I am here to review Bombay Begums and I can say after binge watching it in 2 days, Bombay Begums is by the women, of the women and for the women, a rarity in Indian film industry. Alankrita Srivastava requires to be applauded for such swift storytelling where there are no stories. It is about real women facing real problems - where do you see a story here? The series begins in the middle of something the characters are steeped in , you do not see much of their past, you only see the present. Hence in 2 episodes the events lead to a story swiftly and takes us to a whirlwind tour in modern day Indian women's lives where they are breaking glass ceilings, experimenting with their sexuality, making great strides in the male dominated professions and breaking stereotypes. And I can't imagine a city other than Mumbai for making Bombay Begums.
For The first time the problems women face during menopause is shown in a series in such details of sudden hot flat flashes, necessity of ACs and frequent restroom visits. Equally important is the way menarche is introduced as a young woman's anxiety and attempt to enter adulting. Like in the Made in Heaven series, the young girl Shai (step daughter of Rani) acted as the joints of a braid. Puja Bhatt made a dream comeback. Her role was meaty and domineering in the boardroom to bedroom. She perfectly played the role of Queen yet displayed her vulnerabilities. Plabita Borthakur did justice to her sweet, dreamy eyed freshly minted MBA role. Her confusion about her sexuality, her final protest against sexual harassment was convincing. Sahana Goswami was perfect for ambitious corporate climber and Vivek Gomber played the role of her husband with finesse. In the end their decision to separate was well received.
Amruta Subhas made a spectacular role of a prostitute who dreams of a life of respect. In this entire series Amruta Subhas made sure she is the next big face in the Indian web series industry. Hers was a memorable role with Mumbai street slangs, a life in the Chawls and her decision to turn around rung a chord in many viewers. Rahul Bose had a cameo. I liked the fact that female characters are shown in shades of grey. For example Sahana Goswami took a decision to climb the corporate ladder though her husband wanted her to become a stay at home mother. After miscarriage she joins her job without guilt and she had a casual fling without remorse. Rani had her secret fling too with the governor and she too disclosed in the ned her harrowing tale of sexual harassment in the hands of the thespian. Most of our films want to show women suffering from pangs of guilt if they deviate from the social or moral norms. Bombay Begums left the characters just as they are in reality, flawed and unabashedly guilt free or guilty .In the end when all the loose ends are tied we hear the footsteps of police in corporate bigwig Rani's house to bring some more skeletons from the closet. I shall definitely wait for a Season 2 and I hope Alankrita will enthral us with more such lovely and relatable stories.
