When the trailer of ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ released earlier this month, the series generated significant buzz on social media. The show starred some new talents along with some familiar faces. The plot looked refreshing because it traced the journey of young women. Hardly do we see an accurate portrayal of teenage relationships and friendships especially in the Indian context. The show is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. In case you are planning to give this series a watch, here’s all that you need to know about it.
‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’: Story
The story revolves around teenage girls who are admitted to the Vandana Valley Girls School. These girls are enrolled in a strict boarding school where they grapple with issues that revolve around academics, sexuality, equality, classism, friendship, and boys. This story follows five long-time friends at school. The group is a close-knit circle, and they get a new addition to their group. The group involves Roohi, JC, Ludo, Pluggy, Kavya, and Noor. Under the watchful eyes of Dean Anita Verma (Pooja Bhatt) and strict warden Ms. Jaenette (Loveleen Mishra), the girls navigate through issues that every teen goes through during adolescence.
Each girl has their battles to fight – from familial legacies to body image issues, economic disparities, sexual identity, and the pressure of society. Spread over seven episodes, the series delves into their struggles, mistakes, and sisterhood.
‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’: Performances
Let’s start with Pooja Bhatt. She aces her performance of a strict headmistress with ease. At some points, she will remind you of Amitabh Bachchan from ‘Mohabbatein’. Her screen presence exudes confidence, and it will give you a feeling that you are going to be scolded by the principal. Not once do you feel like you are watching Pooja Bhatt. Every time she is on screen, she intimidates you with her performance as AV.
Coming to the gang of girls. Pluggy, played by Dalai, was hands down my favourite. Maybe it was because I could see parts of myself in her character. But also, because she was the only actor who was able to breathe life into her character and make it entirely her own. Roohi, played by Aneet Padda, manages her dysfunctional family and also her relationship with her best friend whom she almost betrays and lets down. Just like her character who has a lot going on, Aneet Padda similarly had a lot going on. It felt like she was weighed down by the sins of her character.
Next, we have Jayshree Chettri who was played by Tenzin Lhakliya. She brings a quiet demeanour to her character which was required. She acts all prim and proper, but she manages to show you her struggles with her eyes and body language. Ludo, played by Avantika Vandanapu, was another actor I had high hopes for. She plays the role of the basketball captain who is struggling to come out. While she had screen presence and dialogue delivery just right, I wished she had gone just a little higher and given us something more that would make her more memorable.
Kavya, played by Vidushi, is another actor who deserves special mention. She has brought out her struggles well. On one hand, we see her hiding her identity to fit in while on the other, she manages to hold her ground and stand up for herself. She is quite the underdog of the series. Noor, played by Afrah Sayed, has a very strong character on paper. She has a reason to let go off her surname. But the way she acts makes her arguments come across as tantrums. Maybe if she pulled herself a notch lower, she would have been able to convince everyone about her demons.
‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects
When you have an ensemble of characters especially women, it is very possible for the writers to write all the women characters based on every cookie-cutter template of a woman that has been shown on screen. This is not the case with ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry.’ Every character has been written well. Be it the Dean or the PT teacher. Every character has something that will make you exclaim that you know someone like them. The characters feel relatable, and you are sure to find bits and pieces of your personality in all of them especially if you are a woman. Nitya Mehra has taken the absolute pain to make sure every woman is portrayed in their light and not shown as mere tropes. The script is refreshing. It is on point with the topics that Gen Z talks about. There is no unnecessary preaching. However, when a message has to be put across, it has been tastefully without getting on a pedestal. It lets everyone come to terms with their actions rather than rushing straight to the conclusion. This gives every character a chance to shine through.
Without any over-the-top dramatic shots, the camera work beautifully captures the location. The grandeur of the school and the hustle and bustle of the city have been shot well. The camera takes you along with the girls. You do not feel like a voyeur, you feel like a friend who is watching them from over their shoulders. The cinematography uses an excellent mixture of shots that makes the series look engaging through and through.
The editing also needs to be talked about because the series is particularly long. However, every episode offers something to hold on to and you feel like watching everything from the start to the finish without hitting the skip button. The music is fresh. A lot of rising artists have been roped in for the music and that lends that young vibe that was necessary for the series. The direction is on point because you can understand the vision of the story.
‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’: Cast & Crew
Creator: Nitya Mehra
Directors: Nitya Mehra, Sudhanshu Saria, Karan Kapadia, Kopal Naithani
Cast: Avantika Vandanapu, Aneet Padda, Akshita Sood, Dalai, Vidushi, Tenzin Lhakyila, Afrah Sayed, Pooja Bhatt, Zoya Hussain, Mukul Chadda, Raima Sen, Tanya Abrol
Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Duration: 7 episodes (42-53 minutes each approximately)
Language: Hindi
‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’: Can Kids Watch It?
Yes, with parental guidance.
Outlook’s Verdict
What works well for ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ is how we finally have a story on how teenage girls navigate adolescence in an Indian setting without the OTT drama. Every teen girl in the story is real and relatable. But on the other hand, what pulls the story down is the parallel stories of the adults. The show already has several characters. Adding the struggles of the grown-ups just pulls your attention away. The story picks up brilliant pace in the first three episodes. But as the show hits the fourth episode mark, it starts to feel dragged. You feel some parts could be chopped down and more action could have been packed rather than stuffing a single episode with multiple reactions. As the show progresses, you feel it’s a mix of ‘Class’, ‘Sex Education’, and basically any other young adult show that you can think of. It bites more than it could chew, and it starts to lose the momentum it had built. Nonetheless, the show is refreshing and keeps you engrossed. The performances are the star of the story. The second half of the series needs a little crisp editing to take it to the next level. I am going with 3 stars.
