Churails

Churails (transl. Witches / Demons [female] / Banshees) is a 2020 ZEE5 exclusive and Zindagi Original Pakistani drama web series.[1] It is written and directed by Asim Abbasi.[2] The web series stars Sarwat Gilani, Mehar Bano, Nimra Bucha and Yasra Rizvi in lead roles.[3] It is produced by Asim Abbasi along with Mo Azmi and Shailja Kejriwal.[4] It revolves around Karachi's secret detectives whose mission it is to expose the city's unfaithful, elite husbands.[5] It became available for streaming on the OTT platform ZEE5 on 11 August 2020.[6]

Churails
Official Poster
GenreDrama
Thriller
Written byAsim Abbasi
Directed byAsim Abbasi
Starring
ComposerTaha Malik
Country of originPakistan
Original languagesEnglish
Urdu
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMo Azmi
Shailja Kejriwal
ProducerAsim Abbasi
EditorsKamal Khan
Kamran Shahnawaz
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running timeApprox. 60 minutes
Production companyA Glasshouse Production
Release
Original networkZindagi
Original release11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)

Premise

The series focuses on the lives of four women: Sara (Sarwat Gilani), a lawyer that gave her career up to be the "perfect wife", Jugnu (Yasra Rizvi), a wedding planner, Zubaida (Mehar Bano), a boxer seeking independence and love, and Batool (Nimra Bucha), an ex-convict who was sentenced to twenty years in prison for murder.[7] Their lives become intertwined when Sara discovers her husband cheating on her, after which the four decide to set up an agency to catch cheating husbands in action. They run this agency covertly under the guise of a retail burka store called "Halal Designs", and call themselves Churails. When one of them goes missing, their investigation leads them to something much bigger than themselves, dominated by Karachi's most powerful.[8]

Cast

Main

Supporting
  • Meher Jaffri as Laila
  • Omair Rana as Jamil Khan
  • Sarmed Aftab Jadraan as Dilbar
  • Kashif Hussain as Shams
  • Dimeji Ewuoso as Jackson
  • Shabana Hassan as Resham
  • Mareeha Safdar as Sheila
  • Amtul Baweja as Munni
  • Zara Khan as Baby Doll
  • Bakhtawar Mazhar as Pinky
  • Sameena Nazir as Babli
  • Adnan Malik as Khawar Kureishi "KK"
  • Hina Khawaja Bayat as Sherry
  • Tara Mahmood as Shumaila
  • Maha Hasan as Rida
  • Fawad Khan as Inspector Jamshed
  • Alycia Dias as Jiya

Guest

Episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
110August 11, 2020 (2020-08-11)

Season 1
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [9]
1"The Unusual Team/Wafa"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)
2"The Fight For A Cause/Aika"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)
3"A Gruesome Crime/Ghulami"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)
4"Batool's Blast From The Past/Izzat"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)
5"The Churails in Danger/Hudood"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)
6"The Much-Needed Reunion/Husn"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)
7"Zubaida Goes Undercover/Qurbani"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)
8"The Deadly Secret/Tabedaari"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)
9"Zubaida's Rescue Mission/Qaaboo"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)
10"The Animal Club/Taaqat"Asim AbbasiAsim Abbasi11 August 2020 (2020-08-11)

Production

Development

The web series was announced in the first quarter of 2019 to be directed by Asim Abbasi.[10]

Filming

Principal photography commenced with the lead actors Sarwat Gilani, Mehar Bano, Nimra Bucha, Yasra Rizvi and they had been spotted shooting in summer 2019.[11]

Director Asim Abbasi announced the wrap up of web series "Churails" using his Instagram post on 4 September 2019.[12]

Marketing and release

Promotion

The official trailer of the web series was launched on 31 July 2020 by ZEE5 on YouTube.[13]

Release

Churails was released on ZEE5, an Indian streaming platform available to audiences across the world. The series started streaming from 11 August 2020.[14][15][16]

Reception

Churails has received widespread critical acclaim. It has been hailed as a groundbreaking series that breaks stereotypes about Pakistanis and abandons oft-used tropes in Pakistani television. It has been lauded for its portrayal of three-dimensional women as well as for exploring social dynamics in a diverse city like Karachi, portraying women across social classes and backgrounds.

Furthermore, it has been praised for its sensitive and nuanced depictions of LGBTQ characters, with gay men, lesbian women and transgender characters. Abbasi said, "Because we are showing such a diverse range of women, it was important to show the entire spectrum of sexuality. It would have been wrong if they were all straight because not all women in Pakistan are straight."[17]

Shaheera Anwar at The Express Tribune gave the series 4.5/5 stars, writing "Without compromising on the storytelling, Churails is a feminist masterpiece."[18]

Shubhra Gupta at The Indian Express wrote: "To watch free-spirited, cussing-out-loud, hockey-sticks and rifle-toting, burqa-clad women beating the bejesus out of violent, murderous men, is one of the high points of Churails".[19]

Streaming removal and reinstatement

In October 2020, the series was briefly removed from streaming on ZEE5 without explanation, reportedly in response to complaints from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).[20][21] However, the series returned to the streaming platform within a day or two.[22] ZEE5 released a statement regarding the removal and reinstatement: "The show was taken off the platform in Pakistan purely in compliance with a directive that we received. We have now addressed the matter and reinstated the show on our platform."[22]

References
  1. "Churails actor Nimra Bucha: We want to be household names in India". The Indian Express. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  2. "Till there are more woman filmmakers telling stories, men need to be allies: Pakistani filmmaker Asim Abbasi". The Indian Express. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  3. "The number one Pakistani ladies detective agency - EasternEye". 12 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. Service, Tribune News. "Breaking patriarchal shackles". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  5. "Churails: Asim Abbasi's burkha-clad avengers channel women's rage in first Pak web series for Zee5". Hindustan Times. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  6. "As artistes, we want to promote and live in peace: Pakistani actor Mehar Bano". Deccan Herald. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  7. Ramnath, Nandini. "Interview: In 'Cake' director's web series 'Churails', burqa-clad avengers and ancient rage". Scroll.in. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  8. Waheed, Alia (8 August 2020). "Lesbian lovers and a boxer in a burqa: a new look for Pakistani TV". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  9. "Churails - All Episodes - Watch Churails - All Episodes online in HD only on ZEE5".
  10. Haq, Irfan Ul (28 July 2020). "In Churails, a girl gang comes together to expose cheating husbands". Images. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  11. "'Cake' director Asim Abbasi back on set". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  12. "Asim Abbasi's Instagram post: "500+ script pages, 150+ locations, 100+ characters, 75+ days of principal photography.... And finally it's a wrap! Thank you to everyone…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  13. Pioneer, The. "Beyond the dark whims". The Pioneer. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  14. Kumar, Pradeep (14 August 2020). "'Churails' review: Justice League of women, by women, for women". The Hindu.
  15. "Churails review: Nimra Bucha and her burkha-clad team is here with a bewitching tale. Watch out patriarchy". Hindustan Times. 11 August 2020.
  16. Bagchi, Tanisha (20 August 2020). "Flawed, Fearless Women Fight Patriarchy in Pakistani Show Churails". TheQuint.
  17. "Lesbian lovers and a boxer in a burqa: a new look for Pakistani TV". The Guardian. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  18. "'Churails' review: Raw, real and radical; The Express Tribune". 13 August 2020.
  19. "Churails review: Asim Abbasi's web series brims over with feisty, feminist, fast-paced fun". The Indian Express. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  20. "Pakistan bans streaming of ZEE5's critically acclaimed show 'Churails' over a viral clip". WION. 8 October 2020.
  21. "'Churails' director Asim Abbasi says web series 'shut down' in its origin country of Pakistan". New Indian Express. 8 October 2020.
  22. "Churails is back up on Zee5 in Pakistan". Dawn. 9 October 2020.
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