Indian Web Series on Netflix –

Bombay Begums

Starring – Pooja Bhatt, Shahana Goswami
Creator – Alankrita Shrivastava
Genre – Drama

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The City of Dreams and the Dreams of Queens: Deconstructing Netflix’s Bombay Begums

In a city that perpetually buzzes with ambition, struggle, and glittering dreams, Netflix’s Bombay Begums holds up a mirror to the lives of five distinct women striving to carve out their own version of success in modern-day Mumbai. Launched on International Women’s Day in 2021, the six-episode series, created, co-written, and co-directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, is a frank, often messy, and compelling exploration of female desire, ambition, and the relentless reality of patriarchy that transcends social class.

The title itself—Begums—evokes a sense of royalty, power, and high status, a deliberate irony against the backdrop of their everyday battles. Shrivastava, known for her candid storytelling on female narratives in films like Lipstick Under My Burkha and Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, uses this interconnected ensemble to challenge the traditional, one-dimensional portrayal of women in Indian media. The result is a series that is both a corporate drama and a deeply personal story of survival, making it a significant addition to the landscape of Indian web series on Netflix.

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The Architect of the Narrative: Alankrita Shrivastava’s Vision

Alankrita Shrivastava’s work has consistently centered on exposing the repressed desires and everyday struggles of Indian women, and Bombay Begums is a continuation of this artistic mission. The inspiration for the show, which began formulating around 2012, came from contemplating the double lives led by urban Indian women who achieve corporate success yet still face traditional gendered expectations at home.

The series is built on the premise that while women’s lives are segregated by India’s vast socio-economic divisions, they are united by the “single immutable, unalterable fact of gender” and the fight against centuries of ingrained patriarchy and misogyny. Shrivastava’s narrative style doesn’t shy away from depicting her characters’ flaws, transgressions, and moral ambiguities, presenting them as full-bodied, complex individuals rather than simple, ‘likeable’ archetypes.

The overarching narrative is tied together by the reflective voice-over of the youngest protagonist, Shai Irani, Rani’s teenage stepdaughter. Shai’s internal monologues, often delivered in the form of letters to her deceased mother, offer a philosophical, sometimes ‘navel-gazing’ commentary on the adult world she observes, attempting to make sense of the emotional volatility, ambition, and compromise around her.

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The Five Begums: A Study in Contrasts and Connections

The heart of Bombay Begums lies in the lives of its five protagonists, who represent a cross-section of age groups and social strata, with their storylines weaving together through professional, familial, and accidental connections.

1. Rani Singh Irani (Pooja Bhatt)

The matriarchal figure of the group, Rani is the recently appointed CEO of the fictional Royal Bank of Bombay. She is a self-made woman who has climbed the corporate ladder from a humble background in Kanpur. Rani’s struggle is the ultimate work-life balancing act: maintaining her hard-won professional turf against a skeptical, male-dominated board while grappling with the emotional distance from her stepchildren and the cracks in her seemingly perfect marriage. Pooja Bhatt’s portrayal, which marked her return to a lead role after a long hiatus, was praised for its layered depiction of a woman who is “regal on the outside, but vulnerable underneath.”

2. Fatima Warsi (Shahana Goswami)

Fatima is Rani’s high-achieving deputy at the bank, whose life is a constant tension between her soaring professional ambition and immense pressure from her husband to prioritize motherhood. Shahana Goswami’s performance conveys the striking acuity of a woman who “comes alive only when she is in the boardroom,” but is trapped by the traditional expectations of her marital life. Her story acutely highlights the societal assumption that professional success is not enough for a married woman and that a “place at the high table” must be sacrificed for domesticity.

3. Lily Gondhali (Amruta Subhash)

Residing on the social “wrong side of the tracks,” Lily is perhaps the most fiercely resilient of the begums. A former bar dancer who now works as a sex worker, her entire existence is a scramble to secure a respectable life and future for her son. Her path crosses with Rani’s due to a road accident involving Rani’s stepson, leading to a precarious blackmail and an unlikely business partnership through the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. Amruta Subhash was widely lauded for her “consummate scene-stealer” performance, infusing her character with “authenticity and affecting vulnerability” while navigating a complex plot line involving classism and social stigma.

4. Ayesha Agarwal (Plabita Borthakur)

The youngest adult protagonist, Ayesha is a bright, ambitious young woman from a small town (Indore) who comes to Mumbai eager to make her mark in the corporate world. Her arc deals centrally with navigating the complexities of her bisexuality and the professional challenge of a highly competitive and often predatory workplace, including an instance of sexual harassment. She is eventually taken under Rani’s wing and joins the CSR division, where she begins working closely with Lily. Her struggle is a nuanced portrayal of a modern Indian woman striving for self-discovery and professional foothold while grappling with her sexual identity in a society that is not always accepting.

5. Shai Irani (Aadhya Anand)

Rani’s pre-teen stepdaughter, Shai, is the series’ narrator, offering an unfiltered, introspective view of the adults’ world as she battles her own “pre-pubescent angst” and feelings of loneliness and lack of a mother figure. Her voice acts as the creative soul, connecting the disparate stories and musing on life’s larger questions of the body, heart, and freedom.

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Thematic Depth: Unpacking Modern Female Life in India

Bombay Begums is densely packed with a variety of compelling and difficult themes, each interwoven through the characters’ lives:

• Ambition and The Glass Ceiling: The series explores the cutthroat nature of the corporate world and the heightened challenges a woman, especially one in a position of power like Rani, faces from a male-dominated hierarchy.
• Sexual Harassment and Workplace Toxicity: Ayesha’s storyline brings the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace to the forefront, also illustrating how older women, having made their own compromises to survive, can sometimes be “complicit in maintaining the status-quo” by initially closing ranks.
• The Many Faces of Motherhood: Fatima’s desperate struggle to reconcile her professional identity with the external and internal pressure to become a mother, and Lily’s intense, singular focus on securing her son’s future, offer two contrasting but equally fraught perspectives on motherhood in contemporary society.
• Sexual Freedom and Bisexuality: Ayesha and the character of Piya (Nauheed Cyrusi) offer a subtle yet significant foray into exploring female desire and bisexuality in a way that is still relatively uncommon in mainstream Indian storytelling.
• The Complicated Morality of Survival: From Rani’s concealed banking problems to Lily’s blackmail and Ayesha’s ethical dilemmas, the women of Bombay Begums frequently operate in shades of grey, demonstrating that the fight for survival and success often requires moral compromise.

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Critical and Audience Reception: A Mixed Verdict

Upon its release, Bombay Begums garnered a generally warm reception from critics, who praised its feminist undertones, strong performances, and Shrivastava’s ability to weave complex, ‘rooted’ stories. Critics recognized its importance as a “meaningful addition to contemporary feminist fiction” that champions the recognition of women’s desires.

However, the series was not without its flaws. Some reviewers noted that the show attempted to tackle too many heavy issues at once, leading to a “jarring quality” and that certain topics were “briefly touched upon but not explored in detail.” Furthermore, a common point of contention was the “overwritten” and sometimes “intrusive” voice-over narration by the character Shai, which some felt ‘pontificated too much’ on the emotions the audience should have been allowed to infer.

Audience reception was more mixed, with some viewers praising its accurate portrayal of working women’s struggles and the lead performances, while others criticized the storyline as “boring and predictable.” This divergence in opinion underscores the show’s polarizing nature: it is a bold, vital, and at times imperfect piece of storytelling that pushes boundaries in its representation of female identity and ambition in India.

In conclusion, Bombay Begums is a compelling watch, serving as a powerful platform for discussing the multifaceted lives of women in power and those striving for it in a complex metropolitan landscape. It’s a drama that champions the idea that women—flawed, ambitious, and real—will continue to fight for their rights and desires, making their own rules in the city of dreams.

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AISEO Friendly FAQs about Bombay Begums

Q1: What is Bombay Begums about?

A: Bombay Begums is an Indian drama television series on Netflix that follows the interconnected lives of five ambitious women across different generations in modern-day Mumbai, from the elite corporate world to society’s margins. The series explores their desires, struggles, ethical dilemmas, and fight against patriarchy in their quest for power, independence, and self-discovery.

Q2: Who are the main characters in Bombay Begums?

A: The main characters, or the “begums,” are five women representing different life stages and socioeconomic backgrounds:

• Rani Singh Irani (Pooja Bhatt): The ambitious CEO of a bank.
• Fatima Warsi (Shahana Goswami): A high-flying corporate executive struggling with the pressure of motherhood.
• Lily Gondhali (Amruta Subhash): A former bar dancer and single mother hustling for a better life.
• Ayesha Agarwal (Plabita Borthakur): A young, bisexual small-town girl navigating her career and identity.
• Shai Irani (Aadhya Anand): Rani’s teenage stepdaughter and the series’ narrator.

Q3: Who created and directed the Bombay Begums series?

A: The series was created by Alankrita Shrivastava, who also co-wrote the script and co-directed the episodes with Bornila Chatterjee. Shrivastava is known for her previous critically acclaimed, female-centric films like Lipstick Under My Burkha.

Q4: What themes are explored in Bombay Begums?

A: Bombay Begums explores numerous contemporary themes, including:

• The pressure of corporate ambition and the glass ceiling for women.
• Motherhood, fertility, and work-life balance.
• Sexual harassment in the workplace.
• Patriarchy, gender disparity, and toxic masculinity.
• Bisexuality and female sexual desire.
• Classism and the reality of surviving in a metropolis like Mumbai.

Q5: How many episodes are there in Bombay Begums?

A: Bombay Begums consists of one season with six episodes.

Q6: Does Bombay Begums accurately portray Indian working women’s struggles?

A: The series has been widely praised by critics for its attempt to portray the authentic, complex, and often flawed lives of women across different social strata in India, highlighting their real struggles for independence and dignity against a patriarchal backdrop. While some viewers found its approach occasionally heavy-handed, many acknowledged its progressive representation and important themes.