# Flesh
**Flesh** is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller web series directed by [Danish Aslam](https://www.edgepedia.org/danish-aslam) and released on the streaming platform Eros Now on August 21, 2020. It stars [Swara Bhasker](https://www.edgepedia.org/swara-bhasker) as a police officer investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl, and its eight episodes follow the search into the world of sex and human trafficking in India.[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25286/hindi/flesh/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9875006/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Eight-episode Hindi-language crime thriller miniseries, an Eros Now original[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9875006/) • [3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-trailer-swara-bhasker-akshay-oberoi-eros-now-6550113/) |
| Release | August 21, 2020 (India), streaming on Eros Now[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9875006/) |
| Director / writers | Directed by Danish Aslam; written by Pooja Ladha Surti from a story by Siddharth Anand and Sagar Pandya[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25286/hindi/flesh/) • [4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/reviews/something/2020/Aug/21/flesh-web-series-review-solid-thriller-with-gratuitous-violence-to-a-fault-19892.html) |
| Lead cast | Swara Bhasker (ACP Radha Nautiyal), Akshay Oberoi (Taj), Mahima Makwana (Zoya), Vidya Malvade (Reba)[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/flesh) |
| Producers | Siddharth Anand, Mamta Anand, and Ridhima Lulla, under Eros Motion Pictures[6](https://erosnow.com/original/watch/1069270/flesh) |
| Episode length | About 38 to 47 minutes per episode[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9875006/) • [7](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/web-series/flesh) |
| Subject | Human trafficking and the sex trade in India, following a police investigation into a missing teenager[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/flesh) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
The series follows two girls who become victims of the sex and human trafficking industry in India.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/flesh) Zoya Gupta, a teenager and the daughter of a wealthy NRI couple, Shekhar and Reba (Yudhishtir Urs and Vidya Malvade), is abducted on the pretext of helping a friend of her latest romantic interest. The police initially suspect she has run off with a boyfriend or left home because of dysfunction in the household; digging deeper, they discover she has fallen into the hands of a Kolkata-Mumbai crime nexus and is fighting for her life.[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/flesh/seriesreview/77661158.cms)
ACP Radha Nautiyal (Swara Bhasker), described in promotional material as a no-nonsense officer who wishes to kill all sex traffickers, is assigned to find Zoya.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-trailer-swara-bhasker-akshay-oberoi-eros-now-6550113/) The investigation brings her up against a trafficking cartel run by Taj ([Akshay Oberoi](https://www.edgepedia.org/akshay-oberoi)), who grows increasingly ruthless as the series progresses.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/flesh) • [6](https://erosnow.com/original/watch/1069270/flesh) Across the eight episodes, Radha makes a breakthrough in locating Zoya, gains an ally within the police force, and must confront her own inner demons in the final installment while trying to save Zoya's life.[6](https://erosnow.com/original/watch/1069270/flesh)
The story also depicts a second trafficking ring that kidnaps and sells children, with both rings moving "consignments" of victims; reviewers noted the show follows teenage girls transported across the country and young children held in captivity.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/reviews/something/2020/Aug/21/flesh-web-series-review-solid-thriller-with-gratuitous-violence-to-a-fault-19892.html) • [9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-review-eros-now-swara-bhasker-6564653/)
## Production
[Siddharth Anand](https://www.edgepedia.org/siddharth-anand) had a broad premise for the idea, and screenwriter Pooja Ladha Surti was asked to break it down over eight episodes. Director Danish Aslam also became involved in the writing because of time pressure, and shooting began while the scripts were still being written. For research, Surti said the team spoke with a well-known NGO actively involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of sex crime victims, and met police officers as well.[10](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/pooja-ladha-surti-talks-about-scriptwriting-and-upcoming-projects)
Surti was known for co-writing director [Sriram Raghavan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sriram-raghavan)'s films *Ek Hasina Thi*, *Badlapur*, and the National Award-winning *Andhadhun*.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-trailer-swara-bhasker-akshay-oberoi-eros-now-6550113/) The music was composed by Manas Chaturvedi and Shikhar Chaturvedi, with cinematography by Anshuman Mahaley and editing by Abhishek Seth.[6](https://erosnow.com/original/watch/1069270/flesh) • [11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9875006/fullcredits/)
Swara Bhasker announced the series on August 10, 2020, writing on social media, "Did you know that 99% of human trafficking victims are never rescued?" and framing the show as a fight against the system.[12](https://www.indiatoday.in/entertainment/ott/story/swara-bhasker-turns-cop-for-crime-thriller-flesh-1709969-2020-08-11) The trailer opened with the statement "Based on disturbing, shocking real events," although one streaming database describes the series as fictional rather than based on a single true story.[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-trailer-swara-bhasker-akshay-oberoi-eros-now-6550113/) • [13](https://webisoda.in/webseries/flesh/)
## Reception
**Critical response.** The Times of India gave the season a critic's rating of 3.5 out of 5, writing that Danish Aslam's eight-part miniseries "shuns the conventional technique of presenting a tale of crime, violence and human trafficking" in favor of bare-it-all storytelling with brutal honesty.[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/flesh/seriesreview/77661158.cms) Mid-Day rated it 2.5 out of 5, calling it a show that "barely has anything fresh or frightening to offer" and comparing its territory to the *Mardaani* films.[14](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/web-series/article/flesh-web-series-review-a-show-that-barely-has-anything-fresh-to-offer-22946305)
Several reviewers singled out the violence. [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express)'s Shubhra Gupta called the series "a flinch-fest" in which she often had to close her eyes, while also writing that it maintained a balance between showing depraved acts and keeping the viewer watching.[9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-review-eros-now-swara-bhasker-6564653/) A review carried by The New Indian Express and Cinema Express praised the performances as rock-solid but argued the incessant cuss words, disturbing sexual innuendos, gory violence, and a non-linear narrative proved distracting, and predicted the series would become a talking point in the debate over censorship of OTT (streaming) content in India.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/reviews/something/2020/Aug/21/flesh-web-series-review-solid-thriller-with-gratuitous-violence-to-a-fault-19892.html) • [15](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/review/2020/Aug/22/flesh-review-solid-thriller-with-an-overdose-of-gratuitous-violence-2186656.html)
## Cast
- Swara Bhasker as ACP Radha Nautiyal[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/flesh)
- Akshay Oberoi as Taj[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/flesh)
- [Mahima Makwana](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahima-makwana) as Zoya Gupta[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9875006/fullcredits/)
- Vidya Malvade as Reba[9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-review-eros-now-swara-bhasker-6564653/)
- Yudhishtir Urs as Shekhar[9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-review-eros-now-swara-bhasker-6564653/)
- Natasa Stankovic, Kavin Dave, Uday Tikekar, Bijou Thaangjam, and Auroshikha Dey in supporting roles[6](https://erosnow.com/original/watch/1069270/flesh) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/flesh)
## Availability
The series streams on Eros Now, and in the United States it has been available through the Eros Now Select Apple TV channel; as of late 2026 no free streaming options were listed there.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/flesh) The show ran for one season of eight episodes and was not renewed.[16](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/flesh)
## References
1. [Flesh (2020) Hindi TV Series, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25286/hindi/flesh/)
2. [Flesh (TV Mini Series 2020), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9875006/)
3. [Flesh trailer: It is Swara Bhasker vs Akshay Oberoi in this crime drama, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-trailer-swara-bhasker-akshay-oberoi-eros-now-6550113/)
4. [Flesh Web Series Review: Solid thriller with an overdose of gratuitous violence, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/reviews/something/2020/Aug/21/flesh-web-series-review-solid-thriller-with-gratuitous-violence-to-a-fault-19892.html)
5. [Flesh (2020) streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/flesh)
6. [Watch Flesh Online, Eros Now](https://erosnow.com/original/watch/1069270/flesh)
7. [Flesh, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/web-series/flesh)
8. [Flesh Web Series review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/flesh/seriesreview/77661158.cms)
9. [Flesh review: A flinch-fest, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/flesh-review-eros-now-swara-bhasker-6564653/)
10. [Pooja Ladha Surti Talks About Scriptwriting And Upcoming Projects, Man's World India](https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/pooja-ladha-surti-talks-about-scriptwriting-and-upcoming-projects)
11. [Flesh full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9875006/fullcredits/)
12. [Swara Bhasker turns cop for crime-thriller Flesh, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/entertainment/ott/story/swara-bhasker-turns-cop-for-crime-thriller-flesh-1709969-2020-08-11)
13. [Flesh, Webisoda](https://webisoda.in/webseries/flesh/)
14. [Flesh Web Series Review, Mid-Day](https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/web-series/article/flesh-web-series-review-a-show-that-barely-has-anything-fresh-to-offer-22946305)
15. [Flesh review: Solid thriller with an overdose of gratuitous violence, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/review/2020/Aug/22/flesh-review-solid-thriller-with-an-overdose-of-gratuitous-violence-2186656.html)
16. [Flesh (2020), Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/flesh)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Indian and South Asian web series › Premiered 2003 to 2020*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license