Hindi Web Series Leila

Leila is an Indian dystopian drama web series in Hindi. It aired on the popular OTT platform Netflix on June 14, 2019. Trio of Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta makes such pretty movies, when watchin >> Read More... , Shanker Raman Shanker Raman is a renowned Indian cinematographer >> Read More... , and Pawan Kumar  Pawan Kumar is a Kannada film and TV director, ac >> Read More... directed this magnificent magnum opus. Celebrated actress Huma Qureshi Huma Qureshi is a model-turned-actress in Bollywoo >> Read More... played the main protagonist of this 6-episodic web series. Other artists like Siddharth, Leysha Mange, Seema Biswas She is very much popular by the name “Phoolan Devi >> Read More... , Rahul Khanna Rahul Khanna is an Indian film actor. He is the so >> Read More... , etc., were also seen in various pivotal roles. The story of Leila is the official work from an eponymous novel of 2017 with the same name. Writer Prayaag Akbar wrote this novel, and it received positive critical reception. It was also awarded the 2018 Juried Crossword Book Award for fiction and the Tata Literature Live First Book Award. It follows the story of a woman named Shalini who lives in a futuristic world where clean water and air are luxuries, discrimination of the rich and poor, and women are oppressed and tortured.

Shalini is happily married to a Muslim man, Rizwan Chaudhary. They live with their daughter, Leila. They resided in the nation of Aryavarta in the late 2040s. Dr. Joshi governs Aryavarta. This nation is divided into communities via high walls and follows strict segregation. Clean water and air are considered luxuries. One day, when Shalini, Rizwan, and Leila were enjoying their private swimming pool, a group of goons called “Repeaters” attacked them. They accuse them of wasting water in the form of a swimming pool, killing Rizwan, and abducting Shalini in front of a scared Leila. Since Shalini had done inter-faith marriage, she is considered a sinner and sent to a “re-education center.” All the women in the facility were treated as slaves, dressed in red sarees and drugged daily. There, she finds out that according to the new law, the government is taking away the children with mixed parentage. Now, she started worrying about her daughter Leila’s safety. 

When they send Shalini to the labor camp, their bus is attacked by some rioters looking for water, giving her a chance to escape. However, Bhanu, one of the guards, saw her chasing her relentlessly. In her quest to find Leila, Shalini visits her in-laws. There, she reunites with her hateful brother-in-law, Naz. He secretly tips Bhanu about her whereabouts. Bhanu comes to take her away to the labor camp. Her mother-in-law hugs her goodbye and asks her to remember Project Balee while looking for Leila. At the labor camp, Shalini makes a friend, Madhu, who agrees to help her. She also expresses her desire to meet the writer of an article about missing children and Project Balee. Later, she started working as a maid in a privileged family called the Dixits.

Mr. Dixit is one of the chief engineers working on the Skydome. This project will ensure clean water for everyone without any pollution. Shalini uncovers many secrets and even helps Mrs. Dixit when the authorities capture her husband. She strikes a deal with Bhanu to get him to help her. He takes her to a fertility clinic that sells mixed-blood children. She secretly checks for her daughter’s name on a computer, which indicates her as deceased. It prompts her to attack the doctor, and she has to face the Guru Ma of the “re-education center” again.

Bhanu asks Shalini to get the plans for Skydome from the computer of Mr. Rao, and he will help find out more about her daughter. He also discloses that Naz was the one who sent the Repeaters to their home, resulting in the death of Rizwan. Shalini confronts Naz, who shows no remorse. However, she suspects her daughter might be alive and attaches a GPS tracker to his scooter. The GPS showcases that Naz visits a school. She goes there and finds her daughter safe. However, they were brainwashing her daughter into becoming a young soldier of Aryavarta.

Leila fails to recognize her mother after so many years as the former maid of Shalini was raising her. Hence, Shalini decides to attend the Skydome function as her daughter will perform there. She also barely managed to click some pictures of the Skydome plan and give them to Bhanu. Rao helps her to enter the function because he is not happy with the new rule of Joshi. She asks for a passport and a car from Bhanu, but he gives her a light bulb filled with poisonous gas. Rao provides her a script to read in the function, planning a coup to rule over Joshi. 

When the function started, the children began performing, and Joshi asked one of them to stay with him. That child happens to be Leila. After the speech of Mr. Rao, Shalini climbs the stage and threatens Joshi with the poisonous gas. Joshi smiles and asks her to do whatever she must do. Shalini only wants her daughter and her life back. She calls for Leila to come to her mother. However, Leila replies that Aryavarta is her mother and runs towards the maid. The series ends with Joshi announcing that no one can defeat Aryavarta. Meanwhile, Shalini gets ready to break the light bulb. This series has an open ending, leaving it up to the audience to imagine the fate of Shalini and Leila. It left the viewers wanting for more, anticipating the release of Season 2.