It’s 1992 in a fictitious village in Maharashtra, but attitudes date back to about a century ago. Although the residents of Vesaicha Vadgaon worship the goddess Vesai, they carry out ungodly acts in her name.

Girls who attain puberty are immediately yanked out of school and married, often to men much older than them. The ones who rebel are publicly humiliated, their families ostracised.

Vesai is regarded as the fearsome protector of the village’s prosperity and honour. Why then does this goddess, in whose temple only virgin girls can pray, test her young devotees? That’s the question faced by Ahilya, her mother Lakshmi and her father Aaba (Siddhesh Dhuri).

The brightest student at her school, the teenaged Ahilya (Sajiri Joshi) wants to be a doctor. Since she’s betrothed to the barely educated but hugely ambitious aspiring politician Jaysing (Shivraj Waichal), Ahilya is expected to announce the start of her menstrual cycle, duck her head in modesty and submit to tradition.

But she doesn’t. Keen on studying further, Ahilya manages to fool Lakshmi (Kshitee Jog) for a while. The deception plays out for long enough to get a measure of the mother-daughter bond, which is also one of the most memorable aspects of the ZEE5 series Baai Tujhyapaayi.

The Marathi show has been adapted from Muthukumar’s acclaimed Tamil series Ayali, which is also available on ZEE5. While Baai Tujhyapaayi follows the reformist roadmap set out by Ayali, director Nipun Dharmadhikari and writers Nikhil Khaire and Mukta Bam successfully localise the material. A bunch of fine actors enacts sharply written scenes that cogently lay out the difference between blind faith and rational thought.

Adolescent marriage is the most extreme version of other restrictions on how women should behave, think and pray, the seven-episode series reveals. The Taliban-like menstrual police who closely monitor the girls are only a part of a larger culture of discrimination. The cult of the goddess provides refuge to the women but shackles them too – especially since the chains are held by the men.

Especially in the early episodes, Baai Tujhyapaayi carries its messaging lightly, while also integrating its crusade over the importance of educating girls with its portrayal of village life. The later episodes border on the fantastic, robbing the show of plausibility.

The intent is always noble, the examination of religious beliefs that are exploited for temporal agenda fearless at times. But more effective than the rousing speeches is the exploration of the relationships between people, and the ways in which superstition keeps women down.

One of the quietly odious Jaisingh’s sycophants is the school teacher Gopal (Anil More), whose interest in menstrual cycles borders on the indecent. Gopal’s barbs are contrasted by the advice of the progressive teacher Mangala (Vibhawari Deshpande), who supports Ahilya in her academic dreams.

But Ahilya’s real battle is at home. There are moving scenes between Ahilya and her parents – Lakshmi terrified of the consequences of Ahilya’s insurrection, Aaba deeply caring of his brilliant daughter. Ahilya’s progress affects Lakshmi too, reminding the mother of the sacrifices she has made.

Sajiri Joshi, who made a sparkling debut in Rohan Mapuskar’s charming coming-of-age film April May 99 earlier this year, is terrific as Ahilya. Even though Ahilya often speaks like a grown-up and comes off as far too wise to be a muddled teenager, Joshi brings palpable feeling to her performance.

Kishtee Jog is a wonderful tough love-exuding matriarch. Siddhesh Dhuri is very good too as someone who is frequently described as a “modern farmer”, but struggles to accept change in his own household.

Like some of the better Marathi shows, Baai Tujhyapaayi has enough powerfully written scenes and a convincing milieu to overcome the disappointment of its ending. Some of the best scenes have already taken place – Ahilya’s uncommon bravery, Lakshmi’s fearful empathy, the plight of Ahilya’s friend Saraswati (Gautami Kachi), the dependably creepy Gopal. Rama Nadgauda plays a temple priestess who embodies the goddess Vesai in all her glory and wiliness.

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