Top 4 Bengali Web Series Showing Troubled Brides

Troubled brides- this is a very popular theme in Bengali web series. Let me throw some spotlight on the main subject matter: an absolutely newlywed bride enters her husband's house, where everyone seems highly suspicious, always plotting unthinkable schemes against her. The husband is either aloof or very rude. There are hundreds of family members for whom smiling seems to be a distant relative, never welcome. The bride gets into solving mysteries, which can even involve several murder cases. The themes of these web series are mostly the same; only the cast and character names keep changing. So, today, let me tell you about some web series that explore the trauma of troubled brides. 

1. Indu: This 3 parts web series is probably the pioneer in the "troubled brides" trend. Indu is a newlywed bride who marries the eldest son of a pompous family of business owners. Her husband gets annoyed by her very presence and is always irritated by something or someone. He is also feared by most members of the family for some unknown reasons. There are multiple family members, including several brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and many other kids. Pardon my feeble mind, but I get confused most of the time with so many characters that are often insignificant and hardly understand the reason for including so many characters to stretch a series. So, by stretching, showing multiple murders, and adding fake mystery after fake mystery, the Indu franchise managed to run for 3 episodes. Then it must be popular among viewers. It has some very popular actors too, like Isha Saha and Suhotra Mukhopadhyay. 

2. Kalratri: This 2-part series just streamed its second season and deals with the same topic of a new bride in a joint family that seems to be very dysfunctional. Trouble gets worse when the groom dies on the first night of marriage. The widowed bride is tormented and abused by the family members, and she discovers that she has nowhere to go. Slowly, dirty family secrets get revealed, and the woman gets entangled in a series of brutal deaths, her mysterious friend and a very hostile environment. The investigative cop plays the saviour and finally solves the mystery through his intelligence and eye for detail. This is a psychological thriller, and while the first part was somewhat dull and monotonous, the only good thing about it was Anujoy Chatterji; the second part had much to offer. 

3. Bishohori: Another story of a newlywed bride who comes across mysterious happenings inside the house. This series mixes religious fears, traditions, and curses along with mystery. Unlike the above two, this one is a single-season story and does not extend or twist the plot too much. Also, the good news is that there are fewer characters, so the viewers are less likely to get confused. I also preferred Rajnandini's character, played by Solanki Roy.

4. Ronkini Bhavan: Juthika gets married to a family, but trouble starts when, just after her first entry to the house, her father-in-law dies. Her brother-in-law starts considering her inauspicious. Other than her mother-in-law, the rest of the family members treat her poorly. Her husband is too busy to address these issues. He is nice and protective when he is around. This web series, although it started with a similar pattern and offered something novel, kept one guessing the real culprit and the twisted backstory behind it. This serves as a psychological thriller with an unexpected ending. 

Now, the question arises: why is this type of series so popular and rampant? With similar set-ups and stories, don't they seem repetitive and monotonous? Some of the stories deal with twisted minds of psychopaths and split personalities, but that is revealed at the end. Throughout the runtime, the pattern of all the shows looks similar. Only the makers and fans of such shows can decide.