In a time where everyone seems more aware, more progressive, and more careful with their words, it is easy to believe that we have moved forward.
But have we really?
Shows like Maa Behen on Netflix arrive at an uncomfortable truth. Sometimes, the problem is not what people say out loud. It is what they quietly continue to believe.
On the surface, we live in a generation that calls out sexism, questions patriarchy, and advocates for equality. Social media bios are filled with the right language. Conversations sound more polished. Opinions feel more acceptable.
But scratch just a little deeper, and the cracks begin to show.
That is where satire becomes powerful.
Maa Behen does not try to lecture its audience. It exaggerates, mirrors, and exposes. It takes everyday conversations, familiar attitudes, and deeply normalised behaviours, and holds them up just enough for us to notice how absurd they actually are.
Because the truth is, many outdated beliefs have not disappeared. They have simply adapted.
They hide behind humour. Behind “it was just a joke.” Behind selective progressiveness. Behind the idea that saying the right things is the same as believing them.
This is why a show like Maa Behen still feels necessary.
It reminds us that growth is not performative. It cannot be reduced to language or optics. It has to exist in the uncomfortable spaces, too. In the jokes we let slide. In the conversations, we avoid challenging. In the biases we do not admit to ourselves.
Satire forces that confrontation.
It creates a space where we can laugh, but also feel slightly unsettled about why we are laughing in the first place. It makes us question whether we are part of the problem we think we have outgrown.
And perhaps that is its greatest strength.
Because change does not come from pretending we are better than we are. It comes from recognising where we still fall short.
In a generation that has learned how to present itself well, satire cuts through the performance.
It does not allow us to hide.
And maybe that is exactly why we still need it.
Anshi Agarwal
Anshi Agarwala is a South Asian biomedical science student based in Australia who is passionate about accessible education, dance, and celebrating diaspora voices. Her work reflects the lived experiences of young people navigating culture and ambition.
