Meghana HarikumarMumbai: Natak Picture’s recent web-show, UNSORTED, streaming on Disney+Hotstar and Natak Pictures YouTube channel has received continued applause for its unapologetic yet relatable portrayal of human sentiments. For those who are yet to watch, the creation starring Mugdha Agarwal, Tanya Singh Bhatnagar and Vikram Bhui is an engaging romantic comedy weaved around uncertainty and diverse emotional dilemmas present generation faces as they try to juggle between personal relationships and professional goals.
The story revolves around Tara (fashion designer), who wishes to marry her long time boyfriend Naman (an IT professional), who is skeptical about the idea as he wants to move base for a better job opportunity. This impacts their relationship and matters worsen when Tara finds Naman getting closer to his beautiful office colleague, Seher. The couple is eventually faced with the dilemma to stay together or to let go of the love they shared for years.
After watching the show, we have concluded that unlike olden times when romance was meant to be ‘perfect’ and women were expected to follow societal norms, UNSORTED, attempts to look at personal relationships from a realistic lens as well as redefine feminism with female characters that possess strength, independence and courage to be expressive about their emotions without any judgments attached.
Let us look at five insightful moments in the show that celebrate the choices by women of today!
Tara follows her passion unapologetically
Despite being from a middle-class family, Tara chooses to follow an unconventional path of becoming an ambitious fashion designer rather than doing a conventional 9 to 5 job. Moreover, in a society that prefers women to not take many risks, Tara courageously takes the decision to follow her instinct without relying on the possible negative outcomes of the decision and society’s unfavourable response. Tara’s determination to believe more in her talent than the opportunities available to her as a woman certainly helped her build her own identity.
Naman acknowledges Tara’s achievements
Naman, a supportive boyfriend, leaves no stone unturned to acknowledge the clarity and talent his girlfriend, Tara possesses. In fact, it is heartening to see that Naman is even accepting of the fact that his girlfriend is indeed more talented and experienced than him and is ready to learn the same rather than succumbing to his male ego. This gesture is a realistic example of the gradual change in the approach towards women by men of the current generation.
Tara accepts her flaws with humility
In a society where women in humour are often perceived as unapologetic and defensive, Tara’s character is certainly an honest portrayal of women’s emotions. In the show, we witness multiple occasions where Tara accepts her insecurities and imperfections without the fear of being judged in front of her long time boyfriend, Naman. Moreover, unlike the usual comical portrayal of ‘women in relationships’, we see Tara acknowledging the need for equal contribution in a romantic relationship as well as acceptance of mistakes when need be.
Seher chooses to not let the past impact her future
While Seher is a self-reliant and intelligent woman, this does not negate the fact that she too encounters her own moments of emotional vulnerability. Having made a mistake in the past of allowing her confusion to make major decisions of her life, she consciously acknowledges her actions and tries to make Naman, whom she even has feelings for understand the same through her own experiences. Unlike the stereotypical notion of a third woman in a love relationship being a ‘vamp’, Seher sets a classic example of how a woman’s emotional maturity can solve the biggest of emotional dilemmas.
Tara balances her love relationship and work responsibilities effortlessly
In today’s lifestyle where every alternate individual faces challenges in managing different things at once, Tara happily manages to invest equal efforts in her relationship with Naman as well as in her work commitments as an independent fashion designer. Moreover, she is not hesitant to shift and fulfil her work priorities from a different base to support her boyfriend, Naman. Tara’s choices in the show are a reflection of a woman’s mastery in the art of multitasking.
Speaking to The Balcony Stories on what Women’s Day symbolises for them, Tanya Singh Bhatnagar, who plays the role of Seher says “I come from a small town, and have seen and lived through the hardships females go through in a not-so-evolved society. My parents, especially my father, had always pushed me to stand for myself and fight for my rights–which was not quite acceptable in the society where I grew up. But it did help me become what I am today. I’ve made a lot of choices and decisions in life that would not be ‘ideal for a girl’ as per our society, and I regret nothing. I’m super proud and content about all the decisions that I’ve made, even if it involved going against my loved ones, and strongly believe that the world will take a woman seriously only when she does. My role in Unsorted is very similar to my real-life personality and hence, I could totally relate with it. As a strong headed confident woman, I try to help and inspire all those girls who respect their self-worth and are taking a stand for themselves each day”.
Mugdha Agarwal who plays Tara, says “As I have been working as a professional actor since my college days, I was constantly trying to juggle between my academic responsibilities and film projects parallelly. Moreover, female actors are perceived a certain way in the entertainment business and it was important for me to break through the shackles of gender roles and come out not as more dominant but equal to men while working on sets. Unlike what I was initially expecting, my parents have been a constant support throughout this journey and have embraced my decision to become financially independent prior to getting into companionship. Having said that, I don’t think a specific day is enough to celebrate achievements and capabilities women possess and hence for me, every single day is a celebration of the opportunities and achievements women from all walks of life have made.”
The creation is a perfect watch if you want to enjoy a comforting show during your weekends. Having said that, as the show is a three-episodic series, the show is not heavy on time investment and can be watched at convenience.
Watch UNSORTED on Natak Pictures YouTube channel, if you haven’t already: Watch Unsorted Season 1 I Full Episodes on Disney+Hotstar
Editor
Meghana Harikumar
