Screen Time: The Brave and the Beautiful
Courageous aircraft employees struggle to keep their cool; a rich little poor girl steps into the real world; two men upend the Bollywood game; a detective meets his nemesis; and a serial killer shows no remorse. Even when these shows fill you with terror, they will entertain you.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack (Hindi)
Netflix
For many, the dramatic 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 remains a traumatic memory. Five armed men took over the Delhi-bound aircraft after it took off from Kathmandu. After flying to Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai, the hijackers—members of the terrorist group Harkat-Ul Mujahidden— took the plane to Kandahar, Afghanistan, which was then under Taliban control. The timing couldn't have been more momentous. The world was looking forward to the new millennium with excitement. For the 190 passengers on board (a number of them were released in Dubai), it was the most horrific week of their lives. Director Anubhav Sinha (Bheed, Afwah) tells a gripping story of bravado with flair. Every episode ends with a cliffhanger, and despite the outcome being known, it keeps one glued to the screen. Sinha has a who’s who of Indian cinema playing versions of the real-life players—the crew on the aircraft, the politicians, and the negotiating team on the ground—with panache. Vijay Varma plays Captain Cool Sharan Dev, who keeps the hijackers engaged and distracted to protect lives. Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur bring their gravitas while Manoj Pahwa, an Intelligence Bureau official and the chief negotiator, is the scene stealer. Arvind Swamy, an external affairs ministry official, and the other cast members are top notch, ably bringing the series together to make it a must-watch.
Call Me Bae (Hindi/English)
Amazon Prime Video
We have our own version of Emily in Paris! This one is Bae in Bombay (for alliterative purposes), dressed in the chicest of brands and trying to turn her fortunes around after having her ultrarich lifestyle taken away from her. Inspired by some iconic characters of yore (Elle from Legally Blonde, Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham), South Delhi heiress Bella “Bae” Chowdhry, played by Ananya Panday, has been caught cheating on her husband with a hot gym instructor. She’s now a social pariah in her highfalutin circles, disowned even by her close family who want her to leave the country. Instead, Bae decides to go to Mumbai and try her luck. After she goes off on a drunken rant about popular news anchor and show host Satyajit (Vir Das), her viral clip catches the attention of investigative reporter Neel (Gurfateh Pirzada), who hires her as a reporter at his channel, where Satyajit also works. After stepping into the big, bad world of television journalism, she befriends Saira (Muskkaan Jaferi), a smart and resourceful woman who quickly becomes her confidante. Bae’s coming-of-age, riches-to-rags story is heartfelt, funny, and never tries too hard. Ananya Panday infuses Bae with genuine warmth and effortless chic. The best comfort viewing in a while, and I for one can’t wait for the next season.
Angry Young Men (Hindi)
Amazon Prime Video
Film fans, especially of Amitabh Bachchan’s “angry young man” era, will appreciate this engaging three-part docuseries about the personal and professional lives of the most successful writing duo in Hindi cinema—Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan. They gave us unforgettable dialogues in iconic films—like Sholay, Deewar, Don, and Zanjeer—and they were the first to demand that their names be mentioned on the film poster alongside the director, actors, and producer. The series features candid interviews with their children—Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Farhan Akhtar, and Zoya Akhtar—who reveal lesser-known facets about their fathers, painting a picture of the writers as not just icons but also as husbands, sons, and brothers. It’s a true nostalgia trip with precious vignettes about the struggles and challenges they faced when they first arrived in Mumbai, detailing how their personal battles and aspirations found expression in their scripts. The duo famously parted ways in 1982, and though they comment on the split, neither one is forthcoming about the details.
Shekhar Home (Hindi)
JioCinema
This six-part Indian series, inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved stories, is slow to take off, but once Shekhar Home (a play on 'Sherlock Holmes') gets into the thick of things, you really start to enjoy the shenanigans of the quirky Bengali detective and his sidekick, Dr. Jayvrat Sahni (a modern take on Watson). Home, played with a lazy flourish by the talented Kay Kay Menon, wears batik shirts, and he plays a musical instrument late at night while trying to decipher the murderous minds that haunt him. He and Sahni (Ranvir Sheorey) share a camaraderie that's a delight to watch.
Sector 36 (Hindi)
Netflix
If you wanted to reach out and hug Vikrant Massey’s character, Manoj Kumar Sharma, the impoverished villager who became an IPS officer in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s critical and popular hit from 2023, you’ll want to keep a continent between you and his character Prem in Sector 36. Directed by Aditya Nimbalkar and written by Bodhayan Roychaudhury, the film is a crime thriller loosely based on the 2006 Noida serial murders, also known as the Nithari killings. These horrifying events involved allegations of organ trafficking, cannibalism, and necrophilia, making the case highly sensational. Although the accused were initially sentenced to death, the Allahabad High Court acquitted them in 2023, citing lack of substantial evidence and criticizing the investigation. The film is set in Rajiv Colony, a large migrant slum in Delhi, from where children and young women are mysteriously disappearing. The police, including sub-inspector Ram Charan Pandey (Deepak Dobriyal), remain indifferent, given that the victims belong to the lowest economic strata of society. Until the monster lands up at Pandey’s door and preys on his daughter. Pandey is now on a mission to track Prem down and bring him to justice. It is tough to watch, but Dobriyal and Massey make the film relevant with their scintillating performances.
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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