Photo: Netflix India
KARACHI: If one looks at the ‘Top 10 in Pakistan Today’ list on Netflix, Indian films and shows make up for a majority of that list. With Pakistan having very little representation on Netflix, our audiences are able to relate to content from Bollywood given that our languages and cultures are quite similar to one another. One of the shows to be trending in Pakistan on Netflix is India’s collection of short films, Zindagi In Short. Featuring seven different narratives each of which is less than 30 minutes long, the recently released show on Netflix tells stories of women who learn to take control of their lives. Each film shows a different struggle which women face in their everyday lives. Marital rape, blackmail, harassment, unpaid labour, are some of the themes explored in Zindagi In Short. While all seven shorts are worth watching, here are the ones we would definitely recommend:
Sleeping Partner
Starring Divya Dutta in the lead, Sleeping Partner is perhaps the bravest narrative that the collection has to offer. Dutta plays the role of Sanjay Kapoor’s wife, a man who clearly thinks that his wife is capable of very little. Addressing the importance of women’s sex drive and their partner’s inability to satisfy their sexual needs, the film allows for its protagonist to explore her sexual wants and indulge in activities which give her pleasure. Dutta’s character is also not afraid to file an FIR against her husband who rapes her every other day. India and Pakistan are countries where marital rape is almost never spoken about. The wife is seen as someone who is responsible to satisfy her husband in every way possible. Sleeping Partner breaks away from that narrative and allows its lead character to go after what she wants. It allows her to take control of her situation and put an end to the violence she faces at home every day.
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Read: 5 Netflix India shows to look forward to
Thappad
This short only has a couple of kids as its lead characters and barely any dialogues. However, the direction and plot make for a very strong message for the viewers. The story is about a brother and his older sister, the latter of whom has a stalker in the form of another school boy. The younger brother is bullied by the boy and his friends into forcing his sister to go out with the bully on Valentine’s Day. Of course, the brother is much smaller in size and weaker than the bullies and so cannot take physical revenge on behalf of his sister. However, the siblings do not shy away from the bullies or get scared. Instead, they work together to combine their physical and emotional strength to teach the bullies a lesson. The film sends out a very important message for the harassment that girls face while all they are doing is walking home from school. The film is about making our streets safe for women and children.
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Pinni
Featuring Neena Gupta, Pinni has the simplest storyline out of the seven short films. The beauty of the movie is the routine of an aged homemaker that it manages to show. Gupta plays the role of a woman whose husband spends very little time with her at home, and whose children and relatives only remember to call her when they want her to make pinni (a sweet delicacy) for them. While the world may think that she has very little to worry about or very little to keep her occupied, Gupta’s character perfectly portrays the frustration of unpaid domestic labour and the lack of appreciation that comes with being a ‘good’ wife and homemaker.
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