JioHotstar has announced its new original series Chiraiya, a drama that looks at a difficult and sensitive issue within many Indian homes — the belief that marriage automatically means lifelong consent. Directed by Shashant Shah, the series features Divya Dutta in a leading role, along with Sanjay Mishra, Siddharth Shaw, Prasanna Bisht, Faisal Rashid, Tinnu Anand, Sarita Joshi, and others.
The teaser begins with scenes of a wedding celebration — music, rituals and smiles. A young bride, Pooja, enters her new home with hope, ready to become the “perfect” daughter-in-law everyone expects her to be. However, the mood shifts sharply when she is shown alone on a terrace, quietly crying. The contrast between celebration and silence highlights the core theme of the series.
Chiraiya asks a direct question: If a husband forces himself on a woman after marriage, does it stop being a crime just because they are married? The series challenges the idea that marriage is a licence, and reminds viewers that silence should not be mistaken for consent.
Speaking about her role, Divya Dutta said, “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. 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.”
With its focus on a sensitive social issue, Chiraiya aims to start conversations around consent, silence and the realities many women face behind closed doors.
