Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Soapy women-centered drama has cursing, drinking, sex.
Parents Need to Know
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Where to Watch
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Bombay Begums
What's the Story?
BOMBAY BEGUMS is an Indian drama series about five women from different walks of life who work hard and do what they have to in order to live the life they want. Rani (Pooja Bhatt) is the CEO of a bank in financial crisis, and will do what she must to hold on to the position. This includes contending with the likes of Lily (Amruta Subhash), a sex worker trying to manipulate the system to give her son a better life. Meanwhile, Fatima (Sahana Gowsami) is struggling with the pressure placed on her by her husband to have a child, despite the fact that has Rani has offered her a position that will catapult her career. Her assistant Ayesha (Plabita Borthakur) is facing her own professional challenges, while contending with her parents' desire to arrange a marriage for her. Rani's young stepdaughter Shai (Aadhya Anand) quietly makes her own observations about the women around her, while trying to understand what her life will be like as a woman in this world.
Is It Any Good?
This engaging, women-centered soapy drama, which is dubbed in English, features a group of strong women attempting to carve out, and hold on to, a place of power in Mumbai's patriarchal society. Each of the women, who Shai refers to as "begums" or "queens," are from different walks of life. They are all clearly strong and intelligent, but regardless of their lived experiences, they also find themselves constantly being challenged by old cultural traditions and contemporary misogyny as their personal and professional lives collide.
Despite it being a work of fiction, Bombay Begums delivers a strong statement about the struggle of women in India, regardless of education or privilege, due to the sexism that still exists in the country today. But viewers from other cultures and communities may also find the need of the begums to constantly negotiate a balance between what is expected from them as daughters, wives, and mothers, and what they achieve (or want to achieve) outside of these roles, all too familiar. Overall, it's an entertaining series, and one that may resonate with many women around the world.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what the term "begum" means. Did you know that the term usually refers to the wife or daughter of a royal or aristocrat? Why is it being used differently in this series?
Do the women in Bombay Begums face more sexism in their personal lives or at their jobs? How does one experience affect the other?
Are the lived experiences of the women featured in this series a fair representation of who women are, and the challenges they face, in India? Or is it hyped up to create more dramatic entertainment?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 8, 2021
- Cast : Pooja Bhatt , Sahana Gowsami , Amruta Subhash
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 27, 2022
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