So you wanna watch something…
Call My Agent Bollywood: This is the Indian adaptation of a hit French series of the same name. The basic premise: Four quirky, sharp talent agents find themselves trying to stay afloat when the founder of their agency suddenly dies. The cast includes Rajat Kapoor, Soni Razdan, Aahana Kumra and Ayush Mehra in lead roles—and cameos from Farah Khan, Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal etc. playing themselves. We love the original so are a little anxious about what this reincarnation will be like. The upside: If it sucks, you can always check out the OG ‘Call My Agent’—which is an absolute must-watch. Releasing on Netflix today.
Army of Thieves: Loved Army of the Dead? Here’s the prequel to that zany Las Vegas bloodfest. It brings you the origin story of its key character Ludwig Dieter—and his transformation from small-town bank teller to a high-stakes criminal. The Hollywood Reporter appreciates the “pleasurably zippy pace to the storytelling” and its “sparky sense of fun.” Dropping on Netflix today.
Aafat-e-Ishq: This is another Bollywood remake as well—this time of the critically acclaimed Hungarian film Liza, the Fox Fairy. The plot: A naive young woman looks for love on a dating app—but all her trysts end in the death of her dates, and she is the prime suspect. There aren’t any reviews as yet, but here’s how director Indrajit Nattoji describes his movie: “Aafat-E-Ishq is my Indian heartland version of ‘Liza, the Fox-Fairy’. I can safely say that Aafat-E-Ishq is an adaptation and not a remake. A reboot with some new twists, eclectic original music and quirky small-town Indian characters.” Streaming on Zee5 today.
Maradona: Blessed Dream: This 10-part Argentinian series charts the life and career of legendary Argentine footballer Diego Armando Maradona—both on and off the field. So there’s plenty of sex, drug abuse and the inevitable self-destruction. There aren’t any reviews out as yet—but it will likely be a good watch for fans of the great man. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
A list of good reads
- Mint explains why streaming platforms like Netflix got Bollywood totally wrong.
- FiftyTwo offers a lovely long read on Indian theatres transition from film reels to digital projection—as seen through the eyes of some men who worked in and around the projection booths.
- Curious about Afrobeats? Quartz offers an excellent guide, including a playlist.
- The flood of Facebook stories continues unabated—and feels a bit overwhelming. A must-read among them: Washington Post on how the decision to prioritise emojis over ‘Likes’ opened the floodgates to hate.
- If all that Facebook coverage has convinced you to purge all things owned by Mark Zuckerberg, Popular Science tells you how to get rid of Facebook, Insta and WhatsApp—and take your data with you.
- Shriniwas Rao’s Twitter thread offers an excellent breakdown of the economics of owning an IPL franchise.
- The Guardian offers a fascinating piece on people who have unusual or entirely non-existent inner voices.
- Well+Good offers a very useful report on three most common sex-related injuries, and how to avoid them.
- New York Times via Indian Express profiles the first Chinese woman in space Colonel Wang Yaping—and the culture of Chinese sexism she still has to navigate.
- Fast Company offers a practical (and fun) guide on how to get out of a rut. We’re a big fan of any how-to essay that includes lines like: “Do a little dancey dance.”
- Saurabh Sharma in Al Jazeera Journalism Review writes a fascinating account of his attempt to report on ‘quacks’—who Indian villagers rely on for medical treatment and advice. Read this as a story on Indian healthcare, or lack thereof.
- Even if you haven’t been able to catch ‘Dune’ the movie, we highly recommend you read Ali Karjoo-Ravary’s detailed analysis in Slate of its ‘white saviour’ complex. He engages equally with Frank Herbert, the novel and its cinematic adaptation.
- Getting ready to hop on a plane? Quartz wants you to know that Indian airports are far from ready for pre-pandemic levels of travel.
