Screen Time: Women’s Empowerment to Bring in the New Year
A damsel in distress fights for her life, a single woman has a bold business idea, a persistent detective cracks a murder, couples across generations find love, and cops and gangsters take over Chennai. Start your New Year off with a bang!
Apurva (Hindi)
Disney Hotstar
Having watched and thoroughly enjoyed Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s gorefest Kill at the recent Toronto International Film Festival (to be released sometime this year), I was intrigued by Apurva—especially by the casting of glam gal Tara Sutaria (Student of the Year 2, Marjavaan) in the lead. Sutaria plays the newly engaged Apurva on her way to surprise her fiancé (Dhairya Karwa) who lives in another city. The bus she’s traveling in is hijacked by four ruthless killers (Rajpal Yadav, Abhishek Banerjee, Sumit Gulati, and Aaditya Gupta) and she’s taken hostage. She manages to escape but the goons are determined to hunt her down and teach her a lesson. The plot manages to move at a taut pace for most of the time. The film seems to have drawn inspiration from the 2015 thriller, NH10, about a young couple (Anushka Sharma and Neil Bhoopalam) terrorized by a group of violent criminals. That one was in a different league but Apurva packs a punch too in some sequences. It’s refreshing to watch young Sutaria in a role that challenges her, and Rajpal Yadav as the menacing Jugnu is a departure from his comedic roles.
Man Woman Man Woman (Hindi/English)
YouTube
This short film directed by Naseeruddin Shah is a perfect snow-day watch. A middle-aged man (Tarun Dhanrajgir) misses his deceased wife. He meets a woman (Ratna Pathak Shah) online and soon, they fall in love and start dating. Then there’s another younger couple (Vivaan Shah and Saba Azad) who are also dating. The older couple are desperate to get married while the younger couple don’t want to commit to each other yet. What follows is a twist that complicates matters for all four involved. Will it be a case of "all’s well that ends well"? This is a no-frills, tender tale about navigating relationships and finding love at any age or stage in life. Ratna Pathak Shah is delightful as usual, as is Naseer’s son Vivaan. Saba Azad, who was impressive in Rocket Boys (Sony LIV), has an arresting screen presence. And as the official plot line “Love conquers all” says, it will leave you feeling hopeful and a teeny bit more in love.
Kumari Srimathi (Telugu)
Amazon Prime Video
Srimathi (Nithya Menen), a 30-year-old woman in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh, has a modest job at a restaurant. After her father deserts the family, her mother (Gautami) and grandmother (Rameshwari), along with her siblings, start a small catering business. When her grandfather’s will reveals that the ancestral land is to be given to her uncle unless she can buy it for a hefty sum, Srimathi opens a bar to raise the money! She is accused of corrupting the culture of the village. Will Srimathi stand her ground or will she buckle under pressure? The talented Menen effortlessly flits between being vulnerable in high-octane dramatic moments to lightening the mood with her infectious charm. The banter between Gautami, Rameshwari, and Menen, as well as with her two suitors, is tons of fun. A tale of one woman’s fight against patriarchy but told with oodles of drama and humor, this one will keep you binging.
Mathagam (Tamil)
Disney + Hotstar
As police procedurals go, this one is right at the top of the list. The story revolves around a nononsense Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ashwath (Atharvaa), and a dreaded gangster, Padalam Sekhar (Manikandan). Sekhar is banding together the most notorious goons of the city for a birthday party for one of their kin. Ashwath knows this is the right time to strike and prepares for an ambush. Each episode of this thrilling series captures the unique quirkiness that each criminal mastermind at the birthday party possesses. One likes to dig up corpses to perform black magic, another transports illegal goods in ice box coffins, another is a full-grown man but dresses like a teen, and Sekhar himself has his own special brand of evil but is also hard to read. Then there are some standout characters like cyber crime specialist Niralya, who is a new mother and alternates between cracking secret phone calls and tending to her newborn. The tension that wraps up each episode is palpable and the makers do a good job of keeping the viewer hooked. Keep a lookout for the second season as this season leaves a lot hanging. We can’t wait!
Chhotolok (Bengali)
ZEE5
A young upcoming model, Rupsha (a fantastic Ushasi Ray), is found dead in her apartment. Because she’s had a sketchy past, the neighborhood gossip mill goes into overdrive, speculating over her mysterious death. Raja (Gaurav Chakrabarty), who’s looking to get out of his troubled marriage and has been having an affair with Rupsha, becomes the prime suspect. Enter Sabitri Mondol (Daminee Benny Basu), the senior inspector who takes charge of the case. As she determinedly unravels each scenario, a murkier tale emerges. There’s Raja's mother, Mohor, an influential politician played by the incomparable Indrani Halder, Loknath Dey as the driver Farooq who is struggling to maintain his moral code, and Mohor’s brother who has his own agenda. Thanks to the writing, the plot, and the pace hardly lag. The series also does service to the issues of caste and class upheavals in modern society. But watch it for the brilliant and lesser-known actress, Basu, who wears Mondol’s character like a second skin. Everything from her slight, unassuming frame to her deliberate, quirky manner is a treat to watch. Here’s to seeing more of her work in the future!
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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