So… we meet again.
Lots of great (and not so great) Indian shows and films have come out on streaming in recent months, and while I lament not being able to share my thoughts on many of those with you, I’m just glad to be back. With the recent release of “The Family Man” Season 2 and “Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar” on Amazon, I couldn’t help myself — and there’s many great shows and films to look forward to in the coming weeks, so be sure to check out the last section. Without much further ado, let’s dive in.
Out this week: “Jagame Thandiram” (starring Dhanush) on Netflix; and “Sherni” (starring Vidya Balan) on Amazon.
What I’ve Been Watching
Vastly Underrated: “Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar” (Amazon Prime)
This treat of a film, directed by Dibakar Bannerjee (“Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!” and “Love Sex Aur Dhoka”), released last year to little commercial success as the coronavirus was just catching hold in the U.S. But its arrival on Amazon Prime has reignited its run, finding new audiences and critical acclaim. The film follows the story of Sandeep (Parineeti Chopra) and Pinky (Arjun Kapoor), two strangers who get thrown together by reasons yet unknown as they flee an invisible enemy. I’ll say off the bat that this is a dark and intense movie, not for light viewing. (No spoilers here, don’t worry.)
Sandy, a bank employee, suddenly finds herself in the company of Pinky, a former Haryana police officer, when she thinks he’s escorting her to an important meeting. Instead, events occur that both are unprepared for, sparking a road trip/escape as they try to piece together who’s hunting them and why. They also come across an elderly couple (Raghubir Yadav and Neena Gupta) who help house them as they await further action.
The magic of this film is in its nuances and subtlety. The film speaks to themes of patriarchy, sexism and violence against women with fervor, even though not related to the story’s main conflict, and leaves a mark by challenging conventional Bollywood-eqsue tropes. For example, the names of the character themselves flip who one might assume Sandeep (male?) and Pinky (female?) to be — neither is true. Aunty and Uncle (Yadav and Gupta) also portray the typical gender roles of a previous generation that feel all too familiar, a pointed choice in the face of the lead characters. Even what someone (*ahem* Pinky *ahem*) might assume Sandy’s job to be is driven by sexism.
In the lead roles Kapoor and Chopra are paired for a third time, and their comfort and chemistry comes across immediately. It’s nice to see Kapoor extend himself this way, in serious — if, at times, hard to watch — characters. Chopra, too, has evolved. While her performance in “The Girl on the Train” earlier this year was skippable, this film proves her ability to portray a deeply complex, flawed and capable woman. She carries Sandy’s trauma with expert hand and without bleeding the emotion into melodrama.
I also want to give a special mention to Anil Mehta, the film’s cinematographer. Mehta’s work behind the lens may be familiar: he’s shot big-time films like “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,” “Lagaan,” “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna,” and even directed “Aaja Nachle.” In this film, the nuances brought by Banerjee’s direction (the pausing of dialogue in the opening sequences for example) are given life by Mehta’s lens, bringing forth an immensely gripping and intense angle to the film.
All in all, this film is definitely worth your time. Just be warned, it’s not quite your typical Bollywood fare — and that’s a good thing.
What I’ve Been Reading
Sarah Thankam Mathews traces the impact of a new wave of Dalit writers and publishers on the literary landscape in this piece from The Juggernaut.
[Memorable fact: Only 0.17% of titles out of India are by Dalit writes, even though Dalit-Bahujans comprise about 17% of the population.]Ankur Pathak traces the important and incredibly moving oral history of “Dil Chahta Hai” — a movie that proved pivotal for a new generation of audiences and filmmakers — in Fifty Two.
Karan Mahajan gives a thorough review of the brief, but hopeful, “glory days” of streaming in India that is now under threat in this essay in The New York Review. Come for the historical context, stay for the critical look at the impact of “Sacred Games” a few years ago as well as last year’s “Paatal Lok.”
Poulomi Das takes stock of how Vir Das has forged a new path for comedy in a profile for The Juggernaut.
[Favorite quote: “The more I perform in the West, and the audience keeps getting younger, I realize that people value authenticity in an artist more than anything,” Vir Das said.]
Coming Soon to a Couch Near You
June 25: “Ray” | Netflix | Starring: Manoj Bajpayee, Ali Fazal, Kay Kay Menon & Harshvardhan Kapoor
This anthology series is based on four short stories by the legendary Satyajit Ray, and I could not be more excited.
July 2: “Haseen Dillruba” | Netflix | Starring: Taapsee Pannu & Vikrant Massey
I’ll watch pretty much anything with Taapsee Pannu (“Pink”) in it, if only because you know you’re going to get a stellar performance and some sort of social justice lens in the story that no one else wants to touch. Add Vikrant Massey (“Mirzapur”) to the mix, and I’m even more sold on this film.
July 15: “Never Have I Ever” Season 2 | Netflix | Starring: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
The next season of this Mindy Kaling-created comedy drama was made during the pandemic, and may surely be worth a watch.
July 16: “Toofan” | Amazon | Starring: Farhan Akhtar
That’s all from me for this week — let me know what you’ve been watching, what you’ve missed, or anything you’d like me to recap! (And there will be a special Pride edition of the newsletter this month too, so keep your eye out for that!)