Churails (transl. Witches / Demons [female] / Banshees) is a 2020 ZEE5 exclusive and Zindagi Original Pakistani drama web series.^[1] It is written and directed by Asim Abbasi.^[2] The web series stars Sarwat Gilani, Mehar Bano, Nimra Bucha and Yasra Rizvi in lead roles.^[3] It is produced by Asim Abbasi along with Mo Azmi and Shailja Kejriwal.^[4] It revolves around Karachi's secret detectives whose mission is to expose the city's unfaithful, elite husbands.^[5] It became available for streaming on the OTT platform ZEE5 on 11 August 2020.^[6]

The series focuses on the lives of four women: Sara (Sarwat Gilani), a lawyer that gave up her career to be the "perfect wife", Jugnu (Yasra Rizvi), a wedding planner, Zubaida (Mehar Bano), a boxer seeking independence and love, and Batool (Nimra Bucha), an ex-convict who was sentenced to twenty years in prison for murder.^[7] Their lives become intertwined when Sara discovers her husband cheating on her, after which the four decide to set up an agency to catch cheating husbands in action. They run this agency covertly under the guise of a retail burka store called "Halal Designs", and call themselves Churails. When one of them goes missing, their investigation leads them to something much bigger than themselves, dominated by Karachi's most powerful.^[8]

Churails has received widespread critical acclaim. It has been hailed as a groundbreaking series that breaks stereotypes about Pakistanis and abandons oft-used tropes in Pakistani television. It has been lauded for its portrayal of three-dimensional women as well as for exploring social dynamics in a diverse city like Karachi, portraying women across social classes and backgrounds.^{[citation needed]}

Furthermore, it has been praised for its sensitive and nuanced depictions of LGBTQ characters, with gay men, lesbian women and transgender characters. Abbasi said, "Because we are showing such a diverse range of women, it was important to show the entire spectrum of sexuality. It would have been wrong if they were all straight because not all women in Pakistan are straight."^[17]

Shaheera Anwar at The Express Tribune gave the series 4.5/5 stars, writing "Without compromising on the storytelling, Churails is a feminist masterpiece."^[18]

Shubhra Gupta at The Indian Express wrote: "To watch free-spirited, cussing-out-loud, hockey-sticks and rifle-toting, burqa-clad women beating the bejesus out of violent, murderous men, is one of the high points of Churails".^[19]