Amazon Prime’s 2024 Indian series, Big Girls Don’t Cry, tells the story of girls at a fictional prestigious boarding school that has a legacy to uphold. As it goes, the school is run with strict rules and an array of teachers who love to force their ideas on students because they believe it’s “teaching.” The story covers facile subjects such as clandestine meet-ups with boys behind your best friend’s back, as well as the more thorny journey of finding your identity. There are 7 episodes in total, ranging from 45 minutes to one hour, and I think it’s quite easy to follow the story even if you pick up from in between. Big Girls Don’t Cry begins with an introduction to the leading sisterhood of the show, the BGDC group, as well as a new girl in town. The new girl is eager to make friends, so will she get a chance to join the “popular” group in school? Or will she have to be a loner? Let’s dive in and find out.
Spoiler Alert
Who is part of the BGDC Group?
These are quite a lot of names to remember, but you’ll get around to them in a couple of episodes. Roohi and Jayshree Chhetry (JC) are best friends. I’d say they’re the center of this group—the two that bring everyone together. JC is an actual Nepalese princess, and Roohi is the funny bone of the group. Anandita, known as Pluggy (no idea where that came from), is the “virgin sex expert” who has failed class twice. And then there’s Noor and Leah (Ludo), the two who dream of being school captains and sports captains together. Leah’s the basketball champion who makes the school proud, and all her focus is on playing ball. New term, so new kids, and Kavya Yadav has just come to VVGS to make her dreams come true on a scholarship. This is an expensive school, and Kavya learns very early on that if you’re the “Scholy Kid,” you’re going to be reminded that you’re not welcome by the privileged kids.
Kavya, of course, has the Midas touch when it comes to schoolwork. She’s also good at Kabaddi (an Indian sport) and catches Pluggy’s eyes immediately. Pluggy wants to bring Kavya into a group for several reasons, but Roohi immediately opposes it. Each of the girls has a history with at least one other person in the group; now, bringing in a new kid would be treacherous. However, Kavya quickly learns that she just needs to show the girls her dedication to the group. The first episode is spent trying to fight for a shed in the woods near the school that is taken over by one gang every year. The BGDC obviously succeeded in winning the shed for themselves, a badge of honor. Kavya helps in the acquisition process, and this leads the group to consider her application.
Why does Kavya’s scholarship get revoked?
Now, for the most part, the show focuses on Kavya as the outsider. All she wants is to fit in and have friends who actually like her for who she is. She doesn’t need pity or relatability, and that’s what she gets. But this comes at a cost. Kavya is willing to do the things the girls ask of her, which includes getting in trouble with the school, but this leads to her grades dropping, a change in personality, and the burden of being rebellious. It’s not that these girls aren’t likeable; they’re great friends, but they’re also a little bit self-obsessed; they say it comes from privilege, and so they don’t really see the way Kavya struggles with some of the things they do. Kavya never lies about being a scholarship student, but she does hide the truth from the gang. In the climax of the show, Kavya’s mother shows up, shocking everybody. This makes things very awkward for Kavya with her friends, and she hurts her mother’s feelings unintentionally.
Kavya’s dreams are shattered because she gets two yellow cards and then proceeds to fail her exams because of her friends, and then her scholarship is revoked. Since Kavya’s financial situation isn’t that great, the school suggests she get admission to another for the next term. What’s even more unfortunate is that the teachers also treat the scholarship students with disdain or as outsiders. I don’t think it’s fair to say the BGDC gang weren’t Kavya’s real friends; however, it will take time for them to realize that they shouldn’t have ever alienated her for not being as privileged as them. On the other hand, Kavya did make a good friend in the school rebel, Dia Malik. Dia’s got no friends and no interest in being in the school that produces “robot brides,” but she has a special knack for poetry and can be a good friend when required. Dia and Kavya get close when they’re both cast in the school play, thanks to the new favorite teacher, young and intellectual Aliya Lamba.
Why does Ludo get de-badged?
Ludo, another basketball team member, and a younger student named Vidushi fall for each other and end up getting caught kissing at a basketball tournament. Though the school pretends it’s simply rumors and tries to sweep it under the rug, Vidushi gets suspended, and Ludo loses her basketball team captaincy. It turns out that it’s only Vidushi who gets suspended because she speaks up and realizes what they did was not wrong. The principal manipulated Ludo into admitting that it was Vidushi who was the one who “forced” herself on Ludo. Now, even though Ludo can continue playing the game she loves, she’s got a lot more on her mind, and this starts to mess with the balance of the group. Noor wonders why her friend won’t talk to her, and the other girls pretend it’s a rumor, though it seems like they might actually know the truth. Ludo uses an opportunity during the school dance to pretend she’s attracted to boys and kisses one from the boy’s school, Wood Oak.
Why do Roohi and JC fight?
Roohi spends a lot of the semester trying to set up the princess with a boy named Veer from Wood Oak. Roohi and Veer have been friends because they’re “braces buddies,” and Roohi uses her wits to write letters to Veer in JC’s name, just because she can. Now, we know Roohi’s coming from a good place, but JC never asked for this, and then, as if rubbing salt in the wound, Veer actually likes Roohi, and they do share some sort of chemistry. This is also okay; these kinds of things happen in school, but Roohi doesn’t tell JC her true feelings because she’s afraid of losing her best friend, yet this is what leads to them falling out. When JC actually starts getting interested in Veer, the truth comes to light. In her anger, JC ends up opening old wounds and telling Roohi that she’s messed up because she won’t admit her parents are messed up, and their family is far from perfect. Roohi ends up having a panic attack at home when everything around her starts to crumble, and she runs away from a party at home after messing with the electrical system. She’s done pretending that things are perfect. Roohi has nobody to talk to, so she goes to Veer, and he tells her to start by speaking the truth. Roohi musters up the courage to tell JC that she likes Veer. But JC tells her that it’s no use because she needs to open up about her parents. Now, this is like a wake-up call for the whole group, which seems uninterested in honesty.
Why does Noor want to get rid of her last name?
Noor is the perfect student. She’s got the grades, the looks, the respect, the decency—everything that an adult would want in their model student—yet there’s one thing that’s bothering her deeply. Noor’s parents are revolutionaries; their name is a legacy, yet Noor wants to go by just “Noor.” This confuses everybody around her, and nobody seems to understand where she’s coming from. Not even Ludo, who has her own issues, and more importantly, not her father, who thinks she’s been taken over by the thoughts of those around her. In truth, Noor is afraid her dreams will be botched when she doesn’t get a visa because of her last name. She doesn’t hate her identity; she’s just afraid of wearing it on her sleeve.
Why does Aliya get fired?
The school plans on building a science block in memory of Anita’s dead daughter. Anita is very keen on getting funding for this block and invites a narrow-minded politician to the school’s 75th Founder’s Day as a chief guest so she can show him how amazing the school would be to invest in. Aliya has created a feminist play that the students are very excited to perform; however, Anita asks for the ending to be changed because it would be considered insulting to “men.” Aliya reluctantly agrees, but Dia, being the rebellious child she is, decides to take a stand herself and stick to the original ending of the play. Aliya was responsible for Dia when she took her into the play on merit, so now she gets fired because the science block can’t be built.
Dia realizes she’s made a huge mistake and tries to find Aliya at the railway station. After some back and forth yelling, Dia apologizes to Aliya and admits her mistake. At the same time, Aliya admits that Dia’s “stick it to the man” made her realize she should go try to live out her dream. She’s decided to go make her play with actual actors, not in school. Aliya also reminds Dia that this school may not be impeccable, but it’s much more than a lot of girls could even dream of.
Does Pluggy Get Plugged?
In Big Girls Don’t Cry season 1, Pluggy’s main goal is to get laid and stop being a fake expert. She finds a kid with a fake English accent and “biscuit” abs. She’s quite insecure because of her body, so the first time the guy shows up, she chickens out and loses the keys to the shed. Then, she asks her best friend Asad to rehearse with her (whoops). It’s fairly obvious that Asad has deep feelings for Pluggy, but he won’t admit them. Not even when they’re “rehearsing.” When Pluggy does end up sleeping with Jojo, the fake dude, she realizes it’s not the way she imagined it would be and realizes that maybe it would’ve been more fun with Asad. However, at the end of the show, it appears as if Asad is mad at her for not seeing his signs and still choosing Jojo over him.
What’s Noor’s big plan?
During Big Girls Don’t Cry‘s ending, Noor makes a plan to show the school what the new kids are really made of. Noor’s rebellion has left her sister afraid of her. Her sister, the one who is meant to look up to her the most, can’t recognize Noor. This really touches the right strings for Noor, because, during a student council meeting, she uses the school’s own motto to admit that the school wrongly suspended Vidushi. “Know Thyself,” she says, and she comes up with the plan to color the school with pride. I suppose, like Dia said, they are trying to make clones that can be easily controlled. Noor’s eyes are finally opened to the fact that she can win even by being herself, especially today. At the annual event, when everyone is dressed up to celebrate.
At the end of the school event, Ludo is made the sports captain, and Noor is made the school captain. Ludo is still afraid; she doesn’t think she can, with everyone knowing her story. When Vidushi tries to talk to Ludo, she backs up and lets her fear take over. On the other hand, Noor has accepted her fate, and so she wants Ludo to do the same. Though Ludo finally understands where Noor came from because she told her the truth about the visa, their problems are quite different. Although the final episode shows that there is a win in solidarity and Noor’s big plan is to have a pride parade at the school function, Ludo is unable to join hands with the rest of the school. She feels more alone than ever, and this is probably because she has to first accept herself before showing it to the world.
The one good thing is that Kavya’s mother has managed to pay next semester’s fees. She’s overjoyed, though worried about how her mother could’ve gathered so much money. I suppose we’re supposed to see that real wealth is in love and not money (same old, same old). JC ends up not going to Venice, where her grandmother would’ve forced her to drop her dreams and get marriage, and decides to make decisions for the family herself. She is, after all, a princess, not a puppet. This is, in a way, her doing what Roohi wanted. At the end of the episode, when Roohi sees her parents, she can’t tolerate their fighting anymore and decides to run away with JC into the woods. A temporary solution, but a solution nonetheless.
What Happens to the Science Block?
There’s a businessman named Mittal who wants to sponsor the science block to get a seat on the school board. Anita has always thought his only goal would be churning out profit from the school, so she never wanted to take him in. However, desperate for her science block, she chooses to go see him. Mittal is delighted to give Anita a crore for the block, and he claims he wants nothing in return. The decision-making is still in her hands, and he just wants her to trust him for now. Apparently, she trusts him too soon, though, because Mittal has big plans. While Anita is soaring high because of her vision turning into reality, Mittal, who now has a seat on the board, thanks to bringing up Anita’s hopes, wants to control the school by introducing a completely new faculty, principal included.
Big Girls Don’t Cry leaves an opening for season 2 with the introduction of a new antagonist, as well as leaving Ludo and Pluggy’s stories unfulfilled. I suppose there’s a chance the girls will be a part of making sure Mittal doesn’t mess with the system. The second season has the potential to improve on the flaws of the first, and I, for one, am expecting a lot more.
