The face of Indian actor Gaurav Pandey (pictured above on the left) says it all! Prepare yourselves for a brilliant new web series, the first from Y Films in India, called ‘Man’s World’ which is a hilarious take on what would happen in women treated men the same way men treated women.
You’re probably familiar with many switcheroo movies like ‘The Parent Trap’, ‘Freaky Friday’, ‘Change Up’ or any of the films that involve some sort of magic spell that allows characters to do a body swap. Well this series is a new take on that concept, where one young man gets to experience life through the eyes of an oppressed gender.
Let’s just back up a little, shall we. It should be noted that this series is primarily targeted to an Indian audience, although, it does have subtitles and anyone around the world can enjoy and understand it. But in India, it is very common to see the mistreatment of women who aren’t always considered equal to men in areas. With a population of over 1 billion people, it is a very diverse and eclectic landscape, but it has become quite united over the past few years because of one specific incident.
In 2012 a girl was gang-raped on a bus in Delhi and it sparked a wave of outrage and protests by citizens crying out for the government to do more. Since there, more and more violent crimes against women have been reported, not because they are just starting to happen as a domino effect, but because the international media has added their voice to the fight against gender violence, more women and girls are becoming empowered to finally speak about injustices happening to them which have for too long been considered taboo and which continue to happen in silence.
Yet many mindsets have to be changed, in order for this epidemic stops, as this powerful video on a group of female activists called the Red Brigade (teen girls who fight back against rape) shows:
Since the gang-rape incident, there have been a number of viral videos showing Indian women standing up to attackers and harassers around the country. They are fed up. Many organizations are also joining in the fight to stop this wave of horrific gender-based violence by sharing powerful messages in magazines, movies, in government initiatives, and now in a comedy web series.
The story begins with the central character, played by Gaurav, who feels “tortured” by women around him and is sick of the whole feminist agenda. Sounds like many men in the west as well, some of which like to call themselves “meninists” or Men’s Rights Activists who believe men are the oppressed gender. So this series should really interest them to know what actual gender oppression looks like.
The four-part series is available to watch on the Y-Films official Youtube Channel, and was created not just for entertainment, but to be part of an important social and political agenda. Not too long ago we shared about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals which were agreed upon by leaders from around the world. The aim of these goals is to eliminate poverty and inequality by focusing on key areas.
One of the goals is gender equality (which we happen to think is the most important one as it involves half the world’s population!) and this series is made in conjunction with the Global Goals campaign, which is an action platform showcasing how sectors and industries other than the government can play their part in fighting for these goals.
“The Web-series has taken a very fresh route to feminism, from the perspective of the otherwise privileged gender,” says IBN Live about the show.
Featured in the series are some major Bollywood names including Parineeti Chopra, Richa Chadha, Kalki Kochelin. It is a funny, and in some places cliched, take on the struggle for gender equality, but in a country like India where more conversations are needed, it is a great start.
Humor can often be a powerful vehicle for sending an important message as it seems less invasive or daunting. We’re excited to see the impact this series will make on other filmmakers and every person who watches it.
Take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to watch all 4 episodes on the Y-Films Youtube Channel.