We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
Amar Singh Chamkila: Imtiaz Ali fans rejoice! This series is based on the life of Amar Singh Chamkila and his wife Amarjot Kaur—played by Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra—who were popular singers in 1980s rural Punjab. Together they would perform Punjabi folk songs which had sharp social commentary. The two were tragically shot by unknown people and the case remains a mystery.
Reviews are mixed. The Hindu says it isn’t a “particularly provocative” film about Chamkila. OTOH Indian Express concludes: “Through the music, and through Dosanjh’s lived-in act, we get a powerful, moving portrait of an artiste who lived and died by his beliefs.” Our take: We are still hung up on how good Imtiaz’s ‘Rockstar’ was and will be watching to see Diljit bring the Punjabi Rockstar to life. Bonus: AR Rahman’s brilliant film score. The film dropped on Netflix yesterday.
Maidaan: India is known for its cricket Gods. But what about the football champions of the yesteryears? This Ajay Devgn-starrer is a Chak de India-style sports biography focussing on the renowned footballer Syed Abdul Rahim—the coach of Indian Football Team from 1951 to 1962. He was the mastermind behind the team’s 4-2-4 play that led to winning two gold medals at the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games, and Team India reaching the semi-finals of the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Critics are divided on this movie as well. Indian Express writes: “‘Maidaan’ is not without its flaws, but this underdog story makes you want to clap and cheer, and wipe away a proud tear.” OTOH NDTV is much harsher and says: “‘Maidaan’ tells an overlong, peppered-with-fiction narrative that struggles to balance the real and essential with its unabashed goal of working the audience up into a frenzy. Our take: We love a good underdog story. Catch this one at your nearest theatres.
Aavesham: Malayalam cinema is having a moment so why not join the ride? ‘Aavesham' is helmed by Jithu Madhavan who recently directed the hit horror comedy ‘Romancham’. This is a typical high octave gangster story in Bangalore—explored through the eyes of three college students who join a gang to scare off their seniors. The front man of this gang is Ranga—played by the versatile actor Fahadh Faasil or FaFa as fans love to call him!
Reviews are in full praise of Faasil. Onmanorama writes: “The film is a whirlwind of chaos, but in the most enjoyable sense.” Film Companion says: “We get a loveable new gangster in Ranga and a gangster comedy made with some real style.” Our take: We think this over-the-top film is a fun watch. It released in the theatres yesterday.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan: This is an action thriller starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff as two elite soldiers of the Indian army. They’re out on a global mission to find a stolen weapon from an evil and revenge-seeking scientist, who is keen on destroying India. As usual there are a lot of truly mind-numbing action sequences and loads of CGI to make it palatable.
As expected, the reviews aren’t too impressed with the movie. OTT Play writes that the movie presents “an action overloaod with no plot in sight”. Mint straight up calls it a “bust”. Our take: TBH, we are a little bit bored of Indian Army-based action movies, but sometimes bad movies are the most entertaining. The movie is out in theatres.
Fallout: This is the TV-adaptation of the cult-classic video game series ‘Fallout’. The series is set two centuries after a nuclear war and follows three characters—a Vault Dweller, a soldier and a ghoul—who are all in Los Angeles dealing with the aftermath of this post apocalyptic world and navigating the cruel era of haves and have nots. Why we are so excited: The project is helmed by the makers of the famous HBO series ‘Westworld’.
The reviews heap a lot of praise. The Verge believes it to be a faithful adaptation and says it strikes a “pitch-perfect tone and its vibes are so postapocalyptically immaculate”. Our take: If you’re fans of shows like ‘Westworld’ and ‘Last of Us’, this one will naturally appeal to you. This series is now out on Prime Video.
Blood Free: Here’s a unique sci-fi recommendation. This Korean drama is set in the future where a biotechnology company BF Group provides artificially cultured meat as a replacement for all meat. But but but, this is not your simple vegetarian-non vegetarian debate. The company aims to free humans from the food chain hierarchy completely, making us the perfect beings. But unlike the title of the series, there is only blood involved in this ideal. The lead cast is brilliant with Han Hyo-joo (from ‘Moving’ and ‘Happiness’ fame) who plays the CEO BF Group and Ju Ji-hoon (from ‘Kingdom’) who plays her bodyguard.
Reviews are decent. Korea Herald writes that the series “is compelling and full of suspense, supported by meticulously controlled performances from some of Korea's veteran actors.” Decider says ‘stream it’ for the intriguing plot. Our take: We are quite intrigued by the plot and will definitely be putting this one on our watchlist. The episodes have started streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Baby Reindeer: This is an offbeat series on Netflix which follows a moderately successful standup comedian and bartender Donny. One night, he offers a drink on the house to a woman named Martha, during a moment of vulnerability. Soon, she starts stalking him and what follows is a multi-year story of the harassment, stalking and how Donny navigates Martha’s constant presence in his life.
All the reviews find it eerie but brilliant. The Guardian notes that it is a “tense, creepily filmed television that will stay with you for a long time” Our take: We really like the premise, and this promises to be a dark-psychological series—which we also enjoy. You can watch the series on Netflix.
