Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Directors: Nitya Mehra, Karan Kapadia, Sudhanshu Saria, Kopal Naithani

Writers: Adwitiya Kereng Das, Sunayana Kumari, Radhika Malhotra, Nitya Mehra, Sudhanshu Saria

“You can hold my hand if you want to
‘Cause I want to hold yours too
We’ll be playmates and lovers
And share our secret worlds“

These are lyrics from Fergie’s 2006 song “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, a track I kept thinking of while watching the 2024 Bollywood boarding-school themed series of the same name. Spanning seven episodes, the show follows a group of teen girls navigating the challenges of living in a strict all-girls boarding school called Vandana Valley. In this seven-episode show, the girls encounter a plethora of issues, including academic rivalries, basketball court conflicts, love triangles, identity politics, parental concerns, and archaic rules.

Episode one of “Big Girls Don’t Cry” is slow, and the opening scenes just don’t draw you into this fictional world of teenagers. Half a dozen different protagonists are introduced under varied circumstance, none of which are entertaining enough. However, as the series progresses, the young cast grows on you, courtesy their sassy and spirited performances. They navigate a derivative script that feels like a mashup of different American and British teen shows and movies. For example, one of the major subplots is about a girl called Pluggy (portrayed by Dalai), whose mission is to lose her virginity to anybody who’d have her, which is a staple teen comedy trope in Western movies. The 2023 comedy hilariously mocked this trope it trope about two lesbians forming a fight-club for girls so they can have sex before they finish high-school.

The next few episodes largely focus on a group of friends who consider themselves the ‘cool gang’ with a simple motto – “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (BGDC). Vidushi plays Kavya Yadav, the new student who makes her way into the BGDC group on Pluggy’s (one who wants to lose her virginity) recommendation, after Kavya helps them win a challenge, which gives the group access to a shed to serve as a hangout spot. Unlike the other wealthy girls of her group, Kavya is a scholarship student; however, this class divide isn’t really delved into deeply. Although hanging out with the fun ones makes her grades suffer. Avantika plays basketball champion Leah Joseph, who aspires to be sports captain, while her BFF Noor (Afrah Sayed) is aiming to be the school captain. These two girls are razor sharp about their goals, but while Avantika struggles with her feelings for a fellow player, Noor wrestles with her identity due to her famous activist parents, wanting to get rid off her family name. The group is completed by Roohi Ahuja (Aneet Padda) and her shy royal childhood best-friend Jayashree Chetri (Lhakyila). Roohi and Jayashree find themselves in an accidental love triangle when Roohi starts to write love letters on behalf of the latter for a cute boy studying in a neighboring all-boys school.

Interestingly, a character who isn’t part of the core friend group, has one of the most entertaining sub-plot – Monjoree Kar zealously plays her own name-sake in the series, a debate club member, who develops a hilarious rivalry with Wook Oak student Vivek (Rishab Joshi). Their story-line was simple, they looked like relatable Indian kids, although eventually, Monjoree also steps up for another character in the tale, giving her sub-plot more heft. Another major student character who isn’t part of the BGDC group is Dia Malik (Akshita Sood), a privileged rebel without a cause, who writes poetry and had no friends. While Akshita Sood probably does her best with the part, her character arc felt annoying, unnecessary.

Among the adults in the cast, Pooja Bhatt shines as Anita Verma, Vandana Valley’s sharp, no-nonsense Principal, who almost always knows how to put her students in their rightful place. All the other adults in the world of “Big Girls Don’t Cry” don’t make much of a difference to the story, so some of their parts could’ve been trimmed.

The world-building for an all-girls boarding school is well executed in “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, and although some aspects may seem exaggerated, they are nowhere near as unrealistic as the grand sets often seen in Karan Johar high-school dramas. The cinematography sometimes made the series seem like a serious thriller, something akin to “School of Lies”, even though it’s not. And that’s one of the major flaws of the show: the writers fail to commit to a definitive tone for their story. It lacks the seriousness needed for drama, yet it also lacks the breezy comedic atmosphere for lighter entertainment.

Overall, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” can prove to be quite engaging for those looking for a series focused on high-school friendships. The young cast impresses, forming an endearing band of friends, which elevates an otherwise mediocre script. Without their compelling performances, the series might have struggled to hold viewers beyond the first two episodes, but they make it worth a watch.

Rating: 6 on 10. You can stream the series on Prime Video.

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