# Human (2022 TV series)
**Human** (ह्यूमन) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language medical thriller streaming series about unethical human drug trials, created and directed by [Vipul Amrutlal Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/vipul-amrutlal-shah) and Mozez Singh for Disney+ Hotstar. Its ten episodes follow two female doctors in Bhopal who become entangled in a pharmaceutical trial with lethal side effects, and a migrant worker who sets out to bring down the medical system responsible.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | ह्यूमन[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/human) |
| Premiere | 14 January 2022, all ten episodes released on Disney+ Hotstar[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047) |
| Format | One season, 10 episodes, about 45 minutes each; Hindi with dubs in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and Bengali; adult (A) certificate[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/59978/human) |
| Setting | Bhopal, India; the fictional Manthan hospital and Vayu Pharmaceuticals[4](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/human-review-shefali-shah-kirti-kulhari-are-the-pounding-heart-and-pulsing-veins-of-the-series-4-stars-2707763/amp/1) • [5](https://ijels.com/detail/flouted-ethics-postcolonial-wounds-and-cyclical-trauma-a-study-of-human-2022/) |
| Lead cast | Shefali Shah as Dr. Gauri Nath, Kirti Kulhari as Dr. Saira Sabharwal, Vishal Jethwa as Mangu[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/human_2022) |
| Production | Sunshine Pictures; producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah; cinematography by Sirsha Ray[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047) |
| Audience rating | 7.5/10 on IMDb from about 11,000 users[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15128088) |
| Awards | Three nominations at the 2022 Filmfare OTT Awards, including Best Actress in a Drama Series (Shefali Shah) and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Vishal Jethwa)[8](https://images.moneycontrol.com/news_html_files/pdffiles/Jan2025/sunshine-pictures.pdf) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The series is set in the world of pharmaceutical drug testing and medical scams. Dr. Gauri Nath ([Shefali Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/shefali-shah)), one of India's top neurosurgeons, owns the Bhopal hospital Manthan; cardiac surgeon Dr. Saira Sabharwal ([Kirti Kulhari](https://www.edgepedia.org/kirti-kulhari)) joins her staff and holds her in the highest regard. A drug trial goes wrong, the new drug shows lethal side effects the two doctors were initially unaware of, and death and destruction follow. A young migrant worker, Mangu (Vishal Jethwa), whose kin have been victims of the trials, sets out to bring down the entire medical system, with politics, corruption, and greed at the root of the wrongdoing.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047) • [9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/human/seriesreview/88696831.cms)
The two lead characters are written as strong, complex women who, in the words of NDTV's review, want to rule like the Begums of Bhopal, the historic female rulers of the princely state where the story is set.[4](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/human-review-shefali-shah-kirti-kulhari-are-the-pounding-heart-and-pulsing-veins-of-the-series-4-stars-2707763/amp/1)
### Cast and characters
Shefali Shah, known for [Delhi Crime](https://www.edgepedia.org/delhi-crime), plays Dr. Gauri Nath; Kirti Kulhari, known for [Four More Shots Please!](https://www.edgepedia.org/four-more-shots-please), plays Dr. Saira Sabharwal. Shah said both roles were new territory for the actresses and "extremely unique."[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047) • [12](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2021/Feb/12/human-is-my-dream-project-vipul-shah-on-debut-web-series-22785.html) The supporting cast includes [Ram Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/ram-kapoor) as Pratap Munjal, Seema Biswas as Roma, Vishal Jethwa as Mangu, Indraneil Sengupta as Neil, Mohan Agashe as Mohan Vaidya, Atul Kumar, Aditya Srivastava, Shruti Bapna, Riddhi Kumar as Deepali, and Pranali Ghoghare as Meena.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/human_2022) • [14](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/human/cast/1031074746/)
## Origin and production
**From film idea to series.** Vipul Amrutlal Shah, a filmmaker and producer making his web debut with the show, has said the subject came to him after he read about human drug testing going wrong in Africa, with thousands of deaths and a subsequent ban on such testing there. He first wrote it as a film script, then decided a film would not do the subject justice and switched to the digital format.[10](https://www.outlookindia.com/art-entertainment/vipul-shah-ott-is-an-alternate-reality-which-we-can-t-ignore-interview-31745) [The Pioneer](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-pioneer) dated the origin to the African drug trial incident of 2007, which caught Shah's attention.[11](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/january/hyderabad-english-edition-2022-01-05.pdf)
Shah discussed the idea with Mozez Singh in 2019, and Singh put together and ran the writers' room that wrote the show through 2020. Shah described Human as his "dream project" and his return to the thriller space.[12](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2021/Feb/12/human-is-my-dream-project-vipul-shah-on-debut-web-series-22785.html) Singh also joined Shah as director. The team said it consulted NGOs, activists, and victims in [Madhya Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/madhya-pradesh) during development.[11](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/january/hyderabad-english-edition-2022-01-05.pdf)
Filming began in Mumbai on January 21 (2021), with a premiere then planned for the fall of 2021; the series ultimately released on 14 January 2022.[12](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2021/Feb/12/human-is-my-dream-project-vipul-shah-on-debut-web-series-22785.html) • [1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047) Writing credits go to Mozez Singh and Ishani Banerjee, with screenplay work also credited to Stuti Nair and Aasif Moyal.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047) • [13](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/web-series/human)
## Reception
**Critical response.** NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee gave the series four stars out of five, calling it a "deeply engrossing and thrilling medico-social series" and praising the "sharp, vibrant and layered performances" of Shah and Kulhari.[4](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/human-review-shefali-shah-kirti-kulhari-are-the-pounding-heart-and-pulsing-veins-of-the-series-4-stars-2707763/amp/1) The Times of India gave it 3.0 out of 5, calling it "an interesting series with a novel subject and unpredictable narrative."[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/human/seriesreview/88696831.cms) Gadgets360 rated it 3.5 out of 5.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047) On IMDb the series holds 7.5/10 from about 11,000 users, and a year after release its director Mozez Singh said it had been rated among the top 10 most popular series in India by IMDb.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15128088) • [15](https://www.peepingmoon.com/exclusive-news/news/68104/article.html)
**Awards.** At the 2022 Filmfare OTT Awards, Human received three nominations, including Best Actress in a Drama Series for Shefali Shah and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Vishal Jethwa.[8](https://images.moneycontrol.com/news_html_files/pdffiles/Jan2025/sunshine-pictures.pdf)
## Themes and commentary
In a scholarly analysis, the show is characterized as a fictionalized portrayal of the improper pharmaceutical testing carried out by Vayu Pharmaceuticals together with Manthan Hospitals, which took advantage of disadvantaged socio-economic groups still bearing wounds from the [Union Carbide](https://www.edgepedia.org/union-carbide) catastrophe that struck Bhopal in 1984; the study treats the series as an indictment of clinical research ethics, lax oversight, and colonial-era aftermaths.[5](https://ijels.com/detail/flouted-ethics-postcolonial-wounds-and-cyclical-trauma-a-study-of-human-2022/) A commentary in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, reviewing Human alongside the series Pill and [Kaala Paani](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaala-paani), argued that such dramas raise public awareness of clinical trial ethics but can dramatize complex regulatory frameworks in ways that misrepresent real-world practice, noting that Human neglects the safeguards of India's regulatory framework, including the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, the [Indian Council of Medical Research](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-council-of-medical-research) ethical guidelines, and Good Clinical Practice requirements.[16](https://ijme.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Reflections_45.pdf) Health-media coverage has credited the series with sparking discussion of informed consent, patient safety, and regulatory oversight in pharmaceutical research.[17](https://healthlive.in/films-and-ott-series-raising-health-awareness-from-mental-health-to-cancer-hiv-and-organ-donation/)
The series also drew relevance from its timing: it was released during the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Gadgets360 noted that the show acknowledges the pandemic, including a pharma boss complaining that trials for an unapproved COVID vaccine brought the company to its knees.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047) Singh said the show tapped into a collective consciousness during a global health crisis and also spoke realistically about the LGBTQ experience.[15](https://www.peepingmoon.com/exclusive-news/news/68104/article.html)
## Availability
The series streams on JioHotstar, by subscription or free with ads.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/human)
## References
1. [Human Web Series (2022), Gadgets360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/human-web-series-105047)
2. [Human (2022), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/human)
3. [Human, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/59978/human)
4. [Human Review: Shefali Shah-Kirti Kulhari Are The Pounding Heart And Pulsing Veins Of The Series, NDTV (Saibal Chatterjee, 14 January 2022)](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/human-review-shefali-shah-kirti-kulhari-are-the-pounding-heart-and-pulsing-veins-of-the-series-4-stars-2707763/amp/1)
5. [Flouted Ethics, Postcolonial Wounds, and Cyclical Trauma: A Study of Human (2022), IJELS (Debosmita Routh, 2025)](https://ijels.com/detail/flouted-ethics-postcolonial-wounds-and-cyclical-trauma-a-study-of-human-2022/)
6. [Human (2022), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/human_2022)
7. [Human (TV Series 2022– ), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15128088)
8. [Sunshine Pictures DRHP, Moneycontrol (January 2025)](https://images.moneycontrol.com/news_html_files/pdffiles/Jan2025/sunshine-pictures.pdf)
9. [Human Web Series Review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/human/seriesreview/88696831.cms)
10. [Vipul Shah: OTT Is An Alternate Reality Which We Can't Ignore, Outlook India](https://www.outlookindia.com/art-entertainment/vipul-shah-ott-is-an-alternate-reality-which-we-can-t-ignore-interview-31745)
11. [the pioneer](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/january/hyderabad-english-edition-2022-01-05.pdf)
12. [Human is my dream project: Vipul Shah on debut web series, Cinema Express (12 February 2021)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2021/Feb/12/human-is-my-dream-project-vipul-shah-on-debut-web-series-22785.html)
13. [Human (2022), Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/web-series/human)
14. [Human - Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/human/cast/1031074746/)
15. [PeepingMoon Exclusive: 'Human' director Mozez Singh (14 January 2023)](https://www.peepingmoon.com/exclusive-news/news/68104/article.html)
16. [Reflections on medical ethics: A review of three Hindi online streaming series, Indian Journal of Medical Ethics (Sharma & Seervi, 2025)](https://ijme.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Reflections_45.pdf)
17. [Films and OTT Series Raising Health Awareness, Health Live](https://healthlive.in/films-and-ott-series-raising-health-awareness-from-mental-health-to-cancer-hiv-and-organ-donation/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › South and Southeast Asian serials › Hindi serials and Indian Hindi-language dramas › Crime and thriller serials*
*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