Hi all! Welcome to another edition of Priya’s Kitty Party — I’m trying something new this year, expanding my reviews and experimenting with the way I share news, interviews and clips from around the industry. (I appreciate your patience and welcome any feedback!) So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Recently Released: “Jeet Ki Zid,” an action series starring Amit Sadh as an Indian Army officer, hit Zee5 this week. Also out is “The White Tiger” on Netflix (we’ll get to that in a bit!) And while South Asian streaming releases may be slow at the start of this year, let me know if I’ve missed something noteworthy recently! (And if it’s not Indian or not in Hindi, even better.)
What I’m Watching
Pick of the Week: “The White Tiger”
If you’ve read the book by Arvind Adiga, this film does not disappoint (and if you haven’t read it, be prepared to buckle in). Starring Adarsh Gaurav, Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, this film tells the story of a driver (Gourav) who puts his mental acumen to use in trying to uplift himself out of poverty.
Before we dive in, I must say - Bollywood has never been particularly good at portraying caste discrimination. With films like “Article 15” and “Serious Men” in recent years, the needle has gotten a lot closer. Still, Dalit and Bahujan voices, actors, writers and more are often overlooked. And in a society where performative wokeness has become the norm, how can industry titans not attempt to cash in?
But it’s good, then, that “The White Tiger” is not a Bollywood film. Produced by Ava DuVernay and PCJ, the film feels very ‘Slumdog’-esque in its foreign origins. What makes this film better, however, is not only the strength of the story but also the dark intensity that doesn’t aim to appease with foot-tapping tunes or a cliché love story.
Balram (Gourav) is the ultimate anti-hero: the shades of grey in his morality tie you to his mission almost instantly. The buildup of his scheming is apt, as he rises slowly, if questionably so, on the ladder to success. I also appreciated subtlety in his attention being drawn to those he relates to and never forgets, staring at a family on the side of the road, for example, as he drives by in his employer’s air-conditioned car. There is a point to each moment and glimpse, each slap and kick, each flashback and hallucination.
The story also flies high because of Gourav. He is an unfamiliar face, perhaps, but one that as he says in the film could “look like any man in India.” Instead, his acting speaks volumes, with his piercing gaze and crooked smirks adding the right tone to an already tight script.
Also notable is the performance of Rao — along with a semi-decent attempt at an American accent, the Bollywood veteran feels entirely at home as Ashok, a character both independent-minded and yet trapped in his family’s talons. Rao is an emphatic actor, able to switch emotions at an instant without overindulging in the melodrama of the moment. PCJ, too, is surprisingly subtle as Pinky, bringing a balanced and nuanced moral compass to an increasingly testy situation (if you ignore the accent). I must also note my surprise and admiration for Rao and Jonas as an on-screen couple — their chemistry and banter felt natural and gripping, and it also made me wonder if Rao shouldn’t also be dabbling in more Hollywood roles.
Overall, the film is a thrilling watch, and not to be missed. And while the comparisons to “Slumdog Millionaire” may be justified, it’s a lazy oversimplification (and one that is, in my opinion, very much made from the viewpoint of a white gaze). Indians have never been monolithic, and while ‘Slumdog’ was a groundbreaking film at the time, it has taken us a long time to outrun the toxic shadows of Jai Ho-driven stereotypes. I rest easy knowing there is no shame in the ‘Tiger’ — it doesn’t claim to portray India or Indians as a whole, and instead is a story of caste, class and wit merging to become a dark force against power and oppression. And Balram is not a stereotype of what white people think a poor person in India is like. Instead, the allegory of chickens in a coop that drives his actions is all too relatable — and the systemic disenfranchisement of lower castes and classes is not something that can continue to be ignored.
What I’m Reading
It is more than a little troubling to have seen the Hindu nationalist backlash in India against Amazon’s series “Tandav.” After BJP officials lodged complaints against the creators over political material they claimed was offensive, the director Ali Abbas Zafar issued an apology and agreed to cut several scenes.
Why it’s important: Unlike Bollywood, India’s streaming platforms have long been seen as a more free medium without censorship, and it has undoubtedly led to the creation of more realistic, political and women-led content. This is the first major challenge of streaming since a recent move that brought streaming content under the purview of India’s Broadcast Ministry, and there is no doubt that “Tandav” giving in to the pressure opens the door to more censorship of progressive content in India.
I loved reading this feature on Pakistan’s trans TikTok stars. It delves into the country’s progress in both media representation and legal rights for trans folks, as well as the backlash against the web series “Churails,” which featured a trans woman in its ensemble cast.
Favorite tidbit: “In a country where violence against trans women is commonplace, and TV and film focus on either hateful stereotypes or the dark plight of trans women, the joy of seeing women like Neha Malik and Paras Shah just being happy, carefree, ordinary young women is a breath of fresh air.”
And lastly, a bit of news: The story of Fauja Singh, the 108-year-old marathon runner, is being made into a biopic. Deadline reports that the project will be directed by Omung Kumar B (“Mary Kom,” “Sarabjit”) and the screenplay is being adapted from the book “Turbaned Tornado” by Khushwant Singh.
This week also marked what would’ve been Sushant Singh Rajput’s 35th birthday. I took some time scrolling through his Instagram feed this week, musing about his journey in Bollywood and again wondering if there could have been any signs of what was to come. His feed, full of poetry and musings about the solar system, was particularly striking as a huge departure from an industry full of people completely obsessed with their own images. After a lot noise surrounding his death, the ‘investigations’ have largely receded from the media’s eye, but the depth of his loss remains. [Here are a few of my SSR faves that you can stream now.]
Coming Soon to a Couch Near You
Jan. 29: “Metro Park” Season 2 | Eros Now | Starring: Ranvir Shorey, Purbi Joshi, Milind Soman
Jan 29: “The Legend of Hanuman” (Animated Series) | Hotstar
Jan. 29: “College Romance” Season 2 | SonyLIV
Feb. 12: “The Family Man” Season 2 | Amazon | Starring: Manoj Bajpayee
Feb. 19: “Pitta Kathalu” (Telugu) | Netflix | Starring: Shruti Haasan
“Four different women, four journeys of love and betrayal. The common thread? They all want to dismantle the patriarchy.” This film marks Netflix’s first original film in Telugu, a sign of the popularity of regional cinema and the streaming giant’s investment in the region.
Feb. 26: “The Girl on the Train” | Netflix | Starring: Parineeti Chopra
Parineeti Chopra stars in this Indian adaptation of the critically-acclaimed novel.
Thanks for reading! And as I continue to experiment with the format of this newsletter, please feel free to share any feedback or pass this along to others who may enjoy these reviews!