Whether it is fun-loving Bittoo from Band Baaja Baarat, or outspoken Kusum from Tanu Weds Manu Returns––the portrayal of a quintessential Delhi University student has always found its way into films. Now, the lives of DU students will be the focus of a web series, The Good Girl Show, directed by Anu Singh.
“The show follows the lives of Pooja Prakash – the protagonist, Samriddhi Taneja, Meghna Simtey and Debjani Gosh – who are staying in a PG,” says Singh, who makes her directorial debut with the show. She adds, “It is about how these strong-headed young girls learn to live with each other, and ensure their safety in the city.”
A dramedy, the show questions the concept of a good girl. The idea came from Singh’s own experiences. “Twenty-one years ago, I came to Delhi from Bihar to study in DU. On my first day, I was standing in a college like Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) , dressed in baby pink salwar kameez and magenta dupatta. And I stood out in the crowd. My father comforted me saying, ‘You don’t have to become like them.’ Later when I mulled over his words, I realised the stereotypes that exist in the society,” she says. “This is the bigger theme, which all the small incidents of the show build up to. There is no such thing as a good girl. You can only be who you are,” she says.
To keep the flavour authentic, majority of the cast has been picked from among DU students and graduates. Carolyne Mate, who plays Meghna Simtey, is a student of St. Stephen’s College. Mahak Chajjer, who plays Pooja Prakash, is an economics graduate from Hindu College, and Prashant Kumar, who plays Vikas Mishra is Kirorimal College graduate. Drawing parallels between the show and the actual life of a DU student, Mate says that Singh has hit home with her script and characters. “I have a lot of friends who live in PGs and when I discussed the plot with them, they were awed at how closely the lives of these characters resembled theirs,” she says. “And while DU has students from all walks of life and one can’t stereotype them, you will come across a lot of people that will be a lot like our characters.”
{{/usCountry}}To keep the flavour authentic, majority of the cast has been picked from among DU students and graduates. Carolyne Mate, who plays Meghna Simtey, is a student of St. Stephen’s College. Mahak Chajjer, who plays Pooja Prakash, is an economics graduate from Hindu College, and Prashant Kumar, who plays Vikas Mishra is Kirorimal College graduate. Drawing parallels between the show and the actual life of a DU student, Mate says that Singh has hit home with her script and characters. “I have a lot of friends who live in PGs and when I discussed the plot with them, they were awed at how closely the lives of these characters resembled theirs,” she says. “And while DU has students from all walks of life and one can’t stereotype them, you will come across a lot of people that will be a lot like our characters.”
{{/usCountry}}The show will go live during the third week of February and will have five 20-minute episodes.
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