Hush Hush – A Compelling Web Series Led by a Strong Female Cast & Crew

Who doesn’t like a good female-oriented web series or film? If you’re someone who likes consuming new content on OTT platforms every now and then, you’ve probably watched Four More Shots Please, Bombay Begums, MOM, and so on. Well, another latest web series with strong female characters was released on Amazon Prime Video last week. The seven-episode series titled Hush Hush, stars a super versatile ensemble cast of Juhi Chawla, Soha Ali Khan, Shahana Goswami, Kritika Kamra, Karishma Tanna and Ayesha Jhulka.

P.S.: There might be a few spoilers here and there as you read on!

What makes the show even more unique is that it features a cast and crew primarily comprising of women. From the production designer to the costume designer, co-producer, associate producer and director, an all-women crew is the backbone of this show. Tanuja Chandra has directed most of the episodes. She’s not just a filmmaker and writer but also a feminist. She began her career with Dushman, a well-edged thriller, and has also directed films like Sangharsh and Qarib Qarib Single. During the trailer launch event, Tanuja spoke about the need for women’s representation in films. She also revealed why she loves making films with strong female leads. Tanuja said that representation matters since women are 50% of the population.

“Knitted in a web of lies, deceit and fighting patriarchy, the story explores the storm that brews behind the seemingly quiet façade of the privileged lives of these women”. This is what the official synopsis of the show reads.

Here’s my take on it…

Before I delve deep into this investigative thriller, let me clarify that this is not exactly a movie review.

Pic Source: Hindustan Times

Hush Hush is the story of four women whose picture-perfect lives get topsy-turvy due to an unexpected series of events. Well, these aren’t regular women. They are women who live in swanky houses of a gated community and take golf carts to visit their friends in the next tower. You’ll often see them in expensive designer outfits and heirloom jewellery too. As they say, “all that glitters is not gold”. Their flamboyant lifestyle and dining at fancy Japanese restaurants takes a turn one night when one of the friends from the quartet kills a man for assaulting her friend, Ishi. While they might have done it in her defence, they unfortunately became involved in the crime. They sleep through the night with the guilt that they killed somebody, only to wake up next day and find out that their friend, Ishi Sangamitra, is no more.

The rest of the web series gets even murkier when police officer Geeta is tasked to get to the root of this. Throughout the show, you’ll see these women living in guilt. However, what really grabbed my attention more than the premise is the strong character portrayal of these women.

Let’s start with Ishi Sanghamitra essayed by Juhi Chawla. She’s a powerful and dynamic lobbyist and the head of a public relations agency where she deals with HNIs from the political and corporate world. While she’s entangled in controversy, she is also seen hiding some dark secrets. She also has fond memories of the orphanage where she grew up with her best friend. There is an incident in the first episode where Ishi is seen giving it back to a fidgety male client. For a change, we finally have a series where a female lead is giving it back to a man. Despite her powerful stature, she is someone who everybody loves to hate. Well, it’s so typical of society to hate someone who is successful. Despite its flaws, there are a few parts in the show where women are claiming their equal space.

Pic Source: KoiKoi

While Ishi is known for her calculative moves, Saiba played by Soha Ali Khan is exactly the opposite. I’d like to call her the “family woman”. She left her successful profession as a journalist only to take care of her family and raise her children. Before you assume someone asked her to do it, let me clarify that it was her own decision. She thought the profession was risky, and thus she decided to chicken out. On the other hand, Zaira played by Shahana Goswami is quite a boss woman. She is a noted designer and has built a fashion empire for herself. A few scenes throw light on her crashing love life. Just when she feels like she has it all, she is pestered by a young employee who seems to have a mental condition. She is also blackmailed by her when she gets to know she and her friends were behind the death of an undisclosed man.

Amid the crashing personal lives and tragedy depicted on the show, sadly Hush Hush also talks about the societal pressures women have to face. Kritika Kamra plays Dolly, a chirpy Punjabi girl who is constantly taunted by her domineering mother-in-law for not yielding an heir for the family. The world in her house is so patriarchal that her dragon of a mother-in-law even keeps tabs on her ovulation cycle. In one scene, she is even seen giving Dolly advice on which is the best day to have sex in order to conceive. Is that the only job women have? To deliver babies? Frustrated of being a victim of constant taunts and insults, Dolly finally breaks the silence on her infertile husband, a secret she guarded for long. Here, society’s double standards are revealed. Her mother-in-law was aware of her son’s impotency. However, she simply refused to accept it and only blamed her daughter-in-law for it. After all, nothing can be wrong with a man, right? When her husband is seen supporting her, again she is blamed by her in-laws for spoiling his life. The air in their home is nothing but deep-seated patriarchy. Her father-in-law who is an entitled man has a monologue in the end where he openly expresses his shallow opinion on women. It’s sad that such a strong women-led show has a rare moment like this.  

Despite its flaws, Hush Hush is an addictive watch and is highly binge-worthy. For me, Karishma Tanna was the star of the show. She played a top-notch cop who decided to be a woman in a male-oriented profession. Her character is fierce and bold, and she is revealed to be homosexual. Another thing I loved is how Indian series and films are finally tackling homosexuality with dignity.

If you’ve watched the show, I’d love to know your views on it too. Leave them in the comments section below.