The Power of the Dog- Ruthless, Raw and Introspective

 

The Power of the Dog is a film that delves deep in to perception vs reality- how people seem to be and how they really may be. Phil and George are two brothers and ranch owners in Montana. Set in 1925, this is an age when women driving a car is scoffed at and a man who is seemingly fragile may be termed effeminate or a faggot. Boorish and imposing, there’s Phil played by Benedict Cumberbatch, a man of the soil, who wears his grubby appearance with pride and doesn’t mince his words, often sharp tongued and hardhearted. His brother does not seem to share his devotion for their mentor Bronco Henry and is starkly contrasted in personality to his brother with his genteel and mild mannerisms. So when George marries the widow Rose who also brings in her docile son Peter to the ranch, he invokes Phil’s ire who is quick to show his displeasure and disapproval of the match. This sets the stage for a game of intimidation, where Rose slowly and surely slips into alcoholism to cope with the constant subjugation and bullying of Phil. Peter who Phil looks down upon for his delicate ways and his subsequent intrusion in to his life, is equally curious as he is wary of Phil. Peter earns Phil’s respect as he shares Bronco Henry’s eye for seeing beyond the obvious. This breaking of perceived barriers is what the film rides on as it unravels what lies beneath a human’s being obvious exterior. Jane Campion explores a compelling plot, inviting the viewer to engage in breaking stereotypes, peeling the layers off each character, scene by scene till they are laid bare. 

The Power of the Dog may take us back by a century but the thought-provoking narrative is as relevant today as it was then. I rate this film **** stars. Like a weary horse, it may trudge slowly but is a rewarding journey for those who stay with it till the end. It leaves you with a lingering sense of human fallacy and duplicity. 

The Power of the Dog is now showing on Netflix.

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui- Welcome to a ‘new normal’ love story

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui as the name suggests is a love story, albeit an unconventional one, if you have watched the trailer. So first things first- what’s it about. Well, boy meets girl. Boy falls for girl only to realise that girl was a boy before she turned in to a girl. Going by its unusual theme, this film could have gone downhill easily, but because it is led by the Champion Crusader of all Unconventional Love Stories, Ayushmann Khurrana, the film succeeds in engaging as well as entertaining viewers right from Scene 1. The love story is rather convincing thanks to the chemistry between Ayushmann and Vaani Kapoor. The latter seems to be having fun with perhaps her boldest role till date. 

The message of the film seems to suggest that love can conquer all barriers and does so without being dangerously preachy thanks to its regular dose of humour courtesy the supporting cast especially Ayushmann’s two friends and his family. As a basic concept, the love story of a trans girl could have got limited to being a very niche film, to be enjoyed by an evolved audience but director Abhishek Kapoor manages to push the right buttons to make this film as commercial as possible with its peppy songs, pacy editing and blunt dialogues. The film is ultimately peppered with common issues in people’s lives like family feuds, barriers of religion, the struggle to prove oneself, physical imperfections, social impositions, closed or conservative mindsets and so on. While one may wonder if Chandigarh is a convincing backdrop for a theme so foreign even in cosmopolitan metro cities of India, the film’s biggest weakness is perhaps that it tries to make an ambitious statement on non-conformity. To base a film like this in an atypical setting like Chandigarh, to have a  family of Jatts come to grips with the ‘new normal’ love story of a trans girl and a boy, to squeeze in a Hindu-Muslim love angle in the mix and the grand finale where the hero of the film must triumph amidst all odds is all a bit filmy to say the least, taking away from the otherwise credible premise of the main love story. Yet, in post-Covid times, a film like this with its heart in the right place gets my vote for what it is worth.

I would go with *** stars for Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, definitely recommended for the lead pair’s performances and for the director’s conviction to make a film like this with such unabashed pride, no pun intended.

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui is now streaming on Netflix.com.

Kara Para Ask- Turkish delight

My knowledge of Turkish cinema and television series was next to zilch when I stumbled upon Black Money Love or Kara Para Ask. My little idea of Turkish life was restricted to my reading of Orhan Pamuk’s The Museum of Innocence and that literally was my window to a different world, a modern and affluent Istanbul. What I still remember about this book, is the sheer passion of its love story that makes it palpable, moving to a point that it becomes eternal. That same intensity is found in Kara Para Ask that starts off as an unlikely match between Ömer Demir, a cop investigating his fiancé’s death and Elif seeking answers to her father’s murder, when both victims are found shot dead together in a car. The story at a lengthy 164 episode count takes its time unravelling its convoluted plot, which often seems incredible but always riveting. The television series beats your average daily soap owing to a fantastic lead pair- Tuba Büyüküstün and Engin Akyürek live and breathe in to their characters, propelled by the force of an equally powerful supporting cast. This is not your typical whodunnit story, we already have recognised the main antagonist in the early few episodes. Everything else is however, overshadowed by the weight of the turbulent love story, which takes on epic proportions drawing from class conflicts, individual perceptions, the European lifestyle vs traditional ties, family feuds, widespread corruption, devious crimes, endless deceit and selfish motives. We get expansive shots of the historically renowned and yet defiantly urban Istanbul rendering a backdrop that is vibrant, with the Bosphorus sea an imposing and omnipresent witness to the city’s progressions and digressions. Director Ahmet Katıksız is nothing short of a fine craftsman, painting a trajectory for the characters that see them becoming varied shades of grey and sometimes slipping away to the darkest realms of black. Even elegant Rome gets sufficient screen time, not limited to its typical architectural marvels but living through its terraced restaurants, modern living spaces and cobbled walkways. 

The novelistic narrative engages the viewer just like you can’t wait to read the next chapter of a suspense thriller, making you binge episodes by the dozen without feeling exhausted. You will have to invest some time in picking through the complex themes the story ultimately weaves in, exploring human nature, the hand of destiny and the machinations of a wilful socio-economic system that manipulates the wronged. I haplessly beheld the absolutely electrifying and convincing portrayal of Elif and Omer as they struggled through the plot, not only are they beautiful as a pair but rarely is there a moment when they fail to convey their love and anguish, if not through words then through their eyes. 

Even if soapy in parts, I would any day buy in to a story that enmeshes so much drama without missing the plot. It is worth the watch because of man’s universal need to see the triumph of good over evil and love over war. 

I rate Kara Para Ask **** stars, this is one of the best love stories I have seen in years!

Kara Para Ask is now streaming on Netflix.com.

The Khan who played Saif!

The decade of the 1990s was the exclusive domain of the three Khans- namely Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir Khan. It was never going to be an even turf therefore for the latest entrant in the ‘Khan’daan – newcomer Saif Ali Khan. When he debuted with his film Parampara in 1993, incidentally with one of  the three superstars with the Midas Touch Aamir Khan, he looked least perturbed by the fact that he could be royally (no pun intended) overshadowed by the bigger superstar in the early days of his career. This was not just a one-time decision he made as evident by the spate of ensemble or double-hero film he went on to take up throughout his career. 

Parampara could hardly be recognised to have helped him gain a footing as a credible actor. His following films though like Yeh Dillagi and Main Khiladi Tu Anari with action and stunt star Akshay Kumar, both incidentally in 1994 definitely got him in the reckoning as a saleable star who complements other male leads instead of threatening them. This compatability is probably the reason for Saif’s continued success in later films like Dil Chahta Hai, Hum Saath Saath Hai, Kal Ho Na Ho and Omkara. Here was an actor who instead of getting overridden by the more flamboyant and popular superstars was actually able to add a dash of comedy and healthy on-screen camaraderie to make a film more wholesome and edgy.  

This is not to say that Saif has been a failure when it comes to his solo-lead roles. Hum Tum and Salaam Namaste are films to his credit where he was seen romancing the top female actors of the millennium without missing a note. The turn of the century is perhaps when Saif was tested the most as newer actors like Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan and even Shahid Kapoor were entering the fray or establishing their own fan base. Not forgetting the overpowering impact of the three Khan Supremos and the other strong actors who were steadily delivering some hits like Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty, the playground was both crowded and competitive. Perhaps sensing that the romantic genre will not hold him in good stead for long, Saif changed tactic and jumped into the action-thriller genre with the zippy, zany Race franchise. So well-received was his portrayal of the character of Ranvir Singh, that both films in which he played this role went on to become blockbusters. Even if one were to argue that all the credit for the success of these films cannot be given to him alone considering Akshaye Khanna and John Abraham alongwith Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone and Jacqueline Fernandes were part of them, the fact that he was the only main character retained for both speaks for itself.

The argument remains though that this is not an actor who seems to take himself too seriously. In Cocktail and Love Aaj Kal he lets the female leads of his films take centrestage, almost letting them enjoy screen presence as much as he does in these films. The female actors of these films shine on, not deterred or relegated to secondary status as is usual. Perhaps it is such nonchalance that allows an actor to embrace three significantly lesser known actors and lets them take the film forward as he does in Go Goa Gone in 2013. Again, he managed to surprise his audience with a film in which he does more when he does less. He is part of a motley gang in this film, adding star value but happy to let the ‘boys’ glisten the screen. Go Goa Gone is not known as a Saif Ali Khan film therefore for obvious reasons. It works as a sum of its parts, not trampled by the handiwork of one senior star as is wont to happen in Bollywood. However, despite the success of this film, the next five years saw Saif’s filmography take a turn for the worse with duds that he would hardly be pleased of today. Almost when he was being written off as Kareena Kapoor’s lesser known husband, he bounced back this time on a new platform superstars were shying away from known as OTT. Sacred Games arrived as a thunderstorm for a Hindi-film audience used to the staple heropanti of its superstars. Here was a hero who seemed vulnerable, bland and failing…the man who is a reluctant confidante to the antagonist and the reason why he is suddenly important to the story. Saif as Inspector Sartaj Singh is mellow, seething and yet alert to what could be the biggest crime operation he will ever be a part of. He is not the dashing, boorish and ass-kicking cop Bollywood dishes out ever so often and makes us hoot for joy. This is a complex character who is ably led towards a nail-biting finish thanks to other colourful and thrilling characters who make us root for him in this cat-and-mouse chase. 

So he is a fine actor who comes good in meaningful roles in a small budget. If that’s the inference you have made till now, think again. Picture this: It is the tail end of 2018. Aamir Khan delivers a disappointment called Thugs of Hindostan. So does Shahrukh Khan with the fatal and clairvoyantly titled Zero. The third Khan of the Holy Trinity, Salman goes a step further, milking run-of-the-mill franchises for the third time in Race 3, following it up with the equally unpalatable Dabangg 3. The Khandom suddenly suffers a massive fall and there is no one left to pick up the pieces. Enter the man who no one expects to score a hit with Tanhaji in 2020. The film goes on to become the highest grossing box office hit with Ajay Devgan in the titular role and Saif Ali Khan licking his chops as the detestable Udaybhan Singh Rathod. 

Not one to stop at the clearly well-earned OTT success, Saif chose Tandav as his second go with the medium that gave him a second life as an actor. This role was miles away from his Sartaj act, as Samar Pratap Singh is no scapegoat. He is a kingmaker, discreetly calculating his every move and taking consistently cruel decisions while looking cool and calm outside. Just when you thought he is ready to rule as the serious actor who demands to be taken seriously, he belts out Bhoot Police last year and Bunty aur Babli this year, proving that this man is a bag full of surprises as far as his roles go. His career graph may be speckled with knots and crosses galore and he may not be synonymous with the star value that the other Khans bring to the table, but his confidence in staging an unforgettable act that keeps him in the reckoning is now well-known. Makes you wonder if this isn’t the way it should be for every actor. Instead of trying to constantly be in the eye of the audience, why are most of our superstars afraid to experiment, break out and try the road less travelled? What a smorgasbord of films we could have if only they did!

The Auscillating Indian: Suited, booted but also well-rooted

Where do you feel the safest? Most people would reply ‘home’.  Indians have spread their wings across the world so home has different connotations for us migrants. When you settle down in a new country, does it mean the one you left behind ceases to be your home? If your new country does not give you a sense of belonging, do you keep feeling like an outsider and fail to relate to those around you? Going by sheer numbers, Indians sure don’t seem to face this problem. What is heartening is in spite of our strong traditional and ethnic roots and background, we have successfully and increasingly merged into the atmosphere of the country we have adopted after migration. Not only are we able to survive but in fact we often thrive in a foreign environment- based on our education, entrepreneurial spirit, a sense of community and the sensibility to blend in with the existing culture of the country we check in to. 

As per an article by The Economic Times dated January this year, at 18 million Indians, we ace any other nation as a diaspora population settled abroad (reported by the United Nations). Since my blog post specifically talks about migration to Australia, let’s take a closer look at the stats on the Indian diaspora Down Under. Journalist Aarti Betigeri in The Interpreter in an article in May this year pointed out how Indians are becoming a community that is hard to miss and harder to ignore in the island country today. Not only are we the second largest migrant population here but also the second-largest tax-paying citizens after British migrants. She goes on to enunciate the significance of this number by predicting that the Indian migrant tally that is 7,00,000 in strength in current times is set to outdo the number of Chinese-born Australians over the next decade. 

Such is the impact of Indians in Astraya, that the Indian input in bolstering this country’s economy has far-reaching effects- whether it is through the education route that international students take to reach here, through established trade and emerging business enterprises or through the taxes that skilled immigrants to the country bring by virtue of their highly educated backgrounds and jobs. Ironically though, your Indian qualification and job experience may limit you to getting through with a visa without the guarantee of a job in the same field you were assessed for in the first place, once you get here! 

“Indian restaurants are in every suburb I go,” observed my Filipino colleague one day at work and that is true of most cities in the country including regions beyond the urban hemisphere. Every Australian has at least heard of if not experienced Indian culture through its food, films (largely Bollywood) or yoga. Every Australian at some point of time has lived in a region here where he is likely to have encountered an Indian in a grocery store, his neighbourhood, his workplace or in the school/university campus. In my first workplace in Canberra, we were a total of eight Indians not counting the casual employees on any given day. “I am baffled by the fact that each of you speaks a different language just because you are from a different state in India and yet you seem to communicate so well in a common language like Hindi or English without those cultural differences coming in the way,” remarked a British colleague born in Australia. While some curiosity about the uniqueness of India is ubiquitous, so is a generally accepted notion that most Indians have very solid educational standards and are easily capable of climbing up the ladder professionally in any given workplace once they make their way in. Now that my Australian friends have figured that there is more to India than just spicy food, curries and bhangra, they have begun to enjoy learning about and appreciating the vastness in geography, the amalgamation of cultures that supersede language and religion in my native country and the resilience that characterises the Indian migrant.

In short, the story of the Indian migrant is largely a happy one in Australia, a complete win-win scenario for the host country and the newly minted resident who sets up base in this lucky country and builds in it his ‘home sweet home’. So what happens when someone invades this space you call your new home and thinks it’s his right to walk right up to you, pass demeaning remarks about you and the country you came from, swear at you and compulsively target you without any provocation merely on the basis of your skin colour?? Do you take it lying down because in India we have things a lot worse with the kind of discrimination we face every day at every level- be it religion, caste, class, language, financial status, family name and your level of education? Does that mean a volley of racial slurs coming your way in a foreign land should be brushed under the carpet because we are thick-skinned enough to bear it all with a pinch of salt? What does this mean for the future generation and your children who are witness to this kind of unfair treatment and abuse- should they swallow it like bitter medicine by pacifying themselves that there are so many more benefits they are getting otherwise? 

A higher quality of life is what the Indian migrant signed up for but at what cost- by pretending that racism doesn’t exist or by looking the other way when it happens? No one understands this better than those who started and are fuelling the #BlackLivesMatter movement and hence I quote one of my favourite writers Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Americanah) who says, “The only reason you say that race was not an issue is because you wish it was not. We all wish it was not. But it’s a lie.” So as a self-respecting Indian migrant, my only humble suggestion to fellow migrants, no matter where they come from is: Stand up for yourself. If you are right, speak up and don’t just take unjust practices like racist slurs and prejudice lying down. You were invited to a new country based on your qualification, you paid for that visa that got you here and you continue to prove your worth in your newly adopted land as an able citizen by paying your taxes. Far from your loved ones, if you have a good circle of friends, colleagues and new family here irrespective of what skin colour they are born with, then good on you mate! If you adapt yourself to the new ways, new rules and a new lifestyle and accept change for what it is worth without losing your identity and self-esteem, pat yourself on your back. Long ago, a man wearing a white cloth holding a staff in his hand dared to change the way the world looked at India. He started off as a victim of apartheid in South Africa himself. As I write this post on the occasion of his birth anniversary, his call to win the toughest war using truth and non-violence resonates even today. Do it not only because you deserve respect as a basic right of humanity. Do so because you owe the country of your birth that much. 

The Pihu Diary: The Second Act

Try as you might you cannot refute the fact that parenting is a huge responsibility that involves a load of self-sacrifice no one sees coming. I have a confession to make and I do feel I am not the only mom around who thinks this way. When I hear singles or bachelors or even women who are married but with no kids complain or whinge about how busy their lives are and how they get no me-time, all I do is scoff and mentally judge them for being silly. As a mother who has to balance home and child along with a job, it makes little sense to me why they get no time for themselves off-work hours. What are they doing with all that time that I spend running around my child, doing pick ups-drop offs, playing with her, studying with her, managing her lunch and snack boxes and taking her for extra-curricular activities? How many moms can deny that they had more time on their hands before kids as compared to after? And how many of us want that time back when we could go out for drinks with a friend on a whim, catch a late night movie in the theatre, take a dip in the tub or the neighbourhood pool without keeping time or share a laugh with the hubby over a lunch date on a Sunday discussing whether a trek up the mountains would be on the agenda on our next holiday?

Post-Covid times, mothers have felt the pinch even more as their children have accomplished a complete invasion of their space and lives. So even those women who could run for cover from their children in the name of a full-time job have to now work for that job, from home, with kid/s in tow. Ouch! I feel you moms, oh I do. In a casual catch-up conversation with my school friend, I asked her if she was planning to have more children after her daughter who is now four years old. She laughed it off saying her husband and her (both teachers) were barely managing to keep their jobs afloat while working from home, bribing, cajoling, convincing and even bargaining with their girl to give them a couple of hours of uninterrupted class time online with their students.

Another friend of mine made this observation about how we as parents have become really involved in our children’s lives without meaning to be. Our parents or that generation had too much on their hands to bother spending time with us. We as children depended on neighbourhood kids, relatives, cousins and classmates for playtime and friendly banter. Our children also seem to be more hyperactive these days. Whereas we as kids simply sat and behaved on a long car ride or in a restaurant, we barely see children without a mobile phone or sitting still watching the clouds float in a park these days, right? As nuclear families became the norm and we started cocooning ourselves in our homes thanks to OTT and social media, spending more time on our phones and less outdoors, our children have now become more dependent on us for their leisure needs. No one has the time to spend with our kids anymore. Every young couple is out there pushing the nine to five wheel and our parents are either not in the near geography to help us babysit, or have become smart enough to realise that they are not obliged to take care of our children. Photo-ops with them on holidays and the occasional video calls are enough to satisfy their grandparental instinct and going the whole hog and taking over where we parents fall short is not really on their roster. Good for them, I say. Parenting is enough of a journey once in a lifetime, I don’t blame them if they don’t want to relive it!

So yes, my seven-year old is looking at me and her father for everything from a playmate, advisor, co-worker, accomplice, language translator, counsellor, teacher (full-time since lockdown, thanks to consequences of Covid), fan, critic, friend and parent, all rolled in to one. No matter how sloshed we may be with work, or short of time, one of us has to play with her, read to her, tuck her in and offer explanations to her questions that begin at 8 am and could go on till after bedtime. What began as an honest attempt at satisfying our curiosity as to what a kid between us would look like and seeing ourselves as exemplary parents has yielded an amusing revelation that is Pihu: seven years old and always looking upto us to role-model as well as light up her life. To not have another child was a decision born after this unique product that is Pihu came in to our lives- we can’t afford to have another, we barely have time to give to this one, having another will divide our time with her, we have no one to fall back on to support us in our parenting, childcare- have you checked the fees for one child these days? When do we get to get back to our old lives? When do we enjoy our youth? What’s the point of having more kids when we are most likely to lose them to their own adventures once they become independent, children today are not obliged to take care of their parents so hell! Stop treating them as a wise investment plan for your retirement eh?, who wants to go through that painful and nauseous phase of pregnancy until delivery? Look at the world around us- what are we leaving behind for the next generation besides corruption and climate change? When do I get to enjoy my professional growth again if I take a backseat thanks to a second innings at motherhood?

There they are: reasons for calling it quits after one child- and most modern parents like us today have it chalked out. Me and my partner have always been one of these calling ourselves lucky to have one and not duh! enough to repeat the act. Until questions of another kind emerged: Does it take superhuman skill to have two children in this day and age? Why are so many of my colleagues and friends putting up pictures of ‘Hum do, hamare do’ (we two, our two) on every social media page I am on? Why do all of Pihu’s friends have a sibling? Why does she look forlorn every time she sees the younger sibling and feel that void when she gets back home? Does she have to go “Awww” every time she sees a baby? Why does she say she would like to have a playmate at home so she needn’t bother us all the time? Are we being selfish when we tell her you don’t need anyone and reluctantly pick up a book to read to take her mind off the topic? 

Affectionate yet strict, kind yet cautious, gentle yet clumsy, sweet yet whiny, shy yet curious, creative yet self-conscious, inquisitive yet calm, there are so many ways of describing my little one. I know she would make a great sibling and were we being mean by snatching that opportunity from her? And of course that one question that bogged my mind- were we leaving her alone in this world after us? Sigh! Decisions, decisions, decisions. Parenting seems to be clogged at every turn with all kinds of making these and yet, we never really know if we make the right ones. So while we believe we have a hold on our destiny, there is an old saying that goes ‘fortune favours the brave’. Seven years after a bright little star called Pihu shone in to our lives, our happy family bubble of three was about to burst with the grand entrance of another twinkle toes. Seven years after we welcomed Pihu to our nest, we were bracing ourselves for another fast ball. Someone would think we had had enough time to mull over this and roll up our sleeves for the catch but when we finally knew what had hit us, the only question we needed to answer for ourselves was- what were we waiting for? 

So after seven years of celebrating 5th July as Pihu’s birthday, two days later, a little bubble we fortuitously nicknamed Bubbles came in to our lives…a late birthday present for our so-far one and only (supposedly lonely) darling daughter and as another testament to the fact that no matter how far deep-seated logic can drive us,  a daughter’s love triumphs over all, in the end.

SHUDDH DESI DRAMA- HOME-DELIVERED!

OTT platforms have upped their game to reach out to the masses like never before and made sure the latter has an exhaustive bunch of entertaining drama series to choose from- promising a shot of adrenaline, suspense, pacy action, passionate affairs and scorching drama. Move over telly soaps, OTTs are brushing nothing under the carpet unlike their more staid and conservative counterpart. So everything from pulsating cat and mouse chase sequences, gory murder and mayhem to raunchy bedroom scenes is out there for visual consumption- no holds barred. After all, the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have the moolah and the mettle to get you enthralled. Moreover, in post-Covid times, with the vacuum that the absence of high-octane theatrical movies on the big screen has created, the audience is hard-pressed to fill those dreary work-from-home, stay-at-home, lockdown hours with some heavy duty distraction. 

Enter Indian production houses that are leaving no stone unturned in dishing our a rich fare of tear-jerking, rib-tickling, horror-striking and hard-hitting OTT series, customised and delivered for viewers right inside your living rooms. From Excel Entertainment, we have had ‘Made in Heaven’ (2019); which has been both critically acclaimed and eagerly lapped up by urban audiences seeking a slice of Delhi glitz and glamour. The city plays backdrop to the numerous weddings in the making of an assorted mix of couples, a feat it accomplishes quite comfortably going by the number of weddings it plays host to every year. I remember getting married in November in Delhi and there were at least 21 weddings taking place simultaneously in my vicinity! Delhi takes weddings very seriously no matter what class you belong to and for the first time, I appreciated the way the series brought out the invisible border that divides Delhi in to the haves and the have-nots. So you either know English or don’t, you either stay in Lutyens Delhi or don’t, you either know couture or you don’t, you either shop in Khan Market or Sarojini Nagar, you live in a palatial mansion overlooking lush green courtyards or share a seedy gully with your next-door neighbour, whose balcony you could touch if you stretch your arm. Yes, there is a class act in Mumbai as well, the other metropolitan city people like to compare the capital with, but not one that is so stark, fertile for ridicule and over-the-top. And because it is Zoya Akhtar’s handiwork, the production value and star cast are bang on- with the scripting and narration just adding to the joy of watching something fresh and fragile, it’s a challenge that the actors and directors match up to, to bring out the edgy nuances and tearing seams in Delhi’s social fabric. 

Add to the girth of such online dramas are a powerful star cast made up of mainstream actors like Saif Ali Khan, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Kumud Mishra and Dimple Kapadia and you have the audience hooked. After the success of Sacred Games (2018), Saif sinks his teeth in to the role of a plotting political scion who will stop at nothing to attain power and hang on to it. Although Tandav (2021) went through its share of controversies and potshots, I think it managed to create an impact with the way it strung the ups and downs of a power struggle together. The closed-door schemings, devious planning and understated performances by Anup Soni, Sandhya Mridul, Sunil Grover and Kritika Kamra help raise the sobriety of the show, which would otherwise look too raw and chipped in its delivery. So if you like your political tamasha dressed in Karan Johar branded designer brands and suave styling, this is your cuppa.

Speaking of big star power, I was really not impressed with White Tiger (2021) though. Even with the likes of Rajkumar Rao with the worst America-returned accent onscreen and Priyanka Chopra’s ‘I-am-a-legit NRI now’ chutzpah, this adaptation did not do for me what Arvind Adiga’s novel achieved with its black and white pages. Even the climax which I don’t wish to spoil for those who haven’t read the book or watched the film yet, lacked the poignancy it deserved. The moral dilemma of the underdog remained driven by a need to keep things rolling, primarily in order to force a super-ambitious and half-baked resolution down our throats. Either way, this tiger needed sharper claws to dig in to our psyches.

Away from the devious ways of men, was Panchayat (2020), which should probably classify as an ode to the good old Doordarshan days of family fare like Hum Log and Basera. Sweet and innocent, at the same time, the story does not pretend to be anything more than what it is- a simple tale of how an engineer-turned-panchayat secretary gets stuck in the cow-dung streaked rural hinterland. The straight-faced Jitendra Kumar still manages to be endearing with his vulnerable attempts at bringing about change, his struggling ambition and scathing indifference at the way villagers operate. He brings his urban outlook to the job, not entirely sure he is cut out for the role and yet, persists because well, there is little choice for a middle-class man who wishes to make it big in the job-starved market that glares at the Indian youth today. 

Climbing the social barriers of class and caste has been a recurring theme in films and OTT series time and again, almost like a bestseller for most filmmakers. However, with Sir (2018), Rohena Gera directly takes you in to the emotional journey that could play out between a well-heeled bachelor living the typical humdrum corporate life and his domestic servant who is the face of every woman, washing our dirty laundry, cooking our daily meals and scrubbing the countless utensils in the kitchen in our homes. Can a romantic liaison between such completely contrasting characters lead to a happy culmination of hearts and minds? This is not your average love story and definitely not one that many of us could comfortably even come to terms with. Tillotama Shome manages to add so much dignity and grace to her role that you are with her, rooting for her, feeling for her and finally embracing her destiny as she grapples with her love for a man she can never really match up to. Vivek Gomber as the master of the house she keeps spotlessly clean, is subtle, letting her take centerstage even as he tries to work a miracle and build a bridge that leads to a permanent place in her heart. The story is ultimately not just about what your heart desires when it comes to love or vocation but how far you are willing to go to break the stereotypes to fulfil those desires.

Apparently, people can go a tad too far to break stereotypes and fulfil their desires and ambitions. Ask Nawazuddin Siddiqui who just gets in to the skin of another poor man’s story, in Serious Men (2020) albeit this time he shares focus with his onscreen son- thrust in to being extraordinary by a father who will not stop at any turn in order to prove him a prodigy. It is close to home for many of us Indians who like to live their dreams and aspirations through their children. How it may affect the child and what it will finally achieve, may not be in our control but try to excel we must. The pursuit for excellence supersedes everything else- happiness, authenticity, grim reality and hope. 

Much as we question the father’s goals, we are bound to relate to his need to match up to the potential to grab fast money and fame. It is the pipe dream he must hang on to if he wishes to stand tall amidst a life full of mediocrity. 

Fast money is what Saiyami Kher is after in Choked (2020), coming from Anurag Kashyap’s production house. She is pretty much the life force that runs her house and her husband played by the very earthy Roshan Mathew is just a character in the background who must bow down to her determination at getting rich overnight. Saiyami captures the mundane and sordid drudgery of her life with amazing dexterity, even getting the Maharastrian body language and lingo right when she needs to. She is a boring banker who must do the cleaning up and cooking after coming back from work with a bag of vegetables from the market. She must contend with her husband’s inaction on the professional front and the lack of financial support he offers, at the same time coming to grips with her failure to snatch her 15 seconds of fame as a singing reality star. Her salvation from a lifetime of struggle comes out of her choked kitchen drainpipe, at a point when her attempts at living a comfortable life are choked, as are her aspirations.The illegal cash that literally flows in to her house is her way of grabbing at that dream of achieving instant gratification, but is it enough to sustain the leaks and cracks of her middle class aspirations? Is money the door finally to eternal happiness? 

Bringing four shades of ordinary lives is Ludo (2020), an eccentric offering from maverick director Anurag Basu who’s last films Barfi and Jagga Jasoos showed us how unconventional he can be in terms of his cinematic liberties. Here, we have a crazy gangster, confused nurse, listless young man, loyal but jilted lover, helpless wife, a casually promiscuous couple and a ex-criminal lout out to criss-cross paths and destinies to get to an equally incredible end. The premise is regular India, with some fateful encounters and a zeal to get to the finish line with that perfect hustle, only to realise life doesn’t always give us lemon juice just because we have lemons. Wondering what I am getting at, watch Ludo. It is more befuddling a hustle and yet may leave you with a zesty aftertaste.

For me, Sacred Games started a cult following of those people who are now accustomed to powerful mafia, scandal, domestic strife, gore, sexually provocative scenes and illicit relationships that go sour. In Mirzapur (2018) and Paatal Lok (2020), acts of violence are highlighted with a camera close-up so you can smell the blood, feel the cut of flesh with the knife and sense a quiver in your heart, as if you are part of the violence being meted out itself. What redeems Mirzapur for me is again the acting of the stars who are not really your big league actors. Divyenndu Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi, Rasika Duggal, Shweta Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Vijay Varma, Rajesh Tailang, Sheeba Chadda and the ever dependable Vikrant Massey who is getting better with every performance simply raise the bar in this Godfather-like family feud, power tussle and vengeance saga. Corruption in politicians, our judicial and legal system, police force, religious factions, media networks and relationships is all laid bare for an Indian audience which never tires of the intricate gameplay between good vs evil. Little reason why Jaideep Ahlawat’s good cop act in Paatal Lok has you rooting for him even when he stumbles, falls and seems closer to death’s door than solving the case of a high-profile journalist’s attempted assassination by a hired motley team of four criminal suspects. Again, the dichotomy between the two Indias is palpable- one that sees the country through the privileged, wine-glass clinking English-speaking media and one that is flailing in the country's underbelly, of abandoned children abused and suffering, of caste-led atrocities, of the teeming aspirations of a woman entering politics, of hinterland warlords who are deified to influence decisions of the powers-that-be. As long as we are getting a bang for our buck (literally, right? The violence in these OTT dramas is quite loud) we are savouring every drop of entertainment shoved our way. It’s all scorching, riveting, impactful, nicely packaged and home-delivered at your fingertips, whenever and wherever you wish to watch it. So go on, get the tub of popcorn and press play as Indian home entertainment is finally coming of age.