Paurashpur, the ALTBalaji-ZEE5’s latest show, is yet another tedious series. It’s nothing like its trailer, which gave an impression of a great plot with throbbing gender politics, intrigue, revenge and sexual tension.
The fictional period-piece has already been released on December 29, 2020, on Zee5 and Alt Balaji. The show features a king who brands women he beds with a hot iron and torments them if they fail to satisfy him.
Set in the 16th century, the show depicts the harsh treatment of women prevalent at that time.
Even though the trailer promised a women-oriented show that records women standing up for themselves, for their rights and dignity which were often trampled upon by patriarchy for their convenience. The series has failed to deliver the same.
The Story Of Paurashpur
The story of Paurashpur revolves around a kingdom, Paurashpur, which is ruled by King Bhadra Pratap Singh (Annu Kapoor). Here, women’s rights and dignity are trampled by those in power and they were treated as nothing more than objects and pawns to fulfil men’s lustful desires.
Women have no stand in society and are considered as ‘slaves’ to men. Either they are bound to practise ‘Sati’ and follow their husbands to death or are compelled to wear the ‘Chastity Belt’ with a lock to salvage their virtue.
As for those who dare to defy these rules, they are publicly executed.
There are seven queens of the king of Paurashpur including Kala, who was originally a dasi. Kala was in love with the prince, Ranvir, however, due to a series of twists and turns, she ends up as one of the queens.
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King’s first wife Meeravati (Shilpa Shinde) provides the king with several young queens periodically to ensure that his ‘carnal’ desires are met. But these young queens somehow disappear from the palace time and again.
Boris (Milind Soman) is a transgender who makes the king uncomfortable with his presence and is connected to the mystery behind the queens’ abductions.
All said and done, the show is set in a highly patriarchal society. And every character, just like the plot of the series, is grey, fighting for what they believe is right to survive and to win this battle of the sexes being waged against gender equality in Paurashpur.
The only silver lining of the show is the fact that the era of the 16th century has been depicted through beautiful sets and costumes.
The Takeaway
Even though the series cast boasts quite a few familiar faces, such as Shilpa Shinde, Annu Kapoor, Milind Soman, Shaheer Sheikh and Flora Saini, none of them can save this sad excuse for a period drama.
The script is appalling, and the dialogues are just unforgivably boring.
The plot had enough potential to turn out possibly like ‘Bahubali.’ However, poor script and the substandard direction has turned it into something better off if swiped left.
The Paurashpur trailer left an impression of the series as a groundbreaking epic drama about lust, revenge and patriarchy.
On the contrary, the series doesn’t and can be categorized as soft porn instead. There are several unnecessary sex scenes, which have not been shot aesthetically, giving off a creepy vibe.
There are also some disturbing scenes featuring Annu Kapoor with one of his queens, and the low-grade CGI and lighting make it all the worse. I find it impossible to think of any redeeming factors to this horror show of a series.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Indian Express, She the people, Zee5
Find the blogger at: @sejalsejals38
This post is tagged under: Paurashpur, the ALTBalaji-ZEE5 production, ALTBalaji, ZEE5, Shilpa Shinde, Annu Kapoor, Milind Soman, Shaheer Sheikh, Flora Saini, OTT platforms, Patriarchy, 16th Century, Period Drama
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