5 Things That Men Of Paurashpur Won’t Be Able To Pull Off In Today’s World of Liberated Women

Zee 5’s Paurashpur is set in a kingdom set in medieval India. This kingdom is ruled by the wills of the men who live there. Paurushpur has strict rules for women and too much agency with the men. Ruling this kingdom is Maharaj Bhadrapratap (Annu Kapoor). He is old and vile yet his carnal desires rule his body. He is shown to be arrogant and entitled, so much so that he marries young princesses, rapes and even commits acts of torture on them.

Ruling the kingdom by his side is his first queen, Rani Meeravati, played by Shilpa Shinde, who tends to become his assistant and his matchmaker, as she gets him, 5 queens, throughout the show. She is cunning and merciless, yet composed and patient. Almost like the Queen in chess, only she has no care for the king. Her eyes are on the throne. Her character does take a rather surprising turn towards the end.

 

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There are other characters, some more oppressed than others, some entangled in the deviousness of the Royal family and some who are willing to do anything to destroy this kingdom of patriarchy. As a modern viewer, to watch misogyny reach such heights is almost discomforting and scandalizing. Here are five things that would not fly in today’s day and age.

Chastity Belts

The number of chastity belts seen in this series is too many. They look uncomfortable, and the idea behind them is extremely controlling and deep-rooted in misogyny. If women today were asked to wear chastity belts, they would call out on this behaviour and probably leave them behind, or worse, cancel them.

The ignorance of consent

As a generation and the people of the 21st century, more and more is being spoken about consent and the absolute necessity of it. In this series, consent is not even an idea. The King himself, who should be just and fair, treats his women like a rapist. Today, he would have been severely punished.

Not “allowing” women to be sexually free

In Paurashpur, if a woman sleeps with a man before her wedding or sleeps with another man after the death of her husband, she gets killed off. They basically cage the woman, leaving her without any agency of her own. Of course India today isn’t the most modern, but it is in the midst of some changes. Women are being vocal about their sexuality and they are shutting down men who try to keep them quiet. Paurashpur men would have found themselves in the same position.

Wanting a woman and getting her

It is just not that simple. Wanting a woman is a personal thing, having her by any means is illogical. Just the fact that the men in the series think that women are mere playthings that they can have at any point, contrasts the popular worldview today. Women can want things and women can also not want a lot of things. This notion was not normalized then, but it is now.

Women just cause drama

In one scene, Bhanu is seen consoling the Prince by saying “Auratein yaato chunaoti deti hai, ya chinta. Aurat ki baaton ko gambhirta se nahi lena chahiye.” This scene occurs right after the princess has very intelligently used words that she knew would affect the prince. Bhanu’s words make women sound shallow and dramatic, with no real understanding of the world. That has never been true, and the women of today will make sure a man takes them seriously.

While this show does depict oppressed women, there are instances where women are shown to be smart, lethal and free and this shines like a golden ray of hope. It is always nice to see period dramas and feel good about the world we live in by marking how far we have come, but we still have miles more to go. The future is female! Even the women in Paurashpur know this in the final episode.

 

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To know more, watch Paurashpur on ZEE5.