SHE S1 Review: Loses its Essence Towards the End!

SHE S1 marks the debut of Imtiaz Ali as a web creator as he co-wrote this Netflix Original along with Divya Johry. Produced by Tipping Point (known for the recently released series – Taj Mahal 1989) and Window Seat Films, and directed by Arif Ali and Avinash Das, SHE includes a charismatic cast starring Aaditi Pohankar in the lead role with Vijay Varma (Gully Boy fame) and Vishwas Kini in supporting roles. She Netflix She Review

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Set in present-day Mumbai, SHE details the life of a simplistic police constable Bhumika Pardesi whose world comprises of her middle-class family. Consisting of her ill mother, a pretty, and carefree sister and her abusive husband who questions about her womanhood. Life takes a new turn, and she becomes an undercover cop helping the anti-narcotics cell, portraying herself to be a prostitute. Eventually, along with her superior – Mr. Fernandez (Vishwas Kini), she embarks on a journey to capture the Voldemort of the drug world, Nayak, who is untraceable for years.

We all know how Indian girls are raised to stay low, dress appropriately and not act sexually. During this undercover operation, our female lead – Bhumi, awakens to the fact that attractiveness and sexuality are not to be embarrassed about. They should empower you. The series was supposed to showcase how a woman explores her sexuality, but it winds up, giving us a male point of view.

Forging ahead, SHE was worth watching only because of the astounding performances of Aaditi Pohankar and the talented Vijay Varma. You want to hate everything about him, but, somehow you end up waiting for him to appear on-screen. His Hyderabadi Hindi accent was an add-on to his incredible acting. However, unfortunately, the creators underused his incredible acting skills, which is a disappointment.

The storyline could have been better and more creative because the subject of the series surely had potential. Also, the characters required a ton of work and should have been finely tuned to fit the narrative better. At one moment, Bhumika is shown to be seductive and sexy, but the next one she is an innocent lower-middle-class constable. It gets uneven in a few instances and might confuse you. But, Aaditi has done a great job of trying to balance it out.

Overall, SHE wanted to convey a strong message that sexuality, power, and sensuality are not the function of the body alone, it’s also about your mind. But, the show failed to convey the message on-screen. The writers failed to dig into Bhumika’s psyche and show how she felt.

The series should have been about ‘How women should feel empowered,’ but unfortunately, it just shows how a women’s body is a utility to men. The season one of SHE S1 is a seven-episode web series that has a gripping first episode but loses its essence towards the end. Binge-watch it on Netflix to pass time during this self quarantining phase.

Rating – 3/5 | Grade – B

Images via Netflix