Divya Dutta on ‘Chiraiya’: We often silence ourselves to preserve relationships

JioHotstar has unveiled the gripping teaser of its forthcoming series, “Chiraiya”.

The upcoming series poses a big question on one of the most deeply normalised injustices going on in Indian households: the assumption that marriage equals lifelong consent.

Sharing her experience of being a part of the show, actress Divya Dutta, who has been roped in to essay a crucial character, revealed that the show forced her to come face-to-face with some uncomfortable truths from society and to reflect on how marriage is often taken to be unquestioned consent.

Divya shared, “While living with this character in Chiraiya, I found myself constantly confronting an uncomfortable truth, how often we silence ourselves in the name of preserving relationships, in the name of keeping the peace. This story forced me to reflect on how easily marriage is assumed to be a space of unquestioned consent, and how sacrifice is romanticised to the point where pain becomes invisible.”

She pointed out that “Chiraiya” raised a crucial question – when your loved ones are wronged in the name of marriage, do you just stand by or do you raise your voice against the injustice?

“When you witness someone you love being diminished or wronged, do you stay quiet to protect what exists, or do you risk everything to protect what is right? There is no easy answer, and perhaps that is what makes it so deeply unsettling. I hope when people experience this story, they don’t just watch it, they feel it and perhaps, in some quiet way, recognise truths we often hesitate to name,” added Divya.

Made under the direction of Shashant Shah and produced by SVF Entertainment, the series features a stellar ensemble cast led by Divya Dutta, alongside Sanjay Mishra, Siddharth Shaw, Prasanna Bisht, Faisal Rashid, Tinnu Anand, Sarita Joshi, and others.