It’s Binge season!

We understand how the current situation can be worrying and sure, we’d love to get out and grab the sun for a bit, but that’s not exactly possible in these times. If you’re looking for a distraction from all that's going on, we’ve got you covered. Snuggle up on your sofa and get your TV remote as we explore 5 Netflix series that broke barriers to what’s expected in cinema by portraying women in a whole new light!

The Queens Gambit

The character portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy is so compelling you'll wish she were a real person. Beth Harmon, the protagonist of the show discovers her aptitude for chess while living in an orphanage at a young age. Her unbelievable mind brings her incredible opportunity, but wherever she goes, whether it's a tournament in Moscow or Kentucky, her problems follow her. The Queen's Gambit is a unique coming-of-age story that explores, liberates and celebrates a woman’s choices of how she lives her life- judgement and apology-free.

Masaba Masaba

What started off as a show about a mother-daughter relationship soon turns into a whirlwind of expectations for Masaba. The fictional story follows real-life designer Masaba Gupta and her mother, Neena Gupta through their ups and downs, life choices and outlook on problems. The story begins with Masaba dealing with a divorce while trying to establish a name for herself in the fashion industry and Neena Gupta trying to get back into films with little to no luck. The show furthers into the everyday issues that both the ladies deal with and how they keep finding their way back to each other no matter the problem. The show also explores the support system that these two ladies play for each other reminding us of all the strong women in our lives that we know and so fondly love.

Bombay Begums

he powerplay of business has long been covered by many famous shows and movies. We have all heard of it, witnessed it and talked about it. So what is different about Bombay Begums? Well, this show talks about all that and more, but from a woman’s perspective. The show follows 3 women in business and the fight they put up to stand tall in a boardroom. Rani, the CEO of a famous Bank; Fatima and Ayesha, two ambitious women paving paths for themselves against blatant masked patriarchy. The show uncovers some harsh truths, a ton of sacrifices and the will to keep moving forward no matter what!

The Good Place

Revolving around the protagonist Kristen Bell’s character Eleanor, this show challenges the norms of what’s good behaviour vs what’s bad behaviour. The show revolves around the concept of what happens when you're accidentally sent to the "good place" after you die and follows Eleanor’s beautifully flawed character through that journey. Eleanor is a selfish, shrimp-gobbling woman who lived every day of her life for herself and no one else. By the norm, she shouldn't be in 'The Good Place', but that's where the show begins to challenge that norm. Eleanor uncovers notions of people that are treated as “good” or “bad” thus unearthing how restrictive these categories in society are.

A Suitable boy

We wanted this for the last. While the show can never do justice to Vikram Seth’s novel by the same name, director Mira Nair certainly doesn’t miss the opportunity to put the reins of a woman’s life back in her hands. The story revolves around the protagonist, Latha and her search to find her life partner. But that’s not it. Latha’s personification of modern-day India in a post-partition world is perfectly captured when she is presented with a choice of suitable partners. A journey of self-discovery, preferences and choices, breaking barriers and building the right expectations, this show doesn’t shy away from asking tough questions on the free will of a woman’s mind and soul.

Bottom Line

Whether you love or hate our picks for you, it is undeniable that as women, we cannot be put in a box. Gender stereotypes, the wage gap and ambiguous expectations are all ever more existent in society. While there’s little that we, as individuals can do, there’s a lot that we as a collective can do. Breaking away from stereotypical behaviour patterns, exploring our choices, our relationships and our expectations whether with our lives or with our money is a powerful tool to put to task.