So you want to watch something…
Disney’s Launchpad: This is a collection of 6 live-action shorts made by young filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds. The theme is ‘Discover’. The unique stories and characters include a Mexican-American teen who is half human/half vampire, a Pakistani immigrant who wants to make Eid a school holiday and a seven-year-old Chinese boy who loves ballet. Check out short descriptions and interviews with the directors over at /Film. Streaming on Disney+Hotstar!
Maharani: This political thriller set in Bihar stars Huma Qureshi as a woman who becomes a reluctant Chief Minister when her husband is shot. The other big star in the film appears to be the state itself, with the trailer opening with the wonderfully cheesy line: “Bihar is not a state, it is a state of mind.” Let’s hope it won’t replicate the over-the-top drama of ‘Madam Chief Minister’. Giving us hope: The supporting cast, which includes Sohum Shah (‘Tumbaad’, ‘The Big Bull’) and Amit Sial (‘Inside Edge’). Catch it on SonyLiv!
Dog Gone Trouble: This animated film doesn’t offer anything brand new, but we all need some adorable in our lives! The plot follows a doggie named Trouble whose uber rich owner dies. Soon a selfish niece and nephew show up to claim the inheritance. Trouble runs away, learns to live on the streets while dodging the tracker hot on his heels. Yeah, it’s exactly that kind of movie. Available on Netflix!
Panic: Based on Lauren Oliver’s novel, this is a thriller series that follows two teenage girls as they compete in a series of challenges. These are part of a dangerous game where high school seniors compete for a jackpot prize that could be their ticket out of the dead-end town called Carp. The catch: They have to face their greatest fears and make it out alive. Hmm, this could be great or just a crappy rehash of ‘Hunger Games’. Out on Amazon Prime.
A list of good reads
- If you read just one thing, make it Salman Rushdie’s New York Times essay titled ‘Ask Yourself Which Books You Truly Love’.
- New York Times offers a moving tribute to the 68 children killed during the course of the recent Israel-Palestine war.
- The Hazara community is a persecuted minority in Pakistan. Al Jazeera has a lovely piece on how football offers hope for its young women.
- The Guardian rounds up the favourite Bob Dylan song of Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Tom Jones, Judy Collins and more.
- Did you know putting hot sauce in your coffee is a thing? Chef Emily Laurence in Well+Good tells you the right way to do it… if you’re feeling that brave:)
- The Cut has 50 questions for couples to get to know one another.
- BBC News takes a deep dive—with photos—into the world of ‘virtual photographers’ who capture compelling images within video games.
- Amit Varma has an excellent solo (no guest) podcast episode on why our political discourse is poisoned—and you can read the transcript as well. No, this one isn’t three-odd hours long lol!
- FiftyTwo has an excellent read on the Pakistani women’s love affair with the sari.
- Meghna Rao in RestOfWorld pens a very relatable piece about the explosion of misinformation on her family WhatsApp group.
- Shrabonti Bagchi in Mint Lounge writes a thought-provoking must-read on the frantic calls for breast milk during the second wave. Is breast always best?
