So you wanna watch something…

Dasvi: Abhishek Bachchan plays a disgraced chief minister sent to prison on corruption charges. Arrogant and complacent, he awaits his inevitable release—while his meek wife (Nimrat Kaur) warms the kursi. That’s until a new jail superintendent (Yami Gautam) takes charge—and their stormy relationship spurs him to finally take his Class 10 board exams. This is at heart a story about transformation—both of the man and his newly ambitious wife. The reviews aren’t exactly stellar. Firstpost calls it “thinly written” but “mildly entertaining.” But Scroll praises its solid cast—especially Kaur who is “a hoot”—and thinks it's worth a watch as long as you don’t take it too seriously. Streaming on Netflix.

The Lost City: This Sandra Bullock film is already a big box office success in the US—reviving the nostalgic charm of old 80s era adventure rom-coms like ‘Romancing the Stone’. Bullock plays a recently widowed romance novel writer—who can’t stand  Channing Tatum, the preening muscled hunk who adorns the covers of her books. But all that changes when an evil billionaire—played by Daniel Radcliffe, no less—kidnaps her, and Tatum rushes to the rescue. Mashable appreciates its predictable charm calling it “fine, fun, but frustratingly fumbling.” NPR is a lot more upbeat, calling it “silly, sexy, movie-star fun.” We’re totally sold and ready for the popcorn. Releases today in theatres.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: Directed by David Yate, the third instalment of Harry Potter’s prequel franchise dives into the wizarding world of the early 20th century. Mads Mikkelsen replaces Johnny Depp as arch-villain Gellert Grindelwald determined to rule all—resisted by Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). This is very familiar Rowling terrain. The Guardian calls it “another very amiable and lovely-looking fantasy adventure with some great production design and visual effects.” Variety says its convoluted plot—enmeshed in Potter lore—requires way too much work, and will please hardcore fans rather than the casual viewer. Releases in theatres today. 

All the Old Knives: This is for the lovers of spy thrillers—though without the flashy action of a Jason Bourne flick. Chris Pine plays a CIA agent investigating an old case—a deadly hijacking of a plane that occurred in Vienna eight years ago. It requires questioning his former lover and colleague Thandiwe Newton—who he meets for dinner. Much of the film is set in a restaurant with flashbacks to the past. Hollywood Reporter appreciates the finely constructed film that is “less interested in the conventional mechanics of the globe-hopping espionage thriller than the intimate psychological details” of the spy business. Variety says it has “a novelistic flavour in the best sense”—and praises the mesmerising performances of Newton and Pine. Drops today on Amazon Prime.

A list of good reads

• Vir Sanghvi’s column makes a thought-provoking argument that the spectacle of hijab and halal bans is not aimed at Muslims but Hindus. You may want to read it alongside this illuminating thread on Karnataka CM Bommai’s 12-month record in office.
• ‘Indian Matchmaking’ contestant Aparna Shewakramani has a new book out on her experience on the wildly popular and controversial show. Scroll has an excerpt.
• Also in Scroll: A wonderful tribute to the cauliflower—which went from exotic vegetable to an Indian staple, be it in gobi aloo or gobi manchurian.
• The Guardian profiles Panjabi MC—Britain’s original king of bhangra pop.
• Also in The Guardian: A very good piece on the lack of conversation around one of the biggest life decisions we’ll even make: Do we have a child or not?
• Reporters’ Collective did an eye-opening three-part series for Al Jazeera on the government’s relationship with the Reserve Bank of India—which tells us a lot about how both handled the politically difficult problem of inflation. Read: Part one, two and three.
• Science Alert has an interesting read on the ‘drunk monkey hypothesis’—or what their love for ripening fruit tells us about human love for alcohol.
• Mint Lounge looks at why so many Indians are not very happy—and why we rank so low on the global Happiness Index.
• Fast Company reports on what happens when you stop drinking caffeine for a month.
• Stephanie Cacioppo in Popular Science explains how she built the ‘Love Machine’—which uses brain chemistry to tell you who to pick as a partner.
• Scientific American looks at the growing controversy around NASA legend James Webb’s homophobia—and the pressure to rename the telescope named after him.
• Love true crime? New Yorker has a cracker of a story: How a famous serial killer expert unravelled when an anonymous collective of true-crime fans began investigating his own story.
• The Conversation explains how the culture you’re born into influences the person you become.
• The News Minute reports on how the BJP is using Shivaji statues to mobilise backward castes in Telangana. 
• Ajaz Ashraf in Mid-day pens a moving column on Umar Khalid’s time in jail—and the pain of those who wait for his release.