Starring: Juhi Chawla, Soha Ali Khan, Shahana Goswami, Kritika Kamra, Ayesha Jhulka, Chaitanya Choudhry, Kavya Trehan, Karishma Tanna
Director: Tanuja Chandra
The concept of four female friends of conflicting personalities that share an enduring friendship has been explored in many different forms ever since ‘Sex and the City’ exploded on to our screens a few years ago. This new Amazon Prime series starring some of Bollywood’s well established and not-so-known actresses is another take on that broad premise, this time in the form of a dark thriller.
All hell breaks loose in the posh gated society of Gurgaon, the affluent neighbourhood on the outskirts of Delhi, as news reports flash corruption allegations against high-power professional Ishi (Chawla). Her closest friends, Saiba (Khan), Zaira (Goswami) and Dolly (Kamra), are desperate with worry and try and trace Ishi’s whereabouts to figure out how much of the media hype is actually true.
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When they do reunite with Ishi in the woods behind Dolly’s sprawling home, the encounter turns bloody in a way that will change their lives for ever. As meticulous police officer Geeta (Tanna) makes it her mission to get to the bottom of exactly how involved these innocent-looking friends are after a body is discovered in the woods, their friendship will be tested to the limit of breaking point.
How exactly do Zaira’s over-enthusiastic assistant Meher (Trehan) and the head of a girls’ orphanage, Meera Yadav (Jhulka), fit into this constantly expanding jigsaw of mystery and lies proves too much for Geeta to get her head around. Are any of them really prepared for the gruesome truth behind the murders and intrigue?
Season one of this series ends on a note that does indicate that there is more on the way, and it is likely to be welcomed by audiences who are drawn to feminine power sagas. The men in the series are pretty much relegated to the peripheries as the supportive or not-so-supportive husband, illicit lover or villain. Meanwhile, using the contrasting professions and personalities of the leading ladies as the canvas, ‘Hush Hush’ does full justice to its female-centric theme and casting.
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The thriller aspect of the script is well thought out but at times it does feel like the story is being pulled in too many different tangents. Chawla’s character is unsatisfyingly under-explained, perhaps saving it for the next series.
But overall, with some power-packed talent at the heart of it, this series does make for a gripping watch – even if not entirely binge-worthy.
