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I had no intention whatsoever of watching ‘Qala’ on Netflix anytime soon. It’s not that I don’t like the genre. With the winter gloom around, I was just not ready for a psychological drama. But I was literally peer-pressured into watching the Hindi-language movie, especially with my friends rating it a ‘must watch,’ as I do for some movies. Written and directed by Anvita Dutta, Qala explores multiple psychological themes surrounding its main character Qala Manjushree (Tripti Dimri). Qala is a complex and multi-dimensional character, and the film depicts her struggles towards self-discovery, success, fame, and the despair that gets to her. It is the 1940s in Calcutta, India, and Qala Manjushree is at the top of the rising movie industry. She has just won the ‘Golden Vinyl’ and is making headlines in the local newspapers. But some flashbacks show the audience the dark reality behind Qala’s serenading voice and her mesmerizing smile. Qala’s estranged relationship with her mother Urmila began the day she was born. When the doctor tells Urmila that her other child—a son—did not survive because its twin Qala was stronger and took up all the nourishment from her womb, Urmila looks at her newborn in disgust and almost smothers her. The mother-daughter relationship is tumultuous throughout the entire movie. While Qala tries her best to impress her mother and ignite any emotion for herself, Urmila’s nonchalance in raising her only child is unemphatic and cruel. Urmila, a retired singer herself, always wanted a boy so that she could groom him to become a maestro like her late husband. With Qala, Urmila does teach her music, but is never appreciative of her and doesn’t want her to sing for the movie industry. Qala struggles with abandonment issues and her mother’s constant scrutiny causes her to doubt her own skills. She is struggling with imposter syndrome when Urmila brings home Jagan—an orphan with immense singing talent. Despite Qala desperately fighting for it, Urmila give all her attention to Jagan and focuses entirely on building his career. To Urmila, Jagan becomes the son she lost at birth. A dispassionate mother, a sexist society, and her own inners demons—Qala conquers all to find the success she has been looking for. But her goal leads her to a path of loneliness and abandonment, while also being constantly haunted by a ghost from the past. The movie doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of Qala’s situation, and the acting by lead actress Dimri is absolutely superb. Her performance is raw and emotional, and she expertly captures the fear, desperation, and resilience of a woman trapped in extreme relationships. The portrayal of her character makes for an emotional and thought-provoking movie. Dimri, who was impressive in her previous lead role in Bullbul (2020), outshines her previous performances as Qala. The actor embodies her layered character and lives every bit of her life on screen. Swastika Mukherjee, as Qala’s mother Urmila, is detestable at times yet some glimpses of her backstory do manage to raise empathy for her. Debutant Babil Khan, son of the late Irrfan Khan, also makes his mark in the movie in his short but important role as Jagan. The cinematography by Siddharth Diwan captures every emotion of the people, time, and space Qala is placed in. And not to forget the music by Amit Trivedi which has already gathered a separate base of fan following. The tracks in the movie are hauntingly beautiful and feel fresh at a time when poorly made remixes are ruling Bollywood. Overall, Qala is a powerful and poignant movie that tackles difficult themes with grace and sensitivity. Writer and director Dutta’s portrayal of sexism in the society and movie industry is particularly noteworthy. She has styled the film in a vintage passion and used a female character to be representative of the women in our society who are forced to face similar situations even in the present times. Who should watch it? ‘Qala’ is a beautifully crafted and emotionally powerful movie that is sure to leave a lasting impression on the audience. It’s a must-see for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking dramas with strong performances and breathtaking cinematography. Rating: 4 stars Genre: Psychological drama Director: Anvita Dutta Actors: Tripti Dimri, Babil Khan, Swastika Mukherjee Run time: 1hr 59mins

The World Cup 2022 final between France and Argentina was quite a thriller. It felt like a scripted movie. But that’s not the only thriller I watched this month. The new series ‘CAT’, Netflix’s first-ever original Punjabi production, comes at par with the World Cup final in terms of thrills, frills, and surprises. Directed and co-written by Balwinder Singh Januja, Rupinder Chahal, and Jimmy Singh, all eight episodes of CAT are equally riveting with stellar acting performances and compact storytelling. Set in Punjab, India, the film highlights the region’s problems, from guns and criminal gangs to drugs and a corrupt system. Gary (Abhishant Rana), a naive Sikh teen, witnesses his parents’ murder during the 90s insurgency. Filled with vengeance, he becomes a police informant codenamed CAT and helps the police encounter the terrorists involved in murdering his parents. After the insurgency is over, Gary’s handler Sehtab Singh (Suvinder Vicky)—a cop—hands him his new identity. Gary then becomes Gurnam Singh (Randeep Hooda), a mechanic who lives frugally and has become a parent figure for his younger siblings. Gurnam is leading an ordinary life, completely away from his past, when his younger brother, Sunny (Danish Sood), is arrested for drug trafficking. This forces Gurnam to seek help from his old acquaintance, Sehtab. Sehtab, now higher in rank in the police force, agrees to help him only if he infiltrates a local drug cartel headed by powerful politician Madam Aulakh (Geeta Agrawal) and helps destroy them. Gurnam has to go undercover again, monitored by police officers Chandan (Pramod Pathak) and Babita (Hasleen Kaur) under Sehtab’s team. Then follows a flurry of adventures, deceptions, guiles, and murders while Gurnam tries to stick to his end of the deal. He then gets on the radar of some dangerous people. The premise of the series—where a retired spy is forced back into action because of his family—is nothing new to the silver screen. The writers of CAT have taken this tried-and-tested formula and incorporated many plot twists and backstories into it to make it a refreshing watch. There is a lot more happening in the storyline than just Gurnam trying to breach into Madam Aulakh’s close-knit drug circle. The series is full of different characters, each with their own backstories, conflicts, and ambitions. This gives CAT the scope to expand from different points of view as the series progresses. Even with Gurnam and Sehtab at the center, there are multiple characters with strong backstories that can lead a whole series on their own if required or if given a chance to do so. The strong writing and direction of CAT are backed by the acting performances. Hooda is brilliant in the lead role. Gurnam’s transformation from an innocent teen to a hardened undercover agent comes with its share of ups and downs. He has his strengths and vulnerabilities. The actor (who I personally feel is criminally underrated in Bollywood) portrays his role with sheer conviction and dexterity. Vicky, a popular Punjabi actor, also makes his mark in the series as Sehtab. Vicky convincingly personifies the ambitious, corrupt, and conniving police officer and has the potential of becoming a formidable enemy of many of the characters in the future. The rest of the cast, including the former Indian beauty queen Hasleen Kaur, have put up convincing performances that match up to the screenplay. In fact, Kaur has de-glamorized herself so much in playing a Punjabi cop that it feels like she is a real-life cop playing herself on screen. This is just an example of how strong the character building is in the series. Who should watch it? ‘CAT’ is a brilliant thriller with more strengths than weaknesses throughout its eight episodes. People who love crime thrillers will definitely enjoy it the most. Even if you’re not so keen on malicious, violent content, you could definitely enjoy CAT for its storytelling, acting performances, and the few peppy Punjabi songs it features. Rating: 4 stars Directors: Balwinder Singh Januja, Rupinder Chahal, Jimmy Singh Actors: Randeep Hooda, Hasleen Kaur, Suvinder Vicky Genre: Crime Thriller Run time: 7hrs (approx.)

‘The Playful World of Mushrooms’ by Ashish Ghimire and Prem Pandey is all about mushrooms, which the authors say are the ‘magical creations of nature’. The shapes, forms, colors, and several other attributes of mushrooms, explained beautifully through the text and illustrated clearly through photos in the book, would make anyone believe that they are indeed the magical creations of nature. When we say ‘fungus’, most people immediately think of mushrooms. However, mushrooms are only a form of fungi with pronounced and easily noticeable fruiting bodies. From the brewing of beer to the modern antibiotics that save our lives, all involve fungi. Fungi make our world more habitable but a lot is yet to be understood about these mysterious creatures. Studying fungi could lead to unraveling the mysterious threads of nature, hitherto hidden from us. The book takes readers on an exciting ride—through the author’s personal joyous interactions and encounters with mushrooms. The first chapter of the book is a personal account of Ghimire’s first-hand experiences with fungi and covers topics such as ecological relationships of fungi with the environment, occurrence and distribution, mushroom biology, life cycle, mushroom foraging, identification, edibility, and poisoning among several others. The chapter also sheds light on the relationship between people and mushrooms, and the different ways in which fungi can be used. The second chapter by Ghimire discusses the rich diversity of mushrooms that Nepal possesses. The third chapter by Pandey tries to make readers acquainted with the standard practices in the cultivation of several mushrooms from around the world. Also, included is a beautiful poem by Ghimire that inspires every one of us to live like mushrooms—calm, grounded, progressive, and resilient. I think the book has been able to deliver what it has tried to with the set of knowledge and experiences of the authors, made better by the expertise of the editors, renowned in the field of mycology. Simple and understandable language, short narratives and first-hand stories fitting the context of the book, and colorful pictures of mushrooms gathered by the authors from different mushroom expeditions are among a few things that make this book a unique work of art. The authors are plant pathologists with several years of experience working with fungi. Years of experience in teaching at several institutions have also probably come in handy in presenting the book in a form that could be easily understood even by readers who are not mycology students. It has been mentioned in the book that over 1,200 species of mushrooms are found in Nepal. The book, however, includes descriptions of around 120 mushrooms. The book also talks about sensitive topics such as psychedelic mushrooms, mushroom poisoning, and the prospects of mushroom foraging traditions. As the title suggests, the book aims to be a fun introduction to mushrooms. The use of diagrammatic representations indeed makes it an enjoyable book to go through. There’s definitely a lot to unpack in this book. It might not be everybody’s cup of tea but those who want a deeper understanding of nature, and in particular mushrooms, will find this to be a treasure trove.

Sometimes, out of nowhere, you stumble across some books and authors and your life is forever changed. ‘The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels’ by the fascinating author India Holton (who loves writing about uppity women and drinking copious amounts of tea) is perhaps my best book of 2022. It’s charming. It’s funny. It will make me smile every time I will think of it (which I’m sure will be quite often). The story grabs you by the lapels and doesn’t let go until the last page. How I wished the book were longer. Set in an alternate version of Victorian-era London, the Wisteria Society is made up of a group of women pirates who hunt (read steal) treasures in flying (stolen) battle houses. Cecilia Bassingthwaite is an ambitious member of the society. She is, however, desperate for a promotion. Only it keeps eluding her for one reason or another. Then her aunt, along with other society members, is kidnapped and Cecilia obviously wants to save them—she loves her aunt but she also feels saving the society will earn her that promotion. Cecilia teams up with Ned Lightbourne, the man who would have been her assassin had he not fallen in love with her. Ned has been contracted by Cecilia’s nemesis to kill her. Her father, Captain Morvath, hired him to protect her. Then, he also claims to be loyal to the crown and so he’s only following orders to keep a close eye on the lady pirates, especially Cecilia. There’s a lot of confusion about his real identity but there’s no denying that he’s charming. He could very well be the modern-day version of Jane Austen’s Mr Darcy. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is a laugh-riot. The side characters are quirky and add much craziness and confusion to the story. Their banter is witty and their personalities are unique. There is a lot of violence but it’s cartoon-style violence. You will be reminded of the Tom and Jerry or Popeye reruns you used to watch as a child. The twists and turns keep you guessing what will happen next, while steamy romance occasionally makes you blush. If you have enjoyed the classics, especially Bronte and Austen, there are plenty of references that will tug at your heartstrings. Holton’s writing perfectly complements the Victorian setting so much so that you feel like she’s a writer from that era. It’s a good book that will get your mind off things that have been troubling you while simultaneously reminding you of some of your favorite books. Four stars Fiction The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels India Holton Published: 2021 Publisher: Penguin Random House UK Pages: 324, Paperback