The recently released web series Ziddi Girls on Amazon Prime has generated immense buzz, not necessarily for its narrative brilliance, but rather for the deliberate controversy it seems to have courted. With a trailer that leans heavily into soft porn aesthetics, it was clearly designed to provoke and garner viewership as the makers knew well how to play provocateur for viewers’ attention.
With a trailer that leans heavily into soft porn aesthetics, it was clearly designed to provoke and garner viewership as the makers knew well how to play provocateur for viewers’ attention.
The creators may pass it off as fiction, but the uncanny resemblance of the college name, the depiction and appearance of former and current principal, and even the presence of stalwart professors supporting students in the series, make it difficult to see it purely as a figment of imagination. The question remains: how much of it is true? We do not know, primarily because the characters are so numerous and layered that it becomes very hard to separate what is fiction and what is real.
Striking resemblance to Miranda House: coincidence or intentional?
The series is set and filmed in an all girls college, Miranda House, of Delhi University, and is renamed as Mithalda House in the series. It ambitiously sets sail into the realms of early adulthood and student politics. Paro, played by actress Sudhana, is a rule breaking senior with a rebellious spirit while Devika, played by Anupriya Caroli, is an innocent naive small town girl focused on studies and securing a scholarship. The story goes on to follow the life of five first-year girls, exploring and navigating their way through the maze of adulthood.
However what is notable is the uncanny similarity between the characters of the show and actual people of Miranda House. The erstwhile principal of Mithalda House, Revathi, is an uncanny replica image of Miranda House’s former principal, Dr. Pratibha Jolly. Likewise, the incumbent principal, Lata Bakshi (played by Simran), has an unmistakable similarity with Dr. Bijaylaxmi Nanda, Miranda House’s current serving principal. Even the character set to be the next principal after Lata Bakshi’s resignation, played by Nandita Das in the show, closely mirrors Dr. Seema Aggarwal, the current vice principal of Miranda House.
Despite the creators Rangita Pritish Nandy and Ishita Pritish Nandy, along with director Shonali Bose, insisting that the series is purely fictional, these resemblances suggest otherwise.
Ziddi Girls: a tale of resistance, manipulation and the politics of power
At its core, Ziddi Girls tells a story of resistance—resistance against patriarchal conservative forces and the suppression of free speech and expression. The plot follows a series of troubling events within MH College, orchestrated by an administration seemingly determined to silence voices of dissent. The current principal is shown to be manipulating circumstances to push through a controversial referendum of reversing the hostel curfew timing that she is hell-bent on achieving as her first gig as MH’s principal, to the extent that she is shown to exploit the vulnerabilities of a common regular girl student to extract secrets about other students.
When things get darker, the members of the college governing board and also the principal’s friend, colluded to incite violence during the annual fest with the backing of a student political party’s goons to teach the girls a lesson.
When things get darker, the members of the college governing board and also the principal’s friend, colluded to incite violence during the annual fest with the backing of a student political party’s goons to teach the girls a lesson. The climax is brutal—the protagonist, a fearless girl leading the movement, is left critically injured in the ICU. The series can be a peek into the internal administrative politics of Miranda House, since so many striking similarities of the officials involved cannot be simply overlooked.
Amisha Nanda speaks out: a protest leader’s perspective
Amisha Nanda, who is the founder of the intersectional feminist organisation Auratein Laayengi Inquilab, also an alumna of Miranda House and Campus Law Centre, DU, who led the 2019 protest against curfew timings in Miranda House hostel, voiced her profound disappointment regarding the portrayal of MH in Ziddi Girls and highlighted the persistent sexualisation of women-only spaces.
‘While creative liberties are understood, warping the legacy of Miranda House is indefensible. As a proud alumna and the flagbearer of a notable 23-day sit-in protest against unjust hostel curfews — where thousands of women from diverse backgrounds united in defiance of police brutality — I vehemently oppose the gross misrepresentation of my alma mater. Miranda House is a crucible of intellectual rigour, feminist consciousness, and unwavering solidarity — not a bastion of privilege, frivolity, or superficial preoccupations.’, says Amisha.
When the fight yields no victory: a story of unresolved struggles
One of the most frustrating aspects of Ziddi Girls is the complete absence of victory for the female characters. The lead is pitted against a system from which there is hardly any escape—a principal had to resign defending the action of expression by the protagonist. The referendum to reverse hostel curfew timings fails. Her hunger strike yields no tangible results, nor does it receive significant support. And ultimately, she is beaten to the extent that she lands in a hospital.
The girls who take up the fight in her absence are forced to abandon their strike after the principal’s friend manipulates the situation. Not once in the entire series do the girls emerge victorious. They try. They resist. And that is their story—one that echoes the struggles of women in any patriarchal setup. Ziddi Girls captures this theme poignantly, but does it inspire? That is debatable.
A hyper-sexualised narrative: lost potential for true feminist storytelling in Ziddi Girls
As viewers watching this series from the perspective of a conservative family in remote parts of India, one would hesitate to send their daughter to a place like the college portrayed in Ziddi Girls. The depiction of administrative manipulation and unchecked violence would make one skeptical about women’s safety on campus.
The depiction of administrative manipulation and unchecked violence would make one skeptical about women’s safety on campus.
The college hostel where parents entrusted their children, considering it to be a safe space, now has a constructed image of a hub of scandals and recklessness. The striking resemblance to real events, whether coincidental or intentional, makes it difficult to separate art from reality.
Right from the first episode of Ziddi Girls, it’s clear that this series thrives on the edge between French erotica and soft porn, revealing early on how interspersed it is with controversial nuances. The portrayal of the director of the stage play, who doubles as the manipulative boyfriend of one of the girls that tricks her into getting staged naked in front of the entire audience, serves to strengthen dark undertones throughout the narrative.
The show deliberately choses to focus on hyper-sexualised, party driven stereotyped narrative, instead of acknowledging the intellectual and emotional depth of women’s friendships and struggles.
Blurring fiction and reality: a creative liberty or calculated sensationalism?
While the bold storytelling needs to be appreciated—with the director’s previous work, Four More Shots, Please, and even aspects of this web series—one cannot overlook the apparent intent behind Ziddi Girls. Were it entirely fiction, one would have immersed themselves in its drama without hesitation and without much deliberation. But for someone familiar and well acquainted with the campus, the invested efforts, deliberate or not, to mirror reality are impossible to ignore.
But for someone familiar and well acquainted with the campus, the invested efforts, deliberate or not, to mirror reality are impossible to ignore.
The college administration’s legal action is not just justified but necessary. When art strays too close to reality without accountability–leaving less room for introspection, it stops being just a sarcastic reflection or mere entertainment and becomes something far more consequential.
Ultimately, Ziddi Girls leaves behind a disturbing aftertaste. It tells a story of resilience but offers no hope. It claims to champion female empowerment but leaves all its characters in defeat. And worst of all, it blurs the lines between fiction and reality in a way that feels less like creative liberty and more like a calculated attempt to sensationalise, exploit and capitalise.
