MUMBAI: Screens have always wielded power in shaping thoughts and changing mindsets. Cinema scores topmost when it comes to influencing beliefs and culture but the medium itself comes with its own constraints. Whereas, new age medium- web has more freedom to explore various kinds of content while delving into sensitive and issue based topics and issues freely. The medium has more often than not, explored socially relevant subjects and quickly on its way to claim the coveted status of “Agent of Change” in a wide spectrum of life.
Be it gender discrimination, women empowerment, LGBTQ rights, marital issues environment awareness these shows are aiming at involving their audience through a mix of entertainments and education. These shows are gliding into our daily lives, making space and impacting audience’s mind with thought provoking content. In the least these agents of change are atleast making people more aware of their surroundings.
Here's a look at some web series that can be dubbed as agents of change.
Hawa Badle Hassu
Hawa Badle Hassu is an upcoming enviromental SciFi series which will tackle the climate change topic in a slice of life style and then upgrade to a full fledged futuristic Sci- Fi narrative. Chandan Roy Sanyal will be leading this project as he plays the titular, eco-friendly Rickshawala Hassu who's concerned about his environment. It is being directed by Saptaraj-Shiva and co- written by Protiqe Mojoomdar who is also the Producer of the series. This genre bender series promises to deliver environment consciousness through its narrative which is a bonafide concern across the globe. It is slated to launch around world environment day which is on 5th June on Sony Liv.
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Made in Heaven, an Amazon prime series conceptualised by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti (and directed by Akhtar, Nitya Mehra, Prashant Nair & Alankrita Shrivastava) is essentially a show about the struggle for acceptance and belonging. It’s about a certain pool of people who remain marginalised in the context and milieu of the mainstream and the urban elite and their battle to fit in. It’s about gender wars, class wars, and wars fought to legitimise sexual identity. A wide array of social evils is brought under the umbrella as the narrative progresses. Shobita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur are the lead actors and are not romantically linked. That by itself is a change.
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Maaya 2
Directed by Krishna Bhatt, this Web series is a women-centric story with a strong message to never underestimate a woman and sends out a strong message to the homophobes. The webseries received both positive and negative feedback, and finally on September 6th 2018 LGBTQ was legalized in India. Priyal Gor plays the lead character.
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Delhi Crime
Richie Mehta’s seven-episode series is a fictionalised version of the police investigation into the brutal gang-rape of a physiotherapy intern in 2012. The horrific nature of the crime shook Delhi and the country. This heinous crime not only renewed the debate on capital punishment for rapists but also resulted in new laws being framed to deal with sexual assault. The series explores both the crime and punishment aspects in-depth. The lead role ACP Vartika essayed by Shefali Shah cracks down on the criminals and brings them to justice but what comes out as the real winner of the show is her resolve to make Delhi a safe place by not just fighting crime but fixing the loopholes and lapses within the system which is actually required to bring about the real change and true law enforcement.
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Man’s World
Man’s world is a phenomenal spectacle and a must watch web series. The series claims to support ‘Goal 5’ of the United Nations’ Global Goals for Sustainable Development. The goal aims to achieve gender equality and empower girls and women across the world. The series raises the right questions and manages to subtly put the message across to those who are ready to listen. It makes a bold statement, and gives unsuspecting watchers a taste of their own misogynistic medicine like no other Indian show has done before.
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Still About Section 377
Web series 'Still About Section 377' explores social acceptance of the LGBTQ community. It "depicts the emotional journey," "rather than boiling down the whole thing to sex". One of the prominent features of ‘Still About Section 377’ is a never seen before transgender track, where the tale dwells into the life of a transgender based in a village who fights the prejudice of society and yearns to make a living. This is one of the great change India needed to do, by legalizing Section 377, they have helped the people who lived their life in fear. The series has a rural setting which makes the topic even more compelling and relevant.
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