya (Shama Sikander), who is unable to express her sexual desires to her husband or anyone else due to the fear of being judged. It is one of the first Indian shows that have explored the concept of BDSM. Maya is a submissive who is seeking a man who can control her in bed, and when she finds one, she gets involved in an extramarital affair with him. However, due to moral and social restrictions, Maya's conscience restricts her from cheating on her husband, putting his happiness before her own needs. The show has its flaws, but it does make a good attempt at showing us the conflict of a woman who is trapped by societal norms and doesn't open up about her sexual desires.

The second installment of the show is releasing on May 30, 2018, and is about a lesbian couple.

HAQ SE BY ALTBALAJI

Haq Se is a product of soap-queen Ekta Kapoor's digital venture AltBalaji. It is inspired by the English novel Little Women. Haq Se explores the lives of those women in the country who are ignored, least talked about and acknowledged. Narrating the story of the lives of four sisters from a Kashmiri-Muslim family. The lives of the Mirza sisters, Meher (Surveen Chawla), Jannat (Parul Gulati), Bahira (Anchal Sharma) and Amal (Nikessha Rangwala) revolve around the battle between their unconventional dreams and the conservative society that they are a part of. All the characters face some emotional turmoil, social pressure and moral restriction, but together they put up a brave fight against their day to day problems.

GIRL IN THE CITY BY DICE MEDIA

Dice Media's Girl in the City starring Mithila Palker as Meera, is another show that is about the girl next door. It is relatable for all those small-towners who come to a big city to fulfill their dreams. In the city of opportunities, Meera is lost amidst the fast-paced, ruthless people. Her emotions go for a toss, and she is acquainted with the harsh realities of life. In the first part, we see a Meera who is protected by her parents from the unpleasantness of the real world until she steps in Mumbai. Unable to deal with the people and situations of the city she decides to go back. In the second part, a mature, smarter and more confident Meera comes back to Mumbai and lives her second innings in the city.

THE TEST CASE BY ALT BALAJI

The Test Case is another show from AltBalaji which tells an unconventional story of a woman. Shikha Sharma (Nimrat Kaur) is selected for the Indian Army. She is the first female to be chosen in a combat role. Shikha is a 'test case'. She has to pass this test for not only herself but also all the women who dream and desire to assume roles that are traditionally meant for the men. As you watch the show you get engrossed in Shikha's character who is bullied, hurt and sexually harassed during her army training process. The story of how Shikha keeps her dignity intact and survives all odds is inspiring, emotional and engaging.

These are just six of the many other web-shows based on women. Some other popular channels like Girliyapa is dedicatedly making humour based women-centric content. Dice Media in April came out with a five-episode long show called Adulting that was created by an all-women team and was based on the story of two young women. Similarly, other shows like Ladies Room and The Trip are also popular women-based web shows. Though slowly, the portrayal of women on screen is changing. Their characters are getting more screen space and not being limited to being 'just a pretty face'.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2018 04:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).