The Prime of Miss Matildas

Ek abla naari, sab pe bhaari. One so-called weak woman is equal to many others. Ziddi Girls is a collection of many abla naaris of all ages in Matilda College, from freshers, to seniors, to teachers to principals. Set in a not-so fictional college in Delhi University, where it was shot, Ziddi Girls captures a few months in the lives of these girls. Girls who have come from diverse backgrounds, some fighting to leave their villages for educa­tion in the big city, others in the college because of a sports quota. Girls battling for self expression in a world closing in on them, telling them what to think, wear, speak. The issues presented here are the privatisation of education, the role of women, toxic mas­culinity, and politics. One such college was director Shonali Bose’s alma mater and her love for these refreshing young women pulling each other up, and standing on the shoulders of their brave teachers to pay it forward, is evident in every scene. A beloved principal (a wonderful Revathy) is replaced by another (the resurgent Simran) who is supposed to discipline them at the expense of dissent. There is resistance, from students and teachers, for whom the institution matters above all. This show deserves a lot more noise than Prime Video gave it.

entertainmentNandita DasOTTRevathyShonali BoseSimranstreaming businessZiddi Girls