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Tired of YouTube’s unfriendly algorithms (as far as movies are concerned) and misleading clickbait titles, I decided to get Amazon Prime Video. So from now on I’ll be alternately reviewing movies/series on Netflix and Prime.

 As soon as I got Prime, my first instinct was to watch the hyper-famous “Pushpa: The Rise: Part 1” or the trending “Gehraiyaan”. Still, I decided not to as each has been discussed endlessly on social media and saying anything more about them would be a waste of time and space.

So I took on a movie I never knew existed before this week: “Bunty Aur Babli 2”. A sequel to “Bunty Aur Babli” (2005), this film had somehow eluded my watchful eyes. As a fan of the original installment, I decided to give it a go.

BB2 takes place around 16 years after the original duo of Bunty aka Rakesh Trivedi (Saif Ali Khan) and Babli aka Vimmi Saluja Trivedi (Rani Mukerji) retire from their life as cons and transition into their new quiet and obscure life as working-class folks. But when a new generation of con artists—Kunal Singh (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and Sonia Rawat (Sharvari Wagh)—start swindling people all over using the “Bunty Aur Babli” identity, the original duo are pulled into investigation by Inspector Jatayu Singh (Pankaj Tripathi), who is adamant on catching the thieves.

As it is, Rakesh and Vimmi are unhappy with their ‘brand’ being brought back to business by some random youngsters doing ‘petty crimes’. So it is their hurt egos and police pressure that get them involved in the cat-and-mouse game with Bunty Aur Babli 2.0.

In the film’s first edition, we saw two ambitious individuals from small towns fight the world to realize their dreams and then transform into swindlers because of the conditions around them. In the new edition, the duo of Bunty and Babli are a bit different. They are educated youth with startup dreams and equipped with technology and the knowledge of the law. In short, they are the modern, upgraded versions of the old Bunty and Babli. But does an upgrade always improve on the original? It’s for the audience to decide.

As for finding out who is the winner in this battle of ‘old v new’, the audience is in for a cinematic experience that blows more cold than hot. Personally, my first letdown was the casting of Bunty. I love Saif Ali Khan as an actor but having him replace Abhishek Bachchan from the original Bunty Aur Babli seems a huge mistake that has almost ruined the film.

As talented and versatile he is, Khan fails to match the character of Bunty, originally personified by Bachchan. While Bachchan was at his natural best, Khan does not fit in his role and is evidently trying to overcompensate. As his opposite, Rani Mukerji seems aware of Khan’s weaknesses and tries to mask them, but she too ends up overcompensating for most parts and looks out of sync. The relative newcomers in Siddhant Chaturvedi and Sonia Rawat also seem lost for guidance.

But when a consistently well-performing actor like Pankaj Tripathi does not impress, the film’s writing and direction must come into scrutiny. Debutante writer/director Varun V. Sharma seems to be a culprit here as he tries to emulate the original film’s success without modifying it to suit the current audience.

The storytelling and stereotyping from 16 years ago do not work in the present context: with its more evolved society and technology. Now, the audience has watched plenty of heists movies not to be easily fooled. Most of the plot’s segments are unconvincing, as the movie appears more like a failed slapstick than an intelligent crime comedy.

Music is underwhelming too. Although immensely talented, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music in BB2 is unnoticeable. While the original edition gave us the iconic “Kajra Re,” there’s nothing comparable to remember in BB2’s soundtracks.

Who should watch it?

Someone who’s not watched the original Bunty Aur Babli movie (also available on Prime Video) might enjoy BB2 because there would be no comparisons, and you’d also not miss Amitabh Bachchan’s distinguished presence.

Rating: 2 stars

Genre: Crime comedy

Run time: 2hr 18mins

Actors: Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Sharvari Wagh, Siddhant Chaturvedi

“Do anything and you’re canceled bro,” a Gen Z character tells Leatherface, as the latter approaches his group of friends with a revved-up chainsaw. His friends, also same-age, take out their smartphones and start live broadcasts, probably thinking the ‘freak show’ will not do anything to them so long as he is on camera. But how wrong are they! Leatherface massacres the whole bunch, without breaking a sweat. 

Netflix’s latest “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is yet another sequel to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974. The American slasher film is the ninth installment of the TCM franchise and picks up almost five decades after a group of teens are brutally murdered in Texas by an unknown gigantic killer later named Leatherface, with just one survivor left to tell the horrid tale. 

The story now moves to Harlow, an almost deserted town in Texas. A group of young entrepreneurs—Melody, Dante, Lila, and Ruth—have bought the rights to most of the town’s houses, which they want to rebuild and auction off at better prices. While they visit the town for inspection, they find that an elderly woman and her son still ‘illegally’ occupy one of the houses. 

They call the police on the sick woman to evacuate her and unknowingly unleash the wrath of her son—Leatherface. For Leatherface, this time the number of targets increases as the group of entrepreneurs invites a bus full of young colleagues to showcase their project. 

The premise and physical setting for the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film is almost the same as its predecessors but there is some change in the context. While Leatherface has massacred boomers and millennials in the past, his encounter with Gen Z is a bit different. 

Also, for the first time, Leatherface is not only a predator but also a prey. Sally, the last remaining victim of the original Texas massacre from 1973, is now a retired Ranger, hardened with time and pursuit of vengeance. She wants to get rid of Leatherface once and for all and now that he has emerged from his hiding, this is her chance. 

Directed by David Blue Garcia and co-written by Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues, Texas Chainsaw Massacre continues on the tradition of the classic out-and-out slasher movies. There is violence, blood, and gore throughout with only a few other scenes contributing to the story. 

But what makes this edition noticeably different are the slight political and social contexts underlying the movie’s plot. For instance, an old Confederate flag becomes a pivotal object to create conflict in the story. Also, some dialogues indicate racism that is still prevalent in the US. 

As a standalone film, the new TCM is not up to par with previous editions. Yes, there is the sub-plot of Sally and her revenge, but it feels forced. Her character does not actually get the justice it deserves or nearly enough screen-time. 

On these lines, there’s something amiss in the film. Modern-day technology has allowed the makers to insert some extreme scenes, but even they seem to lack the ferocity expected from a film in the TCM franchise. For lack of better words, in TCM 2022, you can watch the brutality but cannot really feel it. Maybe the filmmakers wanted to appease the newer generation audience than old school slasher fans. 

On Netflix 

Rating: 2 stars

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Actors: Mark Burnham, Elsie Fisher

Director: David Blue Garcia

Run time: 1hr 21mins

Who should watch it? 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is bloody and cruel. So obviously, it’s not intended for the general audience. But even if you love extreme movies, you’ll not enjoy this one much. This TCM will probably cater to an audience looking for slasher-lite. More like regular action movies with slasher themes. 

Having watched almost everything (Nepali and bearable) released in the past few years, I was beginning to think that I’d watched them all. The elusive ‘gem’ seemed to be getting rarer and rarer as the resources of Nepali films on YouTube began to expire. I dug a little deep this week though and came across a movie from 2012 that I think is cruelly underrated.

Actor Arpan Thapa writes and stars in the seemingly forgotten “Dhanda”. Directed by Sudarshan Thapa, Dhanda is a revenge thriller molded more on European-style realism than the commercial Nepali action genre. It is not completely arthouse but still a gritty, dark narrative of one man’s struggle against a life-and-death situation and the retribution that follows.

Produced and released around a decade ago, Dhanda has almost all shortcomings of Nepali films from that time. There is CGI that surely didn’t age well, supporting actors who can’t really support their characters, camerawork that falters at times, bad lighting, and jerky editing. The story is not something entirely new or exciting either.

Arjun (Arpan Thapa) is a teacher at a local school in a rural Nepali village. He is living a content life with his spouse (Samuna KC) and parents. But his family, especially his father, expects more of him. Arjun’s father wants him to go to the US and settle there. A reluctant Arjun relents to family pressure and comes to Kathmandu in search of agents to get him a work permit for the US.

In Kathmandu, Arjun meets Mama (Kamal Mani Nepal), a distant relative from his village who takes him to an agency owned by Shanti (Subechya Thapa) and Santosh (Pushkar Gurung). As gullible as he is, Arjun falls into the trap of the shrewd agents who not only swindle him off his money but also have him attacked with the intention of murder. Arjun survives but is severely injured, both physically and mentally. His quest for revenge against all the perpetrators involved makes up the rest of the film.

So what makes Dhanda so watch-worthy, you may ask? It’s the execution of a simple story into a chilling and brutal film. Most of the credit for this goes to Arpan and his acting skills. The actor is a powerhouse in the film and his transition from a simple school teacher to a killer out for revenge is just remarkable. Bearing a deep resemblance to Christian Bale’s Trevor Reznik in The Machinist (2004), Arjun is this rawboned structure whose facial expressions and appearance spell brutality and violence.

With Arpan’s extraordinary acting, director Sudarshan has also done a commendable storytelling job despite some production issues. The film does look budget, even considering the time and context it was shot in, but Sudarshan is able to turn the odds in his favor with a healthy pace and steady rhythm. Told in flashbacks using shaky handheld shots and seemingly limited equipment, the film does not lose its plot anywhere and holds Arjun’s past and present together.

On the technical front, Nima Lama’s makeup is also a highlight. The makeup artist has put every effort and succeeded in giving Arjun the dead-man-walking look befitting his character. Considering the resources available in Nepal, the makeup effects in Dhanda are top-notch and one of the best works in the Nepali film industry in the past decade.

As for the cinematography and the background score, they shine in bits and pieces but do not stand out. At the same time, they do contribute to some of the most brutal scenes in the Nepali film industry’s history.

Who should watch it?

Although based on social issues, Dhanda is not exactly an eye-opener. But it’s still an exciting film to watch, especially with Arpan Thapa’s acting and special makeup effects. Most audiences disappointed with recent Nepali films will probably enjoy this one.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Action, thriller

Actors: Arpan Thapa, Samuna KC

Director: Sudarshan Thapa

Run time: 1hr 47mins

Trailer: https://youtu.be/aXHXFaMpSSI

Movie link: https://youtu.be/fghzbVAS5yk

Remember “Delhi Belly?” The 2011 Hindi action-comedy that paved the way for more quirky, low-budget but well-written and executed films in the Indian film industry? Released this weekend on Netflix, “Looop Lapeta”—also said to be a remake of the 1998 German thriller “Run Lola Run”—knowingly or unknowingly styles itself after Delhi Belly. Looop Lapeta tries to emulate Delhi Belly’s idiosyncrasies in writing, direction, acting, background music, and cinematography and improvises on Run Lola Run’s story.  

Savina Borkar aka Savi (Taapsee Pannu)—a track runner whose career has just ended after an on-field accident—is in a live-in relationship with Satyajeet aka Satya (Tahir Raj Bhasin), a gambling addict who wants to get rich quickly. As greedy and conniving as he is, Satya still manages to get in a mess with local goon Victor (Dibyendu Bhattacharya). Now Savi has to find Rs five million in 50 minutes to save Satya.  

In the other bit of the story, brothers Appu and Gappu (Manik Papneja and Raghav Raj Kakker) are plotting to rob their father’s jewelry store while a desperate cab driver Robert (Alistar Bennis) is planning to elope with his girlfriend Julia (Shreya Dhanwanthary) who is getting married at a local church.  

Although the stories in the film concern different sets of people, their fates are intertwined. With Satya-Savi’s story as the main peg, all the characters are interlinked in a time loop that Savi controls. Based on her choices and actions, everyone’s life takes a different course while she struggles to get a happy ending for herself and Satya. 

With all these stories to tell in an unconventional mode and with the artistic freedom given by OTT platforms, Looop Lapeta seems like a fast-paced action comedy with plenty of mind-boggling twists. But only the trailer and the first quarter of the film give you that experience. As the film progresses, things start getting repetitive (literally!) and boring.  

The problem with Looop Lapeta is, it just tries too hard. The time loops are rather long, maybe trying to justify the extra ‘o’ in the film’s misnomer of a title and even with its length exceeding two hours, storytelling seems lacking in places. Besides Savi, none of the characters get a proper back story and hers is not justified either. Director Aakash Bhatia seems to be lost somewhere between commercial and arthouse cinema in this film penned by four writers in total.  

The group of writers tries to be clever, inserting cryptic messages and allusions to other films, including a very-very famous Hollywood blockbuster from the early 90s. Some parts and conversations in the movie also allude to the story of Savitri who prevented her husband Satyavan’s death in Mahabharata. But all this wittiness is useless with the film’s imperfect storytelling and weak character development. 

Also, the two lead characters—Tahir Raj Bhasin and Taapsee Pannu—disappoint with their performances. Somehow, Taapsee doesn’t fit into the role of a recently retired athlete and throughout the film, her performance is akin to that of a high schooler who has not understood her assignment. Similarly, Tahir seems to have over-read his assignment is trying to over-perform for his teachers. The critical acclaim the actor earned from his recent series “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein” is getting undone with his uncomfortable goofiness in Looop Lapeta. 

Delhi Belly, or any other film that tries to break the conventional shackles of Bollywood, mostly have one thing in common—their background scores get them an audience of their own. Unfortunately, Looop Lapeta fails here too. Although it tries various contemporary genres and a lot of modern jazz, there’s no “Bhaag D.K. Bose” in the film. Not even something remotely close to it.  

Who should watch it? 

It’s Valentine’s season and you may be thinking of watching movies based on love and all. Let me tell you, Looop Lapeta is not a love story. We don’t even know whether Savi is really in love with Satya or she’s put herself in the situation because she has nothing else to do. So, the movie is more for an audience looking for an action-comedy than a love story. But lovers can still enjoy it, separately, with the forward button handy. 

On Netflix 
Rating: 2 stars
Genre: Action comedy
Actors: Tahir Raj Bhasin, Taapsee Pannu
Director: Aakash Bhatia
Run time: 2hrs 11 mins

I’m starting to find watching movies on YouTube a bit tedious. Its search function is not built to categorically find movies to watch and its algorithm does not support a movie buff’s watch pattern. Further, misleading titles and low-quality uploads make the process medieval, especially when one’s used to watching high-resolution OTTs which are meant for one function only—watching movies and series.

 Nonetheless, there is a little reward (if you like to call it that) on YouTube for finding some hidden gems you have not watched before. But the process is still lengthy and the chances are, if you’re a cinephile, you’d probably have watched those gems on a better platform and in high definition.

 I (re)watched the 2013 Hindi-language movie “Special 26” this week, for the review. Written and directed by Neeraj Pandey, the crime/thriller with some elements of dark comedy is based on the ‘Opera House Heist’ from 1987 when a group posing as CBI officers executes an income tax raid on a Mumbai jeweler.

 It’s March 1987. CBI officers Ajay “Ajju” Singh (Akshay Kumar) and Pramod Kumar “P. K.” Sharma (Anupam Kher) are busybodies conducting a walk-in-interview to recruit more officers into their team and are also raiding unscrupulous businesses. Accomplices Joginder Khurana (Rajesh Sharma) and Iqbal Ali (Kishor Kadam) help the duo in the task.

 But right after a raid at a minister’s house, the reality is revealed. Ajju, P.K. and their accomplices are conmen posing as CBI officers and swindling money off rich people who have things to hide. The gang not only makes away with the minister’s money but also gets SI Ranveer Singh (Jimmy Sheirgill) wrongly incriminated as a co-conspirator. SI Singh and his colleague Shanti (Divya Dutta) get suspended because they got unknowingly roped into the crime.

Also read: ‘Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui’ movie review: Bollywood grapples with new sexual identities—and how!

 As the group of conmen goes back to their normal lives with their families and friends, SI Singh has sworn vengeance after finding and incriminating them. In his quest for justice, Singh meets Waseem Khan (Manoj Bajpayee), an honest CBI officer, who also wants to capture the gang that has been tarnishing his organization’s name. A high-speed cat-and-mouse game follows as the two parties try to outwit each other. Ajju and P.K. are planning to pull off a big heist so that they can retire in peace while Singh and Khan want to foil their plans and lock them up.

Special 26’s biggest strength is its screenplay. The story, taken from real incidents, is adapted for Bollywood but still kept close to reality. The writers do not waste time on Bollywood clichés but rather cut straight to the chase, literally. There is almost zero exaggeration and no glorification of the characters to create heroic impacts. Even with Akshay Kumar, one of Bollywood’s biggest names, as a lead, the film stays true to its story and does not give him any extra limelight.

For a change, in Bollywood, a quintessential ‘hero’ does not get to play the orthodox hero that has no vices and only leads from the front. The writing grounds Kumar’s character and places him in the mix to complement the story. Nothing more.

The result of the excellent screenwriting and direction can then be seen in the film’s cast. With each of the characters getting a chance to contribute to the storyline, the cast behind them gives their best performance. Granted that the film features some of acting heavyweights like Kumar, Kher, Bajpayee, and Sharma, the performance of the entire cast definitely deserves a special mention.

Who should watch it?

Anyone who loves a straight, no-nonsense crime thriller will enjoy “Special 26” on YouTube. But if you really want to enjoy all movies, get subscriptions to a few OTTs. They’re not very expensive. Leave YouTube to the “South Indian film dubbed in Hindi” audience.

On YouTube

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Thriller, crime

Run time: 2hr 24mins

Actors: Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher

Director: Neeraj Pandey

In all these years of watching and listening to scores of remixed music, never had I imagined that a song so peppy, flirty, and iconic 90s as ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’ from the 1993 blockbuster “Baazigar” could be turned into a soundtrack so sinister as in Netflix’s latest series “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein.” The Hindi-language series not only remixes the song to sound ominous but also gives a menacing interpretation to William Shakespeare’s famous phrase: “For she had eyes and chose me.”

Vikrant (Tahir Raj Bhasin) is a fresh engineering graduate who has his life planned out. He has applied for an entry-level position at a steel factory in another town and is fairly confident about getting hired. Once he gets the job, he will marry his sweetheart Shikha (Shweta Tripathi Sharma) and leave his hometown to live happily ever after.

But just then the entry of an old acquaintance completely changes his life’s trajectory. Purva (Anchal Singh), an old schoolmate and the daughter of Onkara’s notorious MLA Akheraj Awasthi Vidrohi (Saurabh Shukla), enters Vikrant’s life to destroy it.

The Awasthi family is among the main reasons Vikrant wants to leave Onkara. His father works under and worships Akheraj, a ruthless criminal in the guise of a politician and as for Purva, her presence and advances even as children always made Vikrant uncomfortable. Now that she is back and all grown up, Purva’s friendship proposal for Vikrant has turned into a full-blown demand to marry her. As reluctant as he is, the pressure from his own family as well as the Awasthis makes Vikrant fight for his life, literally.

Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein is dark humor mixed with thrilling elements to keep the audience occupied throughout. The twists and turns till the very end are convincing, if you overlook a few momentary lapses. Right from the beginning scene where Vikrant, under distress, begins to narrate his life story, the film takes this tone of urgency and despair that become its motif.

Also Read: Saif shines in his signature role, again

Director Sidharth Sengupta narrates the clichéd 90s Bollywood pulp fiction story in eight episodes of under an hour each. Although the storyline, like its OST, resembles a remix of various Bollywood plots and subplots from the 90s and early 2000s, Sengupta uses a modern filmmaker’s lens to create contemporary visuals that are enticing and entertaining. The setting, in a bustling town in India’s Uttar Pradesh, is captured to bring to light every detail, giving the audience an inside view of the people and life there.

The strong screenplay and storytelling of Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein is further strengthened by the acting. Tahir Raj Bhasin is an absolute gem in his role as Vikrant, a common man who has to fight tooth and nail to protect himself and his loved ones. Anchal Singh as Purva, the desi femme fatale looks at ease inflicting every possible pain on the star-crossed lovers. Saurabh Shukla, in a rare negative role, is still at his natural best as Akheraj Awasthi, the overpowering villain who makes life miserable for everyone who defies him.

Among the main characters, Shweta Tripathi Sharma as Shikha is a bit underwhelming though, borrowing her wardrobe and style from her 2015 film “Masaan” but her character lacks the intensity here. In all fairness to the actor, the writers seem to have strangely written Shikha as a submissive tool who is under the control of everyone around her but herself.

 Who should watch it?

“Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein,” is a solid entertainer that could cater to the audiences of thrillers with a pinch of dark humor. The whole series can be watched over a weekend. For me, I am already excited about the second season.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Thriller

Actors: Tahir Raj Bhasin, Anchal Singh, Saurabh Shukla

Director: Sidharth Sengupta

Run time: 6hrs 30mins (Approx.)

To begin with, there’s nothing exciting about the basic plot of the movie ‘Kadaseela Biriyani’: just a man (Vijay Sethupathi) narrating a story about some villagers in rural South India. But as wide-angle shots take you through dense forests and the lives of the people, the story gets interesting and all of a sudden, you are hooked.

Rarely do I begin a movie review talking about cinematography, but Kadaseela Biryani is a deserved exception. The Tamil-language black comedy has exceptional cinematography courtesy of Azeem Mohammed and Hestin Jose Joseph.

The cinematographer duo uses every trick in the book to create the havoc necessary to tell a violent, brutal tale of three brothers seeking revenge for their father’s murder. From panning the camera to capture the exotic beauty of rural Kerala to following its characters with body cameras to taking the high route with drones to place the characters in their respective settings, the camerawork in Kadaseela Biriyani just mesmerizes you.

As for the story, a slain businessman’s three sons—the eldest Periya Pandi (Vasanth Selvam), the second Ila Pandi (Dinesh Pandi) and the youngest Chikku Pandi (Vijay Ram)—plan to avenge their father’s death by murdering Sathyan (Vishaal Ram), a Kerala rubber-state owner, at his home. Chikku, the youngest, is reluctant as his father had raised him away from his hotheaded brothers but the elder siblings are adamant and force him to become a part.

Their well-planned murder trip goes a bit awry when they find Johan (Hakkim Shah), Sathyan’s psychotic son, at home. The brothers had expected old Sathyan alone, but the presence of his son—an ex-convict with multiple murders that were not even reported due to the family’s influence—scares the wits out of them. Still, they do not want to leave the plantation un-avenged.

Also read: ‘Aranyak’ movie review: Raveena Tandon caps a stellar comeback 

The plot, screenplay and their execution in Kadaseela Biriyani have this simplicity that makes the film feel like it’s based on a true story. Our protagonists—the Pandi brothers—seeking to avenge their father are themselves flawed but like commercial cinema, the film does nothing to whitewash their image. Everyone in the film is in a gray area, adding to the violence and brutality of the incidents around the film.

When I talk about violence, I do not mean Tamil blockbuster violence with a huge stunt-crew and CGI. The rudimentary presentation of both physical and mental conflict is so realistic that it instills fear in the audience. For debutant director and co-writer Nishanth Kalidindi, the black comedy also becomes a platform to explore the extremist nature of people that makes them commit serious crimes. The director gets an apt group of actors who perform their roles without becoming larger-than-life: they stay grounded to their characters and settings, again making the film seem uncomfortably real.

Adding to the superb cinematography, writing/direction and acting are the film’s music. Although based in rural South India, the film’s background score does not make much use of traditional music heavily influenced by ethnic percussion instruments. The music rather is stylistically modern, not overbearing and for a Tamil film—fresh! Never had I thought that continuous beating of a single hi-hat from a Western drum kit could cause so much tension in a scene.

Who should watch it?

Kadaseela Biriyani is my first review of 2022 and I am glad I watched it without hearing or reading about it. With so little expectation at the start, my experience by the end was overwhelming. I would recommend it for anyone who trusts my selection of movies.

Kadaseela Biriyani 

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Black comedy
Actors: Vasanth Selvam, Dinesh Pandi, Chikku Pandi (Vijay Ram)
Director: Nishanth Kalidindi
Run time: 1hr 55mins

I think I watched over 300 movies and series in 2021, my highest yearly count, thanks to the pandemic, high speed internet and my new smart TV. Not been to a movie hall since January 2019 though. Not even for Spiderman. But not missing any of that experience either as Kathmandu’s traffic has only worsened and parking charges have gotten atrocious.

So to sum 2021 and my movie-watching experience, I revisit some of my recommendations for the year in case you have missed them. The recommendations are not all ‘5 Stars’ mind you. I am just reinforcing some movies that are definitely worth your time.

On YouTube

Ghampani (2017)

Ghampani is a lighthearted social drama, the debut work of film critic turned writer/director Dipendra Lama. It was a box office success when it was originally released. Right through his filmmaking career, Lama has given the impression of being someone rooted to society and its realities, even in his works of fiction. Ghampani is a movie that sums up Lama’s style of writing and directing stories, as well as characters and settings that are the mirrors of our society. 

The movie is set in a rural village, where childhood friends Furba Tamang (Dayahang Rai) and Tara Sharma (Keki Adhikari) fall in love and disrupt the social ‘harmony’ as they are from separate castes.

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Drama
Actors: Dayahang Rai, Keki Adhikari, Ankeet Khadka
Director: Dipendra Lama
Run time: 1hr 53mins

Dhanapati (2017)

Dhanapati is a criminally underrated movie, and deserves a lot more attention. Directed by Dipendra K. Khanal, the film stars the very talented Khagendra Lamichhane who also writes this political drama that spells only reality when it comes to narrating a common man’s life.

The film revolves around Dhanapati and his life as a common man living in poverty with his wife (Surakshya Panta) and a daughter. To send his daughter to a good school, Dhanapati plunges into politics, to some troubling consequences.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Actors: Khagendra Lamichhane, Surakshya Panta, Aashant Sharma
Director: Dipendra K Khanal
Genre: Drama
Run time: 1hr 53mins

Khatta Meetha (2010)

The Hindi-language movie gave the world Sachin Tichkule, a popular character among meme lovers and connoisseurs of contemporary online humor in our part of the world. When Urban Development Minister Ram Kumari Jhakri went on a rant against engineers and architects recently, I vividly remembered some scenes from this movie.

Akshay Kumar plays Sachin, a contractor from a respectable middle-class family who has big dreams but small coffers. With no means to pay bribes to get his hands on lucrative government contracts, Tichkule struggles to stay in business, even as his family loses faith in him.

Rating: 3 stars
Drama
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, Rajpal Yadav, Johnny Lever
Direction: Priyadarshan
Length: 2hr 38min

On Netflix

Vanjagar Ulagam (2018)

Fifteen minutes into Vanjagar Ulagam, I realized the film’s background score was oh-so-good and re-watched it from the beginning just to pay more attention to it. Thank you for this feature, Netflix (and other OTTs).

The 2018 Tamil language crime-thriller that translates to “World of crafty people” made it to my review list just because of its sound track. In the movie, Shanmugam alias Shaam (Ciby Bhuvana Chandran), wakes up from a drunk stupor one day to find out that he is accused of murdering his neighbor, Mythili (Chandini Tamilarasan).

Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Crime/thriller
Actors: Ciby Bhuvana Chandran, Guru Somasundaram
Director: Manoj Beedha
Run time: 2hrs 2mins

Capitani (2019)

Capitani comes as a recommendation not only because its a Luxembourgish production, but also because the crime drama series puts its protagonist—inspector Luc Capitani—into a labyrinth of interconnected mysteries that point at multiple directions. Right from the opening shot, the film weaves an intricate web of suspense and secrets, which unfold till the very end.

And Capitani is not only an entertaining thriller but also an educational one as it provides a rare glimpse into the people and society of exotic Luxembourg. For example, it took me the whole first episode to realize that Luxembourgish language is heavily influenced by German and French.

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Crime, thriller
Run time: 5hrs 30mins (approx.)
Actors: Luc Schiltz, Jil Devresse, Claude de Demo
Director: Christophe Wagner

Clickbait (2021)

This American-Australian miniseries is probably one of the most relevant in contemporary times. The eight-episode series is about how the internet has become a means of inciting violence, but it also does not focus entirely on technology either. Instead, Clickbait follows its humans—the characters in the story who give their unique POV in each episode.

Nick (Adrian Grenier) gets into dire situations because of the internet while his friends and family scramble to save him. Using Nick and his family to tell the story, Clickbait also mirrors the lives of millions of people who have been wronged on the internet one way or the other.

Rating: 4 stars
Actors: Adrian Grenier, Zoe Kazan
Directors: Brad Anderson, Emma Freeman, Ben Young, and Laura Besley
Run time: 5hrs 30mins (approx.)