UK and India-based production company Civic Studios presents “Just Like Her Mother,” a series that explores the women’s rights movement through an intergenerational story, in India’s Movie Bazaar co-production market. Venice Film Festival winner Ruchika Oberoi (“Island City”) is in talks to direct.
The series follows a daughter’s investigation into her mother’s disappearance, while examining the evolution of women’s rights in India from the 1970s to the present day.
Civic Studios a media company rooted in social impact storytelling, founded with the mission of creating content that drives change. The company’s slate includes projects from Gurinder Chadha and Pan Nalin.
“This is a story that we developed in-house from the seed of the women’s rights movement in India,” says producer Anushka Shah. “This is one of the reasons for starting Civic Studios – to tell the stories of social movements that offer cinematic coverage of what is needed for change.”
Co-writer Roohi Bhatia says the series explores “what it takes to embark on a journey of becoming and becoming” in a patriarchal world. “While getting up close and personal, we wanted the story to focus on the political thread,” he said.
“Inspired by our own experiences of family, love, and trauma, we are fascinated by how much has changed—and how much has stayed the same. The intergenerational bond between a mother and daughter becomes the perfect canvas to explore these complexities, including finding new rhythms to challenge unquestioned norms,” added Bhatia .
The creative team aims to secure production and financing partners at Film Bazaar to move the project to its next phase. With an expected development of 4-6 months followed by production, the series is looking at a 2026 release.
“Like all good stories, we want the characters and emotions of the story to stay with the audience after their experience of watching the series on screen. The beautiful relationship between mother and daughter that embedded in the story, both gripping and sensitive, showing the changing attitudes of women and gender across generations. We want the audience to take in the beauty of the story, but also the historical moments in the movement of Indian women portrayed in the characters and their journeys,” Shah said.
The Film Bazaar (Nov. 20-24) is part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFINov. 20-28) in Goa.