Update: Check out this week’s binge-watch list.
We know this is the week of Money Heist (Season 5 Volume 2). But we are not talking about it in our weekly list. Nor are we going into the other popular web series in these parts that is getting into Season 3. We are referring to Inside Edge here. Instead we choose to focus on five different films, and when we say different we indeed mean it.
What we have is two intriguing Hindi films Bob Biswas and Cobalt Blue, a Tamil movie in Chithirai Sevvaanam, a Telugu flick, Manchi Rojulochaie, and the Kannada offering Puksatte Lifu.
This is indeed a variegated offering.
- Raveena Tandon returns to her starting point for her debut web series Aranyak
- Amazon Prime Video, Sony may jointly bid for IPL rights - will it work though?
Bob Biswas
Director: Diya Annapurna Ghosh
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Chitrangada Singh
Language: Hindi
Platform: Zee5
Release date: December 3, 2021.
Synopsis: The killer villain is now a hero. Now, that is an intriguing turn. The chilling contract killer, who made an eight-minute appearance in the 2012 film Kahaani, has now got titular eminence. As it happens, the man who holds a day-time insurance job but is a ruthless killer has now lost his memory. It is not known yet if Bob’s story will tie to Vidya’s story from Kahaani.
Abhishek Bachchan, who plays the titular role, has talked of the contradiction residing in the character --- someone so unassuming, sweet and soft but doing such a cold-hearted job. It is what really attracted him to the character. It is what attracts us too.
Chithirai Sevvaanam
Director: Stunt Silva
Cast: Samuthirakani, Pooja Kannan, Rima Kallingal
Language: Tamil
Platform: Zee5
Release date: December 5, 2021.
Synopsis: The film marks the debut of actress Sai Pallavi's younger sister Pooja Kannan. The film can be a gut in the punch as it takes up the sordid Pollachi sex scandal that rocked Tamil Nadu a few years ago. Streaked into this story is the warm tale of a daughter and dad relationship.
This contradistinction - a horror event and a loving relationship - makes the film both poignant and powerful. Malayalam actress Rima Kallingal plays a woman cop, who has to face multiple challenges. Popular stunt actor Stunt Silva has directed the film.
Cobalt Blue
Director: Sachin Kundalkar
Cast: Prateik Babbar, Neelay Mehendale, Anjali Sivaraman, Shishir Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam, Anant Joshi, Geetanjali Kulkarni
Language: Hindi
Platform: Netflix
Release date: December 3, 2021.
Synopsis: We recently saw Prateik Babbar in a sibling drama (Hiccup and Hookups). He is now caught in another tale with the same broad idea --- but totally different perspective. Cobalt Blue, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Sachin Kundalkar, is the story of a brother and sister who fall in love with the same man. Set in the early 90s, it explores the various shades of a relationship and love. And it explores how love can turn a conservative family upside down.
Based on his own 2006 Marathi novel, Sachin Kundalkar gives a visual rendition of his own words in this delicately crafted film. It is a refreshing indie watch amidst all its big-budget commercial movies.
Manchi Rojulochaie
Director: Maruthi Dasari
Cast: Santosh Shoban, Mehreen Pirzada, Ajay Ghosh, Rajitha, Vennela Kishore, Satyam Rajesh, Srikanth Iyengar
Language: Telugu
Platform: Aha
Release date: December 3, 2021.
Synopsis: It is the coming of age film, but with a twist. It is about the realisation of a dad of a woman in her twenties to let go of his controlling tendencies.
The story is around the young lady, who is in a live-in relationship with a man. Her dad though is a sensitive but controlling man. He takes pride in how he raised his daughter with 'good values'. He feels it’s necessary to maintain a high moral standard in life. His holier than thou attitude of course irritates his neighbours and friends. They want to get back on him. They try to do so through his daughter and her life's choices. Eventually, the two youngsters manage to convince him to accept their love for each other. It is a fun tale peppered with love and youth elements. It is a movie with a message that is not in your face.
Puksatte Lifu
Director: Aravind Kuplikar
Cast: Sanchari Vijay, Achyuth Kumar, Rangayana Raghu , Mathangi Prasanna
Language: Kannada
Platform: Zee5
Release date: December 3, 2021.
Synopsis: A film that takes a quaint warm lighthearted look at life in general. As it happens, the film released after its lead actor, Sanchari Vijay, tragically passed away in an accident. This irony is both sweet and heart-rending. An unfortunate mishap and a funny film that makes you smile, what you remember Sanchari Vijay by?
Anyway getting back to the film, it is equally filled with impish ironies. A case is filed against, well, a police station. A key-maker gets locked up during an act of lock-making. These delightful inversions make Puksatte Lifu, which never loses its droll humour outlook on life, such an interesting package. These unpretentious films with believable characters offer renewed hope for Kannada films.
As the year rings down, and the holiday spirit creeps in, these are good times to binge watch films and series. Our recommendation list should help you with that. Happy viewing!
