‘Meet Rajkumari Budhwaar’: Netflix India shares the desi version of Wednesday Addams
Netflix series, Wednesday, is creating waves ever since its release on November 23, last year. From its gothic fashion aesthetic, now known as Wednesday-core, to the main lead Jenna Ortega’s viral choreography, the supernatural-comedy show has clocked in over one billion watch hours, making it one of the most-streamed shows on the platform. While we think of pigtails and bangs alongside monochrome clothing and no accessories whenever we think of Addams, essayed by Ortega, have you ever wondered what she might look like if she was an Indian?
Netflix India took to Instagram recently to share a digital artwork of Wednesday Addams in a desi avatar. “Meet Rajkumari Budhwaar. This #Wednesday artwork by @kuttyypie has made our entire day,” the caption read.
The artwork was created by a 25-year-old illustrator Arjun Kutty, who told indianexpress.com that he “instantly knew what would work best” when Netflix approached him with the idea of an Indian version of the famous character.
To make Addams look desi, “I changed her attire and added jewellery, and accessories resembling Indian culture. But still kept that dark gritty vibe”, Kutty said, adding that he wanted to give her a royal look and feel with this digital painting.
While some loved the artwork and compared it to Gangubai Kathiawadi and the cartoon character Indumati, others were left unimpressed.
A user commented on the post, “wednesdaybai kathiawadi”, another wrote: “she is giving dark indumati (from chota bheem) vibes.”
“It’s a NO!” said another user. A user said, “Thing could have gotten a bangle.”
Talking about the reception, the artist said, “I didn’t know I would receive so many responses to the artwork when I first created it. But as soon as it was published, I’ve been flooded with messages and comments from people telling me how they loved the artwork. There are more positive receptions than negative so that makes me happy. Grateful for everyone’s messages.”
