A new web series that confronts marital rape in India has put the spotlight on the grim topic in a country that has stubbornly refused to criminalise it. Chiraiya - the Hindi word for small birds - aired on JioHotstar in March. It has already drawn an audience of millions, making it one of the network's most popular Hindi shows in months. Praised by media critics for confronting a subject that is largely seen as taboo, it has sparked conversations on social media about consent and misogyny. At the same time, some commentators have described it as anti-men and an attempt to undermine the sanctity of marriage. Divy Nidhi Sharma, the show's scriptwriter, says the series follows two women, Kamlesh and Pooja. Kamlesh, played by Divya Dutta, is a middle-aged homemaker who firmly believes women should be interested in cooking and housework. Pooja, played by Prasanna Bish, is educated, socially conscious and talks about gender equality and dignity. Their worlds collide when Pooja marries Arun – Kamlesh's brother-in-law that she reared as her own son. He is seen as the perfect match for Pooja, but her dreams of a happily ever after are shattered when he rapes her on their wedding night. When she confronts him, Arun tells her he has just taken what's mine. Why do you keep repeating that I raped you? he says, adding that marital rape is not a crime in India and there is no law to deal with it. Dutta says the show is about consent, specifically in a marriage, which is considered a very, very special bond. Marital rape is very difficult to talk about. Every woman who goes through it thinks it's just her story. She thinks if she speaks about it, there will be social stigma, the harmony of the house will be disrupted, she tells the BBC. Activists have filed a number of petitions in recent years in the Supreme Court calling for marital rape to be criminalised. But the government, religious groups and men's rights activists oppose any plans to amend the Colonial-era law, which exempts a man from having forced sex with his wife if she is not a minor. The intention behind making Chiraiya, says director Shashant Shah, was not to question the government or laws, we wanted to raise this question to the society - how do you look at it? We wanted to make people aware. While the show covers serious themes regarding marital relations, both men and women are portrayed as multilayered characters. As 'Chiraiya' continues to resonate with its viewers, it pushes the boundaries of traditional themes in Indian media, aiming for wider change in societal attitudes.