So you wanna watch something…
Haseen Dilruba: In this romantic thriller, Rani (Taapsee Pannu) finds herself under investigation as the prime suspect in the murder of her husband (Vikrant Massey). As the case unfolds, details of her new-but-toxic marriage and an extramarital affair are revealed. The trailer promises a romance-meets-thriller with what SheThePeople calls a kitschy “Hindi crime novel feel.” Drops on Netflix today!
Somos.: This six-part series recreates the lead up to a gruesome real-life massacre in the Mexican town of Allende—where hundreds were robbed, kidnapped, shot and then burned by the drug cartels. The Guardian thinks the series keeps it a little too real, but The Hollywood Reporter praises it as “understated” and “heartfelt.” ‘Somos’ isn’t exactly light viewing, but definitely worth your time. Streaming on Netflix.
Young Royals: How about a romcom with a queer royal twist? After a violent confrontation at a nightclub, Swedish Prince Wilhelm is sent off to the Hillerska boarding school—where he falls in love with (shock, horror!) a ‘commoner’. And will the royal family or the people ever accept a gay prince? Yeah, there are plenty of rich teenage problems in this series that Radio Times calls “predictable but heartfelt,” but sometimes all you want is an easygoing binge. Streaming on Netflix.
Cold Case: This Malayalam film is both a police procedural and a supernatural thriller. Two men—a police officer (Prithviraj) and a journalist (Aditi Balan)—investigate a macabre murder. The Hindu is less than impressed by the horror storyline, but the plot is certainly promising. Streaming on Amazon Prime.
A long list of good reads
- If you only read one thing: Make it this Atlantic essay titled ‘The Internet is Rotting’. (h/t founding member Ramanand Mundkur)
- The News Minute reports on Malayalee women using Clubhouse to talk about sex, sexuality and female pleasure.
- Oluwatayo Adewole in gal-dem dissects Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's viral essay 'It is Obscene', and argues why it carries a dangerous message for queer people.
- Haven’t watched the new Netflix series ‘Ray’ yet? Maybe you should check out Film Companion’s comparison between the short stories and their cinematic adaptation.
- National Geographic has an eye-opening read on fake animal rescue videos on YouTube—and the abuse they entail.
- Naps are good for you as long as you do them right. We got a lot out of this guide to the afternoon siesta from Forbes.
- What difference did British rule make to the trajectory of Indian history and development? Amartya Sen offers a brilliant and incisive answer in The Guardian.
- Jane Wu’s excellent essay in the New Yorker explores how the pandemic has strengthened some friendships while destroying others.
- The Telegraph’s spotlights the convention-defying choices of Trinamool MP Nusrat Jahan—who is boldly flaunting her out-of-wedlock pregnancy on Instagram.
- Reshmi R Dasgupta writes in The Economic Times pays tribute to the quiet and understated love between older Indian couples.
- Toronto Star explains why Instagram isn’t bad. It’s just boring!
- Vice looks at how public parks have offered spaces of solace to queer folks in India.
- Bloomberg News via Al Jazeera reports on Indians’ love affair with cryptocurrency.
- Quartz has a very good read on the many South Asian political stars in the UK—and explains why their presence isn’t a win for diversity.
- Caravan has a must-read on the history and ongoing destruction of ancient Buddhist sites in India.
- BBC News profiles Khurshedben Naoroji, the Parsi singer who sought to convert dacoits to the path of non-violence in the dangerous mountains of the North-West Frontier Province
- Vir Sanghvi has a fun column on how Mashobra has replaced Maldives as the destination of choice for richie-rich Indians.
- Inside Hook asks: What does Gen Z have against question marks, or punctuation in general?
- Bastion has an important story on land evictions and loss of village commons in Delhi’s ‘lal dora’ villages.
