What happens when a private video of a woman belonging to a traditional Bengali household gets leaked?
Instead of running away in shame and hiding from society, the best course of action should be embracing independence. That is exactly what we see in the OTT platform Hoichoi’s new series ‘Uttoron.’
The series directed by Joydeep Mukherjee was released on 26 January. Casting Madhumita Sarcar, Rajdeep Gupta, Sawon Chakraborty, and Swastika Dutta among others, the series beautifully narrates the fight and plight of a woman in a patriarchal society.
The story begins with newly married Parna, who has been brought up by loving parents. She is a school teacher and is adored by her students and colleagues. Her in-laws are also respectful towards her.
Parna is optimistic about her new life. However, things take a grim turn when a private video of her gets leaked online.
People who stood by her till then and supported her refuses to do so. Her husband makes her sleep on the balcony and stops talking to her. Her father-in-law, who had been progressive till then, refuses to even eat from her hands. Even her servants disrespect her.
When she goes to her school, she meets with a protest from guardians who refuse to let her enter the school. Devastated and bewildered, she goes to her parent's house only to find out that her father wants to cut all ties with her. Her family face disrespect everywhere and she blames herself for all that.
In such a situation, she finds solace from some friends and colleagues who support her. Her brother-in-law Neelu talks to her about her favourite books and movies and reminds her that she is not only a body.
Her mind and soul, which can never be tarnished make up who she really is. Eventually, she talks to her ex-boyfriend and finds out that the video has probably been leaked by a customer service where he had given his phone for repair.
Parna is also baffled to know that nobody is accusing the man of being vulgar and uncivilised whereas she has no social dignity left.
Parna gradually makes up her mind to not tolerate the ongoing indignity anymore.
Previously, her husband told her that the family had decided to reach out to police saying it is a morphed video and file a defamation case. He threatened that if Parna refused to abide by the plan, he would divorce her.
Instead, Parna says that she would like to file a case against a system that demonises a woman for having private moments.
She also admits that it was her who was in the video and points out the hypocrisies in the behaviours of her family members. Eventually, she divorces her husband and starts living independently.
The lead character Parna played by Madhumita Sarcar, is a well-read and intellectual woman and breaks the stereotype of liberal female leads.
Most Bengali dramas miss the nuances of a typical woman and portray a black and white picture. The grey area where real women lie is beautifully depicted here.
The series stands out in its narrative that any woman can have private moments and it is society’s fault to vilify her right after watching her private content breaching her privacy.
The contrast of two male characters, Parna’s husband Abhi and her brother-in-law Neelu, is also interesting.
Despite the adroit cinematography, sometimes the acting was not up to the mark and made a few scenes look artificial, downplaying the plot at times.
The musical scores were generic and should have received more attention to bringing out the moods well.
Overall, Uttoron is refreshingly new in storytelling and highly motivating for a better society.
The writer is a sophomore Economics major at the University of Dhaka.
mehzabeenlubaba@gmail.com