Screen Time: Style Trumps Substance
High on theatrics but low on content, February was a month of undelivered promises. While two highly anticipated films fell short, two new shows proved to be more satisfying for viewers. Here’s a round-up of what worked well and what could have worked better.
Looop Lapeta (Hindi)
Netflix
That extra “o” in “loop” should’ve been my first clue. An official remake of the stunning 1998 German film Run Lola Run, the new movie seemed soo promising at first. But it soon ran out of steam. Savi (Taapsee Pannu) is on a mission—she has to procure 50 lakhs in 50 minutes to save her boyfriend, Satya (Tahir Raj Bhasin). In a drugged haze, he loses the money that was meant for his boss, Victor. The action unfolds as Savi, a former athlete, goes through three alternate scenarios to get the money. The film has some great performances, especially from Shreya Dhanwantry, who plays a runaway bride, and from Manik Papneja and Raghav Raj Kakker, who are Appu and Gappu, the bumbling brothers who want to rob their father (the brilliant Rajendra Chawla). A throbbing background score and the psychedelic color palette of the film make it watchable. It is also a coming-of-age story for Savi, which I appreciated. As she goes through the hoops, err, loops of her ordeal, Savi reevaluates her choices and makes new ones which result in the proverbial happy ending. The original was taut and thrilling. This version is a bit inflated in terms of length, so it ends up being a bit of a drag.
Gehraiyaan (Hindi)
Amazon Prime
Anyone who has seen Shakun Batra’s achingly poignant 2016 relationship drama, Kapoor & Sons, is in for a surprise. And not necessarily a good one. His newest hints at a tumultuous infidelity drama but turns out to be an aspirational noir. Alisha (Deepika Padukone), who carries the burden of a tragic personal incident, feels stuck in her relationship with Karan (Dhairya Karwa), a struggling writer. She falls for Zain (Siddhant Chaturvedi), who reciprocates her feelings. He in turn has issues of his own, one of them being his relationship with Alisha’s cousin, Tia (Ananya Pandey), who in turn has a secret. Talk about being in a loop! But this isn’t a Silsila or Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna with younger, glossier characters. It’s many things— from infidelity, it veers off into thriller mode before coming back to the theme of unresolved trauma and messy familial ties. Clearly, Batra tries to squeeze in too much. Look out for one scene between Alisha and her father (the consistently brilliant Naseeruddin Shah), which was a rare moment of authenticity in this convoluted film.
The Great Indian Murder (Hindi)
Hotstar
This show, with an award-winning director at the helm, has some of the best Indian film and television actors working today. The stars are Richa Chaddha, Ashutosh Rana, Raghubir Yadav and Shashank Arora, and the director is Tigmanshu Dhulia (Paan Singh Tomar). It is based on Vikas Swarup's 2008 novel, Six Suspects. After his breakout role as stockbroker Harshad Mehta in Hansal Mehta’s Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (SonyLIV), Pratik Gandhi shines in his role as CBI investigator Suraj Yadav, who, along with investigating officer Sudha Bhardwaj (Richa Chaddha), is trying to crack a high-profile and mysterious murder case. The series deals with multiple issues that plague the system—naked ambition, deep-rooted corruption and the nefarious connections between lawmakers and politicians. The nine episodes are a slow burn, and though it takes a bit to get into it, the series turns out to be quite gripping.
Unpaused: Naya Safar (Hindi)
Amazon Prime
If you prefer shorter and tighter narratives, the second installment of the Unpaused series is right up your alley. The five stories in the anthology focus on the effect of the pandemic on people belonging to diverse socio-economic classes. Consistent in theme and performances, two of the five episodes really stand out. “War” features Geetanjali Kulkarni who plays a widowed schoolteacher manning the phones in a triage center. Things turn tense when one of the callers turns out to be someone who has a connection to a tragic incident in her life. Her personal feelings threaten to override her sense of duty, and therein lies the conflict. “Vaikunth” is about Vikas (Nagraj Manjule, also the director), who works at the crematorium where the influx of the dead is relentless. The story is a searing portrayal of the brutality with which Covid-19 tore through the lives of the most underprivileged people in the community. In “The Couple,” the charming Shreya Dhanwantry and Priyanshu Painyuli have to deal with the perils of job loss and working from home. There’s a lot to love in this short and sweet series.
NOT TO BE MISSED
For all those who subscribe to it, SonyLiv is churning out some great content. Here are our top three films and series on this platform.
Rocket Boys (Hindi): This one’s for the science nerds. The series narrates the early years of the father of India's nuclear program, Homi Bhabha (Jim Sarbh), and the father of India's space program, Vikram Sarabhai (Ishwak Singh). The series takes us through their trials, struggles—personal and professional—and their friendship. There’s also the luminous Regina Cassandra. She plays the famed danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai who is romantically involved with Vikram.
Bhoothakaalam (Malayalam): This is horror with a twist. Asha (Revathy) and her son Vinu (Shane Nigam) clearly have a frayed relationship. She’s struggling to make ends meet and he’s going about his life aimlessly. Add to that the “strange” happenings in their home and you have a psychological thriller on your hands. Don’t watch it alone.
Karkhanishanchi Waari (Marathi): This black comedy is about the dysfunctional Karkhanis family who get together to scatter the ashes of the eldest brother of the family. He leaves an envelope for the family, which is to be opened only after the ashes are dispersed. Obviously, familial conflicts ensue often with hilarious results. Watch it with the family.
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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