The actor praises the series for ditching stereotypical roles, pointing to Helly Shah’s Twinkle as the show’s comedic engine.
Sandeepa Dhar told Bollywood Hungama that the script for Chumbak caught her eye because it treats its women like comic protagonists, not side‑kicks. “I was interested in the show because women were not shown as stereotypical beings,” she said, adding that most Indian comedies hand the jokes to men while women linger in the background. In this series, that formula is flipped.
The actor singled out Twinkle – played by Helly Shah – as the clear example of the shift. “Here, we have Twinkle, who is the forerunner of comedy in the show,” Dhar explained. Twinkle’s antics, timing and punchlines sit at the heart of each episode, giving the audience a fresh laugh source that isn’t tethered to a male counterpart.
Behind the scenes, creator Aatish Shah apparently made a conscious decision to avoid the kitchen‑scene cliché. “We’re not showing women sitting and cooking or serving food to men,” Dhar noted, crediting the director’s purposeful move away from conventional gender roles. The actor said the script felt “really refreshing” when she first read it, a sentiment that resonates with viewers who have grown tired of token female parts.
Why it matters
Indian comedy has long leaned on male‑centric jokes, leaving women to play love‑interest or caretaker roles. Chumbak challenges that norm, positioning its female leads as the primary source of humor. This could signal a broader shift in OTT storytelling, where writers feel freer to experiment with gender dynamics.
The series is already generating buzz on streaming platforms, with fans sharing clips of Twinkle’s slap‑stick moments. Social media chatter hints that the show’s approach may inspire other creators to rewrite the rulebook.
What’s next
Chumbak continues its weekly rollout, and Dhar will appear in promotional events over the next fortnight. If the series maintains its momentum, it could set a new benchmark for comedy that treats women as equal joke‑tellers.
For now, the actress remains enthusiastic. “Even when I was reading the script, I felt that it was really refreshing to see someone writing women’s roles like this,” she reiterated. As the series heads into its second half, the industry will be watching to see if the audience’s appetite for gender‑balanced humor grows.
The next episode drops on Thursday, and fans will be eager to see whether Twinkle’s brand of comedy keeps delivering the fresh laughs Dhar praised.
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