Review Of Web Series Churails: A Must Watch Thriller Show in ZEE5

Thriller shows are a must-watch, right? And over that, if a thriller show has a story which revolves around the twists and turns of a detective agency, that too run completely by women, who come from an unconventional background.

One such show in ZEE5 is the ‘Churails’ which has started streaming since 11th August 2020 and is a set of adventures packed back to back. The plot is set in Karachi, this series depicts the lives of four women who together starts a detective agency with a target to catch the city’s cheating husbands. Most interesting is the background of these four women, Sarah is a super-rich perfect mommy who used to be a lawyer, Jugnu is a fading socialite who was once the biggest event planner in town, Zubeida an aspiring boxer, and Batool an ex-convict. With absolutely nothing in common, they four come together and deal with cases which actually depicts what happens in those uncovered parts of our society.Director: Asim AbbasiCast: Sarwat Gilani, Yasra Rizvi, Nimra Bucha, Meher Bano, Omair RanaCinematographer: Mo Azmi

Editor: Kamal Khan, Kamran Shahnawaz

The plot:

The story is about four women, four self-proclaimed chudails, who have all faced the claws of patriarchy, run a detective agency behind the persona of a burkha boutique, sarcastically named as Halal Designs. They and the other women in the show, are not only mandating their basic human right of being eligible to live with prestige, but insist on being self-sufficient, powerful, and unapologetic about their sexuality. Their backgrounds actually add more power to the show. Moreover, these four women are shown wearing burkhas as a superhero’s cape as they head for their missions. It is a ten-episode power-packed show with the tagline “Mard ko dard hoga”. 

By the third episode, the series starts to visualize the characters and the viewers that it’s never as simple as becoming burqa-clad vigilantes in South Asia, or anywhere for that matter. Cops, politicians, and mobs crash the party. By the fifth episode, the honeymoon phase is over. By the seventh, a larger conspiracy comes to light, and the story zooms out to reveal their little planet in a big universe.The idea behind the story:According to the director of the show, “the idea of women being dressed and undressed according to the whims of men, as to what a woman should or should not wear are dictated by men. Burkha is used to subvert something that is historically considered very oppressive. It is not about whether one should wear a burkha or not, it is a choice. In the show, the women choose to wear it like a superhero’s cape. While on their missions, it helps them hide their identities as detectives” 

With the above setup and idea in mind, the show aims to challenge the hypocrisy of patriarchal societies that curtail women and their rights.The show gives us a real insight into society. It shows that in spite of our society giving so-called equal status to women, they are still looked down upon. Any woman who speaks their mind out isn’t really taken into good eyes. And that’s what is precisely well depicted by the courageous team act of the four stars of the show!