''Chutzpah'' is an Indian drama based web series on

SonyLIV SonyLIV is an Indian Over-the-top media services, over-the-top freemium Streaming media, streaming platform owned by Culver Max Entertainment. SonyLIV was introduced in 2013 as the first Over-the-top media service, OTT service in India. As a s ...

directed by Simarpreet Singh and premiered on SonyLIV on 23 July. The show is created by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba and produced by

Dinesh Vijan Dinesh Vijan is an Indian film producer and director who works in Hindi films. He is the founder of Maddock Films. He gave up his banking job in 2004 to pursue films. He has produced critically and commercially acclaimed films such as '' Stree ...

. The series is produced under Vijan's banner Maddock Films' digital content division, Outsider Films. Chutzpah is written by Amit Babbar and Mrighdeep Singh Lamba . The series features

Tanya Maniktala Tanya Maniktala (born 7 July 1997) is an Indian actress who mainly works in Hindi web shows. She is best known for her portrayal of Ishita in ''Flames'' (2018) and Lata Mehra in ''A Suitable Boy'' (2020). Early life Maniktala was born on 7 Jul ...

, Elnaaz Norouzi,

Varun Sharma Varun is an Indian male given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Varun Aaron (born 1989), Indian cricketer * Varun Agarwal (born 1987), Indian entrepreneur * Varun Badola (born 1974), Indian actor * Varun Singh Bhati (born 1995), ...

, Diksha Singh and

Manjot Singh Manjot Singh (born 7 July 1992) is an Indian Bollywood actor, best known for his role in films like ''Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!'', ''Student Of The Year'' and ''Fukrey''. He won Filmfare Critics Award for the Best Debut Actor category for his per ...

. The show has been released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam and is streaming on

Sony LIV SonyLIV is an Indian over-the-top freemium streaming platform owned by Culver Max Entertainment. SonyLIV was introduced in 2013 as the first OTT service in India. As a streaming service, it is carrying content from its local networks, inc ...

from 23 July 2021. The series is about the weird and wild universe of the web.

Cast

as Shikha * Elnaaz Norouzi as Wild Butterfly/Sara Khan, a

Camgirl A webcam model (colloquially, camgirl, camboy, or cammodel) is a video performer who streams on the Internet with a live webcam broadcast. A webcam model often performs erotic acts online, such as stripping, masturbation, or sex acts in exchan ...

as Vikas Bhalla *

as Rishi * Diksha Singh as Neena * Gautam Mehra as Kevin * Aashima Mahajan as Deepali * Kshitij Chauhan as Prateek * Varun Tewari as John * Pranali Rathod as Richa * Komal Singh as Pooja * Christopher Ramirez as George * Ashwin Kaushal as Indian Boss * Rachel Ann Mullins as Jeliene Scott * Preeti Kocchar as Vikas Mother * Babla Kocchar as Vikas Father * Garima Agarwal * R. Bhakti Klein

Episodes

Episode 1: Login - 32 Min Episode 2: If There Was Another World - 29 Min Episode 3: Be Right Back - 26 Min Episode 4: Main Timeline Hoon - 30 Min Episode 5: Detox - 35 Min Episode 6: Flavor Of The Month - 34 Min Episode 7: Shadow - 44 Min

Reception

This

original series became the talk of the town soon after its release. While the audiences praised the show and the actors, the critics also had some positive things to say. The show is praised for its relatability factor and the perfect portrayal of the online world. Bollywood Life describes the show as “Chutzpah would make for a decently interesting watch”.

News 18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...

says that the show has caught the essence of the online world while also exploring and displaying the dark side of the web and the characters. They also said the show has “ moments that ensure laughter and uplift the mood”. Archika Khurana from

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

wrote, "this seven-part series is aimed squarely towards the younger generation, for whom the internet and social media have become an inextricable part of their daily lives. However, it becomes entangled in its own web of clichés and sloppy execution, failing to connect well enough to make it a compelling watch. Despite its shortcomings, it is watchable to some extent if you have nothing else to do." Filmi Beat praised the actors and the plot and also said “the maker's heart was in the right place”. Rony Patra from LetsOTT gave the show 3 out of 5 and wrote, "Chutzpah is a brave and uncompromising look at the cyber lives of India's millennials in 2021". Samrudhi Ghosh from

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Ly ...

wrote, "The performances make up for some of Chutzpah’s flaws - Fukrey duo Varun and Manjot’s comic timing is on point, Gautam is convincing as the likes-obsessed content creator and Tanya has an endearing quality to her. However, the show never finds its way out of the pedestrian and does not have much to stop one from scrolling past."

Premise

The show is about five individuals and 1 story just connected through the internet showcases the power of social media and highlights the digital influence on the youth of today.

References

External links

*
Watch Chutzpah
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722185158/https://www.sonyliv.com/shows/chutzpah-1700000739 , date=2021-07-22 - Official Website 2021 Indian television series debuts Hindi-language television shows