So you wanna watch something...
Guilty Minds: This series is for lovers of courtroom dramas. Kashaf Quaze (Shriya Pilgaonkar) and Deepak Rana (Varun Mitra) play law school friends-turned-rival lawyers—with a will-they-won’t-they relationship—who navigate challenging cases, romantic rivals and cutthroat competition at the workplace. There are no reviews as yet, but The Telegraph has an interview with the two leads. Good legal flicks or series are rare in Bollywood. We hope this will be one of them. Drops on Amazon Prime today.
Jersey: This highly anticipated Shahid Kapoor movie is a remake of a National Award-winning Telugu film. It tells the story of a Ranji trophy cricketer who quits as his career is starting to soar—and tries to stage a comeback at the ripe old age of 36. It is as much about his struggles on the pitch as his relationship with his young son. We couldn’t find many reviews except for this one in Times of India which gives it 3.5 stars. But Shahid’s Bollywood peers seemed to love it. This one seems to be for lovers of cricket and emotional melodramas. Jersey releases today in theatres.
Heartstopper: The series is a coming-of-age romance based on a web-comic and graphic novel of the same name. It revolves around Charlie Spring who attends Truham Boys School with his best friends Tao and Isaac. Of course, there is young love as Charlie falls in love with rugby star Nick. Mashable called it a “truly sweet teen romance that will steal your heart”. The Guardian described it as “a flirtation punctuated by much classically British romcom awkwardness.” Available on Netflix from today.
Along for the Ride: Can’t get enough of young adult content? This movie is based on a popular Sarah Dessen novel—about two teenage insomniacs and their night-time adventures. Yeah, it has all the same themes of self-discovery and romance as ‘Heartstopper’—so you can take your pick between the two. There are no reviews yet. Available on Netflix today.
A list of good reads
- Malini Nair in Scroll looks at the history of temples in Kerala as venues for upper caste artists—and argues why they must become inclusive.
- Two interesting reads on Coachella: One, the problematic legacy of ‘boho chic’ in CNN. Two, NBC News on a mini-Frye Festival-like disaster.
- We missed including this one on Monday: The Telegraph has an interesting read on the use of surma—or kohl—to symbolise a Muslim terrorist in Bollywood movies.
- Inverse explains why it is a terrible mistake—and kinda gross—to wear your shoes indoors.
- BBC News looks at two new studies that reveal the widening gap in the life expectancy rates of the haves and have-nots in India.
- Also a good read in BBC News: Why women vote Narendra Modi and the BJP.
- We quite enjoyed this BuzzFeed profile of an Insta influencer who uses her handle to underline the vast difference between a ‘posed’ and ‘not posed’ photo.
- Fifty Two has a deep dive into a rare disease that has been claiming the lives of children in Uttar Pradesh
- The Guardian investigates the claim that cavities are contagious—and can be passed from one person to another—and finds it’s true.
- The Guardian also looks at the ultimate serial seducer Casanova. Was he just a sleazeball or tortured romantic?
- New York Times answers an important question: How long does menopause last and how does one know when it is over?
- Also in the New York Times: The rise of kangaroo smuggling into India.
- The New Yorker has a lovely profile of Collarwali—the Indian tiger mom who gave birth to 29 cubs.
- TravelDine pays tribute to Suhoor—the pre-dawn meal consumed during Ramzan.
- Slate looks at the always popular micro-exercise regimens—super-intense activity for tiny increments of time that promise to deliver amazing results.
- Scientific American has a long read on the surprising anatomy of Omicron—and why it is super-contagious.
