Leila Review {4.2}: Netflix’s Dystopian Series raises serious questions

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An image of a dystopian world is depicted in Leila, where climate change and water scarcity are everyday occurrences. The government is authoritarian and wants everyone to live by their rules and follow their own rules in the walled communities. Leila is the first Indian Dystopian series and the second attempt to it after Ghoul, starring Radhika Apte.

Set in the 2040s, in a place somewhere at the outskirts of Gurgaon, the production got the perfect location for filming the show. The show gives the image of a polluted city, slums with dirty water flowing from the taps and upper-class society, with servants and ample of water. The contrast shows the higher class living in fear and the lower class living in desperation.

leila featuring huma qureshi is intense
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Based on a best seller novel with the same name by Prayaag Akbar, is directed by Deepa Mehta, Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar. The Netflix series is produced by Priya Sreedharan, Wasim Khan and Zulfaquar Haider.

The Impactful caste

Huma Qureshi, a well-known actress for her works in movies such as Badlapur And Jolly LLB 2. She’s known for her impactful roles, the Indian actress worked last year with Rajnikant in ‘Kaala’. She scored the role of the lead actress in the political thriller Kaala as Shalini.

leila-featuring-huma-qureshi-is-intense
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Rahul Khanna, who has been inactive for a while, plays Rizwan, Shalini’s husband. He appears throughout the series, providing Shalini support in his peculiar way. He is best known for his work in Wake Up Sid.

Siddharth, known for his role in Rang de Basanti, plays the role of Bhanu. Bhanu is Shalini’s manager, is portrayed in an intense way by the actor. Shalini And Bhanu’s relationship is a bittersweet one, showing the mistrust in the initial episodes and slowly develops throughout the 6 episodes.

Leila Review {4.2}: Netflix's Dystopian Series raises serious questions
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A Summary of Show

The story revolves around Shalini, who is in pursuit of her daughter, Leila. Shalini, who is a young Hindu woman, marries a Muslim man, Rizwan, against the rules set by the community. Her punishment is that being shunned by her family and is confined in a facility where other women who have done something of the same kind.

Leila Review {4.2}: Netflix's Dystopian Series raises serious questions
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The trailer shows a gist of the struggle that Sheila goes through; for marrying a Muslim man and the search for her daughter who is taken away from her. Her journey takes the audience through the harsh realities created by Prayaag Akbar.

Aryavarta

The organisation controlling the people and is named as Aryavarta , which is totalitarian and authoritarian and shows the mixing of religion and politics. The Aryavarta has pasted photos of Joshi, Sanjay Suri, who is worshipped and his followers run the city. Aryavarta is an example of a dictatorship organisation, which when given the responsibility of the society, controls it.

From doing illegal business, like human trafficking to torturing people for belonging to a lower class of society, Aryavarta proved to be a true authoritarian organisation. The organisation believes in purity of blood and punishes whoever doesn’t follow their rules, deeming them as ‘ashuddh’ and ‘paapi’.

Leila Review {4.2}: Netflix's Dystopian Series raises serious questions
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The people greet each other with ‘Jay Aryavarta’ and it seems to be the only greeting and farewell in the dystopian world. Like any place ruled by a dictatorship organisation, Aryavarta too has developed a resistance. The resistance is thrashed daily to continue the fear that they have created in their citizens.

The Critics’ Take on Leila

The dystopian Netflix series has received a positive response from media. Hindustan times rating it as 4.0/5 and NDTV as 4.0/5. The series is chilling, with the realities shown of this world in a fictional world. It is also deemed provocative and political by Hindustan Times; due to the effect, it is going to have on the society and fuel Hindus.

Deepa Mehta claims that even though the show is set in a fictional world, it is not very different from the reality. Similarly, the different directors and actors have positive reviews about the show, and the impact it will have on society.

Cinematography

Leila Review {4.2}: Netflix's Dystopian Series raises serious questions
Image source: hindustantimes.com

Leila is shot exclusively in India, having elements of Delhi and Mumbai in it. The slum life essentially taken from Mumbai slums, and the environment created that of Delhi. The depiction of different castes of society is wonderful, with short-lived but important relationships between the characters.

The series has many scenes of Huma Qureshi in close-ups, to accentuate her expressions and acting. The portrayal of different religions is done well in the episodes.

The Social Effect

Leila Review {4.2}: Netflix's Dystopian Series raises serious questions
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A strong response is expected from the Hindu Society due to the subject of Leila. The series suffered various obstacles due to it. As the country fires up again with ongoing crimes, this show is meant to generate a response from the public.

The series portrays a totalitarian and authoritarian government. It is going to have an effect on the country politically as well. It is a revolutionary series, proceeding The Sacred Games, has become popular due to the controversies related to it.

Conclusion

India’s first ever dystopian series is officially launched on Netflix, with high hopes. It’ll not only affect the country socially but also politically. With Huma Qureshi leading the cast, the series has gained worldwide popularity. The series has been renewed for its second season on the day of its release.

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