You could call it a race to 5th place for the former influencer. This week she has put past Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri. With Maa Behen only hitting Netflix on June 4, you can see from the early numbers that people are talking and the weekly standings are being reworked as a result.
Why Dharna’s move up is notable
It is something to see when she is right on the heels of some big names with new work out. Sonakshi Sinha is 4th on the back of her System series. You have Yudhvir Ahlawat (from Saif Ali Khan’s Kartavya), Aishwarya Rai and Ambrish Verma of Sapne vs Everyone in front of her.
IMDb puts out a list of what’s hot in India every week, if you’re on the app. It’s all about who is getting the most site traffic, so it’s a fair read on what viewers are after at the moment.
The rest of the Maa Behen team
Then there is Triptii Dimri at 13. She is in the company of Mrunal Thakur, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Sara Arjun, Vijay, Salman and Wamiqa Gabbi. Not bad for a movie that was put out just a few days back.
Madhuri is 15th, with Kaveri Seth of Made in India – A Titan Story making her first appearance at 14. Alia Jafry, Janhvi Kapoor, Ram Charan, Buchi Babu Sana and Jim Sarbh are also in the top 20. It’s how streaming premieres like to do things – they rattle the board a bit.
A few of the numbers people are looking at:
– Dharna Durga: 5th
– Triptii Dimri: 13th
– Madhuri Dixit: 15th
– Sonakshi Sinha: 4th
– Kaveri Seth: 14th
What’s behind the Maa Behen talk
Suresh Triveni’s black comedy has been well-received for the way it handles its humour and turns some old patriarchal ideas on their head. Vikram Malhotra and Suresh Triveni have it in production under Abundantia and Opening Image, with a cast that includes Madhuri, Triptii, Dharna and Ravi Kishan.
Rekha is the one we follow – a single mother with a voice in a very proper part of town. Her world is turned upside down when she has to tell her daughters, Jaya and Sushma, that a certain Mr. Gupta has died in her house. From there, the three of them are in a fix to cover their tracks.
Some of the feeling from the set
Triptii has said it’s ‘a great experiment’ and one that will be close to her heart. When it comes to Madhuri, she says there is no better way to put it: 'effortlessly graceful, warm, and so generous.’ An honour to be in a scene with her, in her words.
She has some kind words for Dharna as well, for the good times. All the bickering on camera is ‘nothing but love off-screen and even more warmth,’ she says. You can tell that kind of rapport is making people want to know more about the lot of them.
Streaming has a way of shuffling things
Maa Behen isn’t the only one. Kaveri Seth is on the list at 14 since her film came out, and Ambrish Verma is having his moment with Sapne vs Everyone. New content has a way of making you seen.
It’s a matter of what fans are typing in on the app each week. For us, it’s an easy check to see who is in vogue. For the talent, it’s proof that a project, no matter how left-field, can put you in the room.
It’s the way of the world with these platforms. More will come and the order will be different. But for the time being, the story is Dharna Durga at 5, and a movie that has made for some good conversation.
