Miranda House, DU students outrage over Ziddi Girls trailer: We are reduced to 'porn watching', ‘man-chasing’ girls
Miranda House college students are outraged over Amazon Prime's series Ziddi Girls' trailer. Many feel it's ‘demeaning’ and exploits feminism for entertainment.
Shot in Miranda House (Delhi University), an upcoming web series titled Ziddi Girls has ignited a firestorm among students of the college. Reason? Consider one of Delhi University’s most prestigious institutions, this series that is directed by filmmaker Shonali Bose and is centered around the lives of students at an elite college in Delhi named Matilda House – referred to as MH – is being slammed as ‘derogatory’ and one that's potent of tarnishing the college’s long-standing reputation.
It's relevant to be noted here that the series was shot in the college, as reported by HT City in July 2023, and features prominent alumna of the college including director Bose, and actor Nandita Das.
The outrage that has therefore stemmed from the trailer posted, is making students claim that it feeds the thought of creating damaging stereotypes about womens' colleges, portraying them in a “sensationalised” manner. “I watched the trailer with my friends and felt it has reduced us, Mirandians, to a single dimension of female students who watch porn and are almost always chasing men. It's so objectifying,” says Jyotsana, a final-year student of BA (Hons) English, adding, "Miranda's students are one of the brightest minds of the country. Shonali Bose has herself done some impeccable work related to women empowerment, in the past. But this shows seems to be a very superficial take on feminism and makes me question what is she trying to say or portray in the show. I certainly don't relate to what is shown in the trailer.”
The response to the trailer has actually turned incendiary since the series was filmed at Miranda House campus, with the permission of the administration. “The show’s leading actors, Nandita Das and Simran, are alumnae of this very college. How could they did not intervene to protect the legacy of their alma mater,” questions Riddhi, a first-year student, adding, "The fact that our own alumnae were part of such a project that demeans our educational institution is deeply disappointing. When we watched them shoot in the campus, we thought it would be a great thing to see our college getting celebrated on such a big platform. If we knew this is how they will portray everything then we wouldn't have let them shoot in the first place. The college authorities must see the show themselves before it releases otherwise the damage done will be irreversible!”
Some students have also taken to social media to express their displeasure over the show's trailer, and are accusing its creators of distorting reality under the guise of entertainment. “Just the name Ziddi Girls has a negative pun to it. It is yet another attempt to cash in on women empowerment narratives while ultimately reducing them to commodified clichés,” says Saba Afreen, a student of BA (Hons), adding, “This is just another run-of-the-mill, profit-driven attempt to exploit ‘feminism’ for cheap entertainment. It’s the same tired recipe of college dramas that are glamourised, exaggerated, and far removed from reality. But the worst part is that it reinforces the fetishisation and misrepresentation of women-only spaces, especially a college like Miranda House, which has been a typecast for years even after its students have been all rounders since years.”
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