Using Sexuality & Nudity To Spice Up A Web Series – How Fair Is It?

The OTT content market has seen a sharp surge in viewership since March 2020. For people who were homebound, OTT shows came as a blessing in dry times.

Unapologetically so, I have been a regular watcher of all kinds of shows on various OTT platforms.

During these two years, as a regular viewer, I have seen a rise in aggressive and violent shows perhaps because it is easy to dish out content on OTT that would not have been possible on television or movies.

I am not judgemental by nature and I agree these shows are a reflection of the society and changing dynamics of human relationships, but this overdose is beyond my understanding.

Human was one of the most awaited shows of 2022 and I was eagerly waiting for it to be released. But, I am highly disappointed in the show that boasts of two supremely talented actors in lead roles.

I have a knack for medical thrillers and being an ardent Robin Cook fan, I had high hopes with this one.

Web series Human is a tight knot in terms of performances but…

The start is promising and sets the right tone for the show but after the first episode I lose interest and it is not because of poor acting or lack of a strong plot. Led by Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari, the series is a tight knot in terms of performances but what disappoints is multiple angles squeezed in unnecessarily.

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The story begins to waver and it is difficult to focus attention on the mainstream story of drug trials.

I was still trying to make sense of it and waiting for crisp hospital drama to begin but out of many subplots that this show serves, one of the weirdest is the lesbian relationship shown between Shefali & Kirti.

Before you judge me, I am all for the LGBTQ community and have absolutely no qualms in lesbian, gay or queer relationships. I believe an individual’s sexual orientation is his/her’s personal choice and should be given immense respect and dignity.

Were the makers throwing in a sexuality angle just to spice up the story?

With due respect to the community, I do have issues with makers throwing in a sexuality angle just to spice up the story. How was this relevant in the show? Or how does it prove any point or the motive of the protagonist in the show?

Shefali Shah plays a sociopath who is driven by her crazy ambition and commands devotion at any cost whereas Kriti is a closet lesbian and seeks acceptance from her parents. But as an audience, it looks too fake and made-up and I don’t connect with it.

Had it not been added, there wouldn’t have been any change or impact on the story. Then perhaps, makers wanted to educate people on this delicate topic. But even that does not fit the bill because it hasn’t been dealt with maturity. A man and woman are married for a decade and suddenly one day the man discovers his wife is bisexual!

The biggest flaw of Human is that there is no background story for Shefali’s behavioural issues.

Kirti is a pathological liar whose marriage is dwindling. There is no reference to Shefali’s marriage to Ram Kapoor or how and why they have different partners. A marriage of convenience for sure! But there should have been a bit of history to set the record straight.

It looked like makers wanted to depict Shefali as a traumatised sociopath and in an attempt to dish out a sensational story, they added all the flavours that were not even relevant.

Some shows that dealt with lesbian relationships sensitively

Some shows have dealt with lesbian relationships sensitively and set the context too.

The Married Woman by AltBalaji is one of the most beautiful series that probes the same-sex relationship and how it depicts the emotional and mental state of protagonists. No justifications, no unnecessary validations and a delicate approach to the topic.

Another story that I admire for its honesty is Geeli Pucchi from the Netflix original anthology series released in 2021. Helmed by Neeraj Ghaywan, the story has Konkona Sen & Aditi Rao hydari in lead roles.

The story navigates through the lives of two women who come from contrasting backgrounds and that exactly sets the context of the story.

Konkona is aware of her queer sexuality and has absolutely no qualms about it. They develop feelings for each other and though the story has a bitter ending, the story never for once looks made-up or fake.

Web series Human comes across as the makers’ obsession with sensationalism

‘Human’ could have been a big success if not for the producers’ obsession with sensationalism and trying to sneak in unwarranted sexuality angle just to pep up the story.

There must be a context, a background story or a purpose that it is serving.

There are many movies and series that treat sensitive topics like LGBTQ or fidelity with sensitivity and I am all for shows that depict convoluted relationships gracefully. But in Human none of it is evident- the series has turned out to be a khichdi of all possible subplots.

Image Source: Still from web series Human/Netflix

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