Until they were arrested on charges of murdering their husbands. That they were women from small towns who broke out of stereotype in the most brutal way possible led to sensational headlines, frantic curiosity and also gave fodder to a series of misogynistic memes and jokes.
Neeraj Chopra hoped to compete with other prominent international names in India
As new OTT release Bawaal tackles the lives of a terribly unhappy couple, and Satyaprem Ki Katha about a young wife with a tragic secret is a box-office success, here's pick of ten (out of a considerable number) of relatively recent films about troubled marriages.
'People who tell you otherwise are either psychopaths or plain delusional.'
An upcoming book by investigative journalist Chitra Subramaniam claims that senior Indian bureaucrats "tutored" Bofors officials in a secret meeting in 1987 on how to absolve then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of all blame in the infamous bribery scandal. The book, "Boforsgate," details how the meeting was held to cover up the alleged Rs 64 crore bribe in a Rs 1,437 crore deal for Howitzer guns, and how Indian officials provided advice on concealing information from investigators. Subramaniam's revelations are based on documents provided to her by the Swedish head of police investigating the Bofors case.
The key is to find ways to manage the stress of being in a sexless marriage, so that you can focus on building your relationship back up and moving forward, advises Sybil Shiddell, country manager-India for Gleeden, a discreet extra marital dating Web site.
As Independent India turned 76, so did the ethereal Raakhee I know better than most, says Subhash K Jha.
'I believe Sonam's mother kept things from us. She didn't tell us the whole story, and she would have known that Raj had an affair with Sonam. Had Sonam's father and brother known about Raj, they would have fired him from their factory. I think there are more than five people in the case'
Bada Naam Karenge is a sweet, simple love story sprinkled with family drama and entertainment, something that has been missing from the OTT space for a while, feels Namrata Thakker.
rediffGURU Shalini Singh explains how to manage your emotions when you are ghosted by someone you love.
Irrespective of how busy your schedule is, we should always take out some time for the family, away from the gadgets that distance us, says Dr Upneet Kaur.
Deadly brides, daredevil officers, bloodthirsty royals, killer toys, celebrity chefs, comic book heroes, angry goddesses, senior citizen dreams, poisonous snowfall, the OTT offerings this week will make you wish for days twice the size of its menu.
Kiara Advani and Vicky Kaushal got candid about their personal and professional lives on Karan Johar's Koffee With Karan.
'Wonder of wonders we finished the Janmashtami song and can you believe it within the next few days it so happened that Dilip Sahab walked into my life, gazed into my eyes and asked my grandmother and mother for my Hand in marriage.'
The latest season of Bridgerton takes a bolder view at handling troubled relationships and marriages as it teases displeased viewers from the previous season with enough fodder to last until the next season, feels Divya Nair.
'I hope this film will bring some change in people, their homes, and in our society.'
It this era of sensationalism, we should appreciate director Anant Mahadevan for treating Phule with calm and composure and not going overboard, notes Hemant Waje.
A remarkable story which helped in transforming a bureaucratic organization, to a customer centric organization. This experience may inspire several government / private organizations to modify or adopt digitisation to transform their business, notes Professor N Ravichandran (retd).
'When I meet someone and feel something, and start dreaming about a big wedding, I will...'
Aseem Chhabra and Sukanya Verma send in their predictions for the top Oscar awards.
If Indrani Mukerjea wanted to whitewash her image, this docu series was not the right platform, asserts Deepa Gahlot.
'Please don't worry about casualties. It is a professional hazard beyond our control,' wrote Kargil Hero Major Padmapani Acharya in his last letter from the battlefield.
Thudarum is a masterpiece for adults, a serious yet self-aware piece of cinema that has something for everybody, feels Arjun Menon.
'Society tends to get uncomfortable when a girl takes the initiative. But who cares? I proposed to him,' says Shivalika V Patel.
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli have consistently shown us how to build a relationship that thrives under pressure and celebrates each other's victories as their own.
Most days, I wake up with the feeling that I have an ideal relationship with my husband. Then, he wakes up and screws it all up, sighs Gal Godot.
Patrick Graham's crime documentary The Dupatta Killer gives all sides of the story and leaves it to the viewer to fill in the blanks, notes Deepa Gahlot.
Sukanya Verma lists everything that's there on OTT this week.
'I stood in the line for potty. So there was no extraordinary feeling that I had become a hero.'
'In a marriage, you must wipe the self-helpy, holier-than-thou grime off your forgiveness to see what it truly is.'
The CM said that the film exposes the conspiracies of 'love jihad', religious conversion and terrorism and its "hideous" face.
The possibilities of this serviceable thriller are immense but the makers prefer to play it safe and hold back the daredevil in the diplomat's clothing, observes Sukanya Verma.
In Rajasthan's Karauli district, a decade ago, rampant drought and dwindling water sources forced many men into a life of dacoity, leaving their families in fear. However, the women of Karauli, tired of the despair, took matters into their own hands. They persuaded their husbands to give up their lives of crime and together they began reviving old water bodies and constructing new ones with the help of a local NGO. This community-led effort, which included building pokhars (water bodies) and reviving the Serni River, resulted in a remarkable transformation, bringing stability and hope to the region, and turning former dacoits into thriving farmers.
The 92nd Academy Awards nominations have been announced at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
'Films like Roja and Bombay, at that point of time, were not something about which I would be too worried.' 'I thought if I'm honest and if I'm reflecting what a normal person like me is feeling, then that honesty will come through.'
Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman and his wife Saira have decided to separate after nearly three decades of marriage.
Khushi fares better in emotional scenes but her chemistry with Junaid has the passion of a toothpaste campaign, observes Sukanya Verma.
The biggest hit of 2025 arrives on OTT this week, along with many other highs and horrors.
'I should make a Rs 1,000 crore film with you.'
Food, feminism, fights, father-son issues, famous rivalries, OTT is as loaded as it gets this week.
