Four More Shots Please - 2019

Introduction

Four more shots please is an engrossing web series that is based on four friends from different walks of life.

It is the story of these strong women and how they deal with their ambitions, love life, career, work-life conflicts, ambitions, and fears in modern India.

It is an Indian comedy-drama streaming TV series on Amazon Prime Video, created by Rangita Pritish Nandy.

The 3 seasons of 30 episodes cover the life of four uncompromising and flawed women and how they live, love, make mistakes, and make friendships in millennial Mumbai.

This is the story of discovering what drives you through tequila shots and is the first all-female Indian original, on Amazon Prime starring Sayani Gupta, Bani J, Kirti Kulhari, and Maanvi Gagroo.

Table of Contents

• Details

• Story

• Release

• Cast

• Crew

• Character Analysis

• Predictions

• Seasons

• Behind The Scenes

• Controversy

• Ratings and Reviews

• Awards

• Interesting Facts

• Conclusion

Details 

Story

PlayIt’s a woman’s world out there and the catchphrase sums it up - 4 more shots, please!

3 seasons of this popular web series is a story of four completely different women in Mumbai, who meet each week to talk and get drunk at their favorite garage bar, Truck.

The four girls Damini (Sayani Gupta), Umang (Bani J), Siddhi (Maanvi Gagroo), and Anjana (Kirti Kulhari) are a girl squad who bounce back when the world has knocked them down or hurt them, who have the craziest conversations and give really bad advice about tequila.

They are far from perfect and are facing a constant struggle between tradition and modernity. They have many problems, but they accept their imperfections and face the world hand in hand with their heads held high.

They dream to be free in a patriarchal society that rarely values ​​women, and in a country thriving on hypocrisy.

This is a show that has stood the test of time and qualifies to enter the heart of an urban Indian woman. It is not a moral story, but just three seasons of experiences, pains, and triumphs of four women, who enjoy their shots together!

Release

The first season of Four More Shots Please of 10 episodes was released on 25 January 2019 on Amazon Video.

Running Time -  28 – 45 minutes

Cast 

• Sayani Gupta as Damini Rizvi Roy Dee, an investigative journalist

• Bani J as Umang Singh Mangs, a gym trainer

• Kirti Kulhari is Anjana Menon Anj Khanna, a lawyer and divorced mother

• Maanvi Gagroo as Sidhi Patel Sids, a single child from a wealthy family

• Lisa Ray as Samara Kapoor

• Milind Soman as Dr. Aamir Warsi

Crew

Created by  - Rangita Pritish Nandy

Written by  - Devika Bhagat, Ishita Moitra

Directed by - Anu Menon (Season 1), Nupur Asthana (Season 2), Joyeeta Patpatia (Season 3)

Music by - Mikey McCleary

Producers - Pritish Nandy, Rangita Pritish Nandy

Cinematography - Neha Parti Matiyani, Sanket Shah

Editors - Antara Lahiri, Jabeen Merchant, Arindam Ghatak

Production Company - Pritish Nandy Communications Ltd

Character Analysis

• Sayani Gupta stars as Damini Rizvi Roy, a fearless journalist whose job is in jeopardy thanks to a controversial article. In addition to showing herself as a strong woman, the creators also managed to show Sayani Gupta as a normal girl who loves hanging out with her friends and having drinks from time to time. The vulnerable trait is understandable, as is Damini's character, who constantly battles her inner demons.

• Kirti Kulhari plays the role of Anjana Menon, a single mother, trying to get her post-pregnancy life back on track by perfectly balancing her personal and professional life. Anjana Menon sometimes faces turmoil in her personal life and she is a woman who is dedicated to her career and is fighting for her people.

• Maanvi Gagroo as Siddhi Patel, belongs to an elite clan in Mumbai. Siddhi struggles to conform to the norms set by society, but later finds her inner voice and lives life on her terms, and is always on guard and breaks the stereotype that needs to be taken care of. A little laughter can make her life look brighter, no matter how difficult the situation is. The way Siddhi's character always brightens up a moment is quality. The strength shown while dealing with body image issues inspires audiences around the world.

• Bani J plays the character of Umang, who comes from a conservative Punjabi family and lives in Mumbai. Umang is a bisexual character who falls in love with Bollywood's A-lister Samara Kapoor. Umang’s role revolves around queer rights and values ​​breaking social norms and she is all about chasing her dreams. She is a fitness enthusiast and someone who always relies on her motivation to push harder.

Predictions

For every hit series that preceded it, there is always a sequel. Four More Shots Please Season 4 will release on Amazon Prime Video in September 2023 as confirmed by Amazon Prime Video in December 2022.

It will continue with the same storyline, characters, and introduction of new people. The release date for Four More Shots Please Season 4 is forecasted to be announced in August 2023.

Seasons

Behind the Scenes

The girls have had quite a fun time behind the scenes when they weren’t working. They have become real-life friends and have a good time with each other on the sets.

There was this incident when Maanvi, who plays Siddhi was asked to do a lake scene, while they were shooting in Italy. It was cold so their director Joyeeta asked the girls to skip the scene.

However, Bani decided to do it, and Sayani joined her, which left others surprised. Suck quirky moments made shooting fun for all.

Controversy 

The series caused a constant backlash due to its graphic depiction of sex and alcoholism.

Many people couldn’t relate to Indian women resorting to sex and alcohol, to resolve life issues.

The four women are constantly in turmoil either because of their personal or professional lives. It gives an insight into how they are coping, but the show is often questioned for having too much sex.

Criticism seems like an avenging mechanism because the series doesn't tick the boxes of conventional notions of femininity dictated by society.

Criticism should therefore be well-analyzed and carefully adjusted. In this particular case, the criticism looks like a venting mechanism for resentment, as the series fails to tick a society-mandated box of conventional notions of femininity.

Ratings and Reviews

42,756 IMDb users have given a weighted average vote of 5.6 / 10. This web series was warmly welcomed and appreciated in the first season and received rave reviews.

The coming seasons raised a few controversies regarding the bold concept, but overall, the reviews were fairly in favour of this women-oriented series!

Awards

Asian Television Awards 2020

Bollywood Life Awards 2021

Bollywood Life Awards 2020

Filmfare OTT Awards 2020

Hitlist OTT Awards 2021

Indian Film and Television Awards 2021

Indian Television Academy Awards, India 2019

International Emmy Awards 2020

IWM Digital Awards 2019

Interesting Facts

• Kirti Kulhari wasn't friends with Sayani, Bani, and Maanvi before the show

• Four More Shots Please Season 2 was filmed in Istanbul, Udaipur, and Mumbai.

• Bani J lost her mother before filming her climactic scene.

• Lisa Ray wasn't confident filming her intimate scenes with Bani J

Conclusion 

Four More Shots Please is all about female friendships and bonds. It is largely based on sexual freedom and the choices of women who face patriarchal issues bravely.

A feeling of empowerment comes when you see women following their ideas and principles instead of conforming to social frameworks.

All women face different hurdles and it's time, they reconcile their opinions with their desires and expectations. This is mainly depicted by the four daring and strong women in Four More Shots Please.

Another important factor to note is whether they are flawed or fashionable, they indeed celebrate their friendship and enjoy their shots while undoubtedly entertaining the audiences!

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