So you wanna watch something…
Sherni: A fiercely upright forest officer battles patriarchy and bureaucratic apathy to capture a man-eating tigress on the prowl. Yes, this is the highly anticipated Vidya Balan flick that promises a return to excellent feminist form. Directed by Amit Masurkar of ‘Newton’ fame, the film is understated, nuanced and steeped in realism. The Hindu says: “Sherni doesn’t have the predictable high-on-adrenaline approach one might expect from such a premise, but it leaves you thinking long after. That’s a win.” Streaming on Amazon Prime right now.
Penguin Town: It’ll be a long time before we can go swimming, unless you’re stuck in Maldives like some fat cat Indians. The rest of us can enjoy the scenic beachside locale of this docu-series that follows a group of endangered African penguins that take over a town in South Africa during mating season. Think of it as 'Indian Matchmaking' for penguins. And as with any good reality series, this one has its characters: three sets of penguins: “A veteran couple dubbed ‘The Bougainviellas’, a pair of ‘Newlyweds’ dubbed ‘The Culverts’, and ‘Junior’, a young bird on his own for the first time.” Decider has more details. And no, this one is not narrated by David Attenborough, lol! Streaming on Netflix!
Triple Whammy: We are delighted to announce the release of splainer subscriber Urvashi Goverdhan’s debut film—and in the starring role, no less! 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 This is an English-language feature film that follows a woman who returns from a trek to find her husband missing. But is he really missing or just playing an elaborate prank? The trailer promises an absorbing thriller. So be sure to check out the film on Neestream!
Jagame Thandhiram: This Tamil film directed by Karthik Subbaraj and starring Dhanush tells the story of a gun-toting witty thug who goes to London to take down another gangster. The film also features James Cosmo of Game of Thrones fame playing a London-based mob-boss. Hindustan Times has more details. The trailer promises a fun ride with an ensemble cast! Drops on Netflix today!
Luca: This animated film follows a young boy Luca and his new friend Alberto—both outsiders—as they find their way in a new town in Liguria, Itali. It is a classic coming-of-age story but with a twist: the two kids are sea monsters that magically turn into human form on land—a secret that binds them even closer together. Vanity Fair reads the premise as a queer allegory, but the director has flatly denied it. So you will have to decide for yourself! Streaming on Hotstar.
A list of good reads
- The Quint has an important read on how Islamophobia and casteism go unchecked on new social media platforms like Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces.
- The Wire offers an eye-opening account on Praful Khoda Patel’s controversial record in Daman & Diu—which explains a lot of what’s going on in Lakshadweep.
- Brilliant Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the latest person to be attacked for allegedly transphobic remarks. Vox offers a wonderfully nuanced take on the controversy—and the longstanding debate over who is defined as a ‘woman’.
- Do you want to know all the wild things guests do at luxury hotels? Dmarge has a tell-all for you.
- The Guardian explains why the rush to ‘go electric’ isn’t such a good thing. Hint: think lithium.
- A diver recently made headlines when he was caught in a humpback whale’s mouth. National Geographic explains why this was an equally traumatic experience for the poor whale.
- Mint offers an eye-opening look at the conflict between protecting the endangered Great Indian Bustard and building more wind and solar projects.
- Nitish Pahwa in Slate explains why Silicon Valley is no longer in love with India.
- Justin Ling in Foreign Policy offers a thought-provoking pushback on the lab leak theory.
- Want to know what the country will be like if we ban Twitter? BuzzFeed News looks at the fallout in Nigeria.
- Wired lays out an intriguing case for a five-hour work day.
- Slate looks at the ‘queerbaiting’ allegations against pop sensation Billie Eilish.
