Screen Time: All About Families and Felonies
A weary cop is on the hunt for a killer, a father and son are caught in an unexpected ordeal, and a young recruit is navigating the brutal realities of a notorious prison. Also included in this month’s streaming lineup is a fierce protagonist who takes on the patriarchy, and a mother and daughter who learn to see each other’s individuality.
Pataal Lok 2 (Hindi)
Amazon Prime Video
At long last, after five years to be precise, Paatal Lok is back with a second season that is even more gripping than the first. A rare feat in this era of content overload. This season dives even deeper into crime, corruption, and power, with Jaideep Ahlawat once again owning the screen as the tough but weary cop, Hathiram Chaudhary.
The story kicks off with a shocking murder: a powerful political leader from Nagaland is brutally killed in Delhi right in the middle of a big business summit. Imran Ansari (Ishwak Singh), who in season 1 trained under Hathiram, has now become his boss and is in charge of the high-profile case. Meanwhile, Hathiram, still stuck at his old police station, is working on a narcotics case. Soon, both realize their cases are connected, leading them straight to Nagaland, where things get even messier. Their presence is met with distrust by the locals, including the SP Meghna Barua (played by Tillotama Shome). What follows is a lot of intrigue, bloodshed, and an unexpected twist that will leave you shaken.
As it was with the first season, the storytelling is sharp and the pace intense. The stunning, rugged environs of Nagaland add to the tension, which is uplifted greatly by the brilliant writing. Ahlawat predictably delivers another knockout performance, making Hathiram feel real, raw, and incredibly relatable. With its gritty realism, complex characters, and a plot that keeps you hooked, Paatal Lok Season 2 is the one to binge on.
The Mehta Boys (Hindi)
Amazon Prime Video
Boman Irani makes his directorial debut with this lovely father-son tale that steals your heart. Irani, one of India’s finest actors, displays his prowess both on and off screen with this little gem. The story follows a young Mumbai-based architect, Amay (Avinash Tiwary), who is trying to balance his career ambitions with his personal life. The sudden passing of his mother forces him to reconnect with his estranged father, Shiv (Boman Irani), a man he can barely relate to. But unusual circumstances—along with the no-nonsense presence of his fiery sister (Puja Sarup)—leave the two men stuck together for a few days before the father departs for the U.S. As father and son try to co-exist, simmering resentments and painful realizations come to the fore testing their bond. Irani embodies his role as the anguished father, performing with his body, his eyes, every bit of him churning out complex emotions with an ease that is his trademark. Tiwary is the perfect foil. Vulnerable and flawed, he matches Irani’s performance, beat for beat. He’s an actor to keep an eye on. Puja Sarup packs in a memorable performance as Tiwary’s sister, as does Shreya Chaudhry (Bandish Bandits) who plays Tiwary’s girlfriend, Zara.
At a time when Bollywood is often criticized for moving away from genuine, emotionally resonant storytelling, The Mehta Boys serves as a refreshing reminder of the beauty of simplicity.
Black Warrant (Hindi)
Netflix
Vikramaditya Motwane’s brilliance returns, as he navigates the dark, treacherous corridors of India’s most notorious prison—Tihar. Motwane teams up with Satyanshu Singh for this crime drama thriller based on a 2019 nonfiction book, Black Warrant: Confessions of a Tihar Jailer, by Sunil Gupta and journalist Sunetra Choudhury. The series chronicles Gupta's time as a jailer at Tihar, offering a firsthand account of the brutalities and complexities of the Indian prison system. The series includes figures from real-life criminal history, such as child killers Billa and Ranga and the Kashmiri militant Maqbool Bhat. The beating heart of the series is Sunil Kumar Gupta (Zahan Kapoor), a young law graduate who takes up the job of a jailer despite being advised against it. He doesn’t have the physicality and temperament for such a brutal place, he’s told. But with limited options and a family to support, Gupta dives headlong into the murky world of the Indian prison system. Kapoor’s portrayal of Sunil is a standout, capturing the complexity of a man trying to hold on to his humanity in an unforgiving environment. A definite must-watch this month.
Mrs. (Hindi)
ZEE5
Directed by Arati Kadav and starring Sanya Malhotra, this powerful drama explores the deeply ingrained patriarchy within a traditional Indian family. If you’ve watched the brilliant original Malayalam film, The Great Indian Kitchen (2021), you might be hesitant to watch the remake, but Malhotra and Kadav have made it a moving experience. The story centers on Richa (Sanya Malhotra), an educated dancer, who enters an arranged marriage with Diwakar (Nishant Dahiya), a doctor from a conservative family. Initially, Richa experiences the joy and bliss of a new marriage, but things soon take a turn for the worse when she is exposed to the staunch patriarchal values of her marital home. She is expected to do all the grunt work in the kitchen with no help whatsoever. She has to handle every household chore, while her husband and father-in-law expect to be waited on hand and foot. Diwakar dismisses her sexual needs, taunting and belittling her, treating her as though she is inferior. Richa is forbidden to work and pursue her passion as a dancer. Malhotra is remarkable as Richa, a spirited young woman who refuses to bow down and fights back.
Girls Will Be Girls (Hindi/English)
Amazon Prime Video
Directed and written by debutante Shuchi Talati, this poignant coming-ofage drama set in the serene yet complex environment of a boarding school in the Himalayan foothills has been a film festival darling this past year. The film bagged the World Cinema Dramatic (Audience) award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, while the lead actress, Preeti Panigrahi, won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for acting. Mira (Panigrahi), a high-achieving student, becomes the first female Head Prefect at her boarding school. While Mira celebrates this milestone, her relationship with her mother, Anila (Kani Kusruti), is strained. Anila is a doting but possessive mother who wants no distraction in her daughter’s academic progress. Distraction does arrive in the form of Srinivas, a teenager that Mira is attracted to and with whom she bonds over their love for astronomy.
An incident at school leads to a transformational moment where both Anila and Mira acknowledge each other's roles in their respective lives. It's an exploration of independence, intimacy, and self-realization.
Baisakhi Roy is a culture writer and journalist based in Ontario, Canada. Her work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Huffington Post Canada, Chatelaine, Broadview and CBC. Formerly a reporter with The Indian Express in India, Roy is an avid Bollywood fan and co-hosts the Hindi language podcast KhabardaarPodcast.com. Email: baisakhi.roy@gmail.com
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