Zindaginama

Premise and production

The series presents six stand-alone stories with a common purpose: encouraging sensitivity toward peers and openness about mental health struggles, and addressing the stigma surrounding mental illness in India.⁷ It was created by Neerja Birla, with clinical advice from the MPower mental health care center, and the makers stated an intention to portray conditions positively rather than downbeat, busting myths about problems that are more common than generally realized.² The credit line reads "Applause Entertainment presents Zindaginama, An AntiMatter production, Conceptualised by Mpower."⁴

The anthology also emphasizes the role of caregivers and support systems for people going through difficult periods, and several episodes show timely diagnosis, therapy, and trusted companions as the route to managing a condition.^{1 • 2}

Episodes

Swagatam addresses schizophrenia. Written by Sukriti Tyagi, Ishaan Rai, and Rahul Hota, and directed by Tyagi, it stars Shreyas Talpade as Mukul, whose paranoia has cost him his job, and Anjali Patil as his wife Malti, who keeps the household running while attending to his hallucinations. The episode depicts the stigma around the illness from both sides, the patient's irrational fears and the fear of those around him, and is widely judged the strongest chapter.^{1 • 2}

One Plus One deals with anorexia and body image. Written by Malika Kumar and directed by Mitakshara Kumar, it stars Prajakta Koli, Yashaswini Dayama, and Lilette Dubey as a family confronting a late discovery of an eating disorder rooted in childhood remarks about weight; the director uses a pair of twins to dramatize constant comparison.¹

Purple Duniya, written by Sahaan Hattangadi and co-directed with Danny Mamik, covers gaming addiction. Tanmay Dhanania plays a man whose obsessive gaming overtakes eating, drinking, and communication with his sister, while Shruti Seth plays his therapist.^{1 • 2}

Bhanwar, written by Venkatesh A. V and directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, treats unresolved post-traumatic stress disorder. Shweta Basu Prasad plays Namrata, a woman terrified of sexual contact who traces her difficulties to childhood trauma, with Priya Bapat as Vaidehi, emotionally abused for failing to bear a son. The episode stresses timely medical attention and intensive counseling.^{1 • 2}

Caged, written and directed by Danny Mamik and Sahaan Hattangadi, focuses on gender dysphoria, the distress a person feels when their gender identity differs from the gender assigned to them. It plays out through a mentor-mentee relationship between Sumeet Vyas and Mohammad Samad, with transgender actor Ivanka Das in a supporting role.^{1 • 2}

The Daily Puppet Show, written by Malika Kumar and directed by Rakhee Sandilya, portrays obsessive-compulsive disorder through Shivani Raghuvanshi and Sayandeep Sengupta. It counters the common belief that OCD is only about cleanliness, showing instead a woman fighting intrusive negative thoughts that make her feel like a puppet.¹