I am a bit late on the uptake on this show. Because the first season debuted almost a year ago. But I hadn't seen it on my Amazon Prime before so it seems to be pretty brand new romantic comedy series to the streaming service. The synopsis is "Four unapologetic flawed women live, love, blunder and discover what really makes them tick through friendship and tequila in Millennial Mumbai." Needless to say, it perked my interest. My feminist shows to rely on have dwindled a bit over the years. Since HBO's Girls with Lena Durham ended I have been looking for a similar kind of vibe. Maybe this show will be the one. Mumbai too. That is a city, and a country which does make its way into the mainstream that often and I would love if the representation was realistic and a story that people in Mumbai would see themselves in.
The first episode is titled 'Ambitious. Prude. Feminist. Slut." This makes me put my mug of coffee down in anticipation. There will clearly be a conflict between two alternative ways of looking at feminine behaviour and pushback from society around them. The opening credits have lots of empowering messages and the music is funky and creates a fun introduction to the characters that you would look forward to every time you start an episode. Four more shots equals four main characters and they are all different and going through different things. We have Siddhi who is demure and thicker than most women around her and who is primarily focused on marriage, Damini who hardworking is a news editor who is having daydreams about her doctor, Anjana who is a single mother and spunky Umang who works at a gym.
We are allowed windows into the day that all the women are having. There are funny elements like when Damini goes to the doctor who she can't repress herself from flirting with, writes "bathe three times a day" on her notes. I love the brashness of the humour. The four women all meet up at the end of the day at a bar called 'The Truck Stop' where they all band together and relax, and let loose and be themselves around each other. The actresses are really good at portraying a closeness and a unity between them. They make silly jabs and laugh together and it's a lot of fun to watch. The women use quite a few Americanisms like "kick it in the balls" and "respect, bro!". It shows millennial Mumbai as a multicultural and evolutionary in their language and how they conduct themselves. The bartender judges them slightly but seems to accept them which shows that this isn't normal behaviour for Indian women and some people have to adjust to this. But the bartender willing because he says that they aren't allowed any "sissy cocktails!" This is almost a loving sentence because he doesn't want them to stick to the status quo.
Anjana has a moment which I really like, which is when she drunkenly preaches ""Reason for divorce is marriage" which is modern thinking yet laced with pessimism that seems to poison her mind and exposes the hurt and disappointment that she has deep inside. Even though she seems one of the most enlightened women; she is not the happiest for it and exposes how you can long for tradition even if you know you should be rebelling against it. I like that this show shows that battle even in the first episode. Before they leave Damini has a moment with the bartender who watches her curiously as she lines up shot glasses perfectly but she doesn't notice him. Oh, what's that I spy? Oh, yes, a love triangle. I'm sure we will see a lot of that in the series. That's not my favourite type of story but I think it will be sweet seeing Damini realise someone wants her as much as she thinks she wants the doctor.
The women are so tipsy and confident that they throw a rock and break the neon lights outside of the bar from 'truck' to 'fuck'. They aren't afraid to do things like this which almost shows that they live in a bit of a privileged bubble where there are no consequences in a country full of consequences usually. Because the bartender won't press charges because he likes them they feel that they have the freedom. And they grab at the freedom with all of their might! They all go home to lives with people they care for but which also hold them down or to loneliness. Anjana says "asshole" in front of her daughter who skips around school repeating it. Anjana seems to get a hard time from the other mothers anyway because of her marital status "First she couldn't control her husband now her poor kid". She flips the mothers off which is a deeply gratifying action to watch.
Damini is called a "girl" and not a woman in court and the narrative of gender inequality builds like a flower drenched in fertilizer. My favourite quote of the episode is when Damini and Anjana are walking away from court next to a park full of mostly men and boys and Anjana asks a question: "What is the difference between condoms and men? They are no longer thick and insensitive."
"Anji, that's really sexist."
"2000 years of patriarchy, man."
That interaction and I hope that is one out of many to come in the two series that has been released.
Old traditions seem to hound Siddhi the most who is being forced to take singing lessons to get the interest of potential suitors and being harshly criticised by her mother, The instrument breaks which is a funny moment, but also hints that Siddhi is soon going to break out of the rut of her life. Afterwards she looks at herself in the mirror in a bra and knickers and then gives up and eats a chocolate bar. Everyone in the show is fighting an internal battle. And some are fighting external battles too. Damini is now being forced to censor her stories and Umang yelled at a Bollywood actress at a gym. It seems that she is instantly apologetic because she is famous but it seems deeper than that and if you look more closely, it might be because she fancies her. It only takes a few minutes for this to be confirmed at the end when she makes out with a girl in the bathroom at the Truck Stop. I love that this show doesn't leave out sexuality and it is a brave and bold storyline for a Mumbai filmed show to have.
In conclusion I think 'Four More Shots Please' has a lot to give. If I had to compare it to anything I would say it's 20% Derry Girls meets 50% Sex And The City 30% Girls like I already referenced.
Give it a watch yourself on Amazon Prime.
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