Usually, when you tell a film or show director that their work reminded you of something else, you run the risk of offending them. Not so with Sooni Taraporevala and the two leads of her debut web series, Waack Girls, out on Amazon Prime Video. The nine-part show, which revolves around the life of six young women in Kolkata who form a dance troupe, reminded me of Chak De! India—both feature a scrappy, ragtag bunch of women, each with their own compulsions and things to prove, who don’t initially get along and have to learn how to be a team.
But the thing about Chak De!, and about most classic underdog stories, especially on screen, is that they invariably feature a thrilling climactic scene in which the protagonist, against all odds, emerges as the victor, reducing the audience to a puddle of happy tears. And this is where Waack Girls is different.
It's not about a major victory, there’s no trophy, no sudden solution to all the characters’ problems. The biggest win for these girls is understanding that they have each other, and that they are powerful together, not in spite of their imperfections, but because of them.
Read Samira Sood's chat with the director and cast of the web series about waacking, perfect feminism, and more.
