Lock-Down 'bumpings' - Part 1
My best reads and views (movies & digital content) of the last one year
March 19:
The last movie I watched in a multiplex was on this day. The movie was ‘Thappad’ , the venue was the Juhu PVR. No, I do not have the date etched in my memory - nothing significant happened nor was I totally blown away by the film, although it had a strong social message. The date I remember clearly is March 22 - if not significant but a very strange ‘request’ was put forward by the honorable PM to be carried out at exactly 5 PM on this day. In fact as I write this, social media has ‘celebrated’ its first anniversary, a few days back. So this date has now become a reference point in time to think for myself about a pre-covid life and ‘life’ thereafter. The last week of March was more about stocking stuff - daily groceries, essentials and hand-wash. I am sure none of us had foreseen what was to come in the next few months. With the state of Maharashtra declaring an early shutdown (lockdown was still hatching itself in the realm of colloquial lexicon), my focus was only on stocking stuff, so out I was once in every two days with a mask on.
With online deliveries making a comeback albeit slowly , life now was more about being available for work throughout- Yes work hours had extended, the feeling of it at least.
Days started with logging into VPN and logging out of Netflix or Prime or Hotstar. I bloody subscribed all (including Sony Liv in November -more on that later). I slowly resorted to reading on the Kindle which my then girlfriend and now wife had gifted me and which I had hardly used. I have always preferred prints.
As a sign of civil and peaceful protest, I preferred to title this summary of my favorite picks - Lock-Down ‘Bumpings’. Lockdown learnings was becoming too much of a corporate intrusion, as if WFH was not enough!
Alright then, here it goes. My best pick of the books, shows, movies or any content I came across in the past one year.
April
Best Show:
Special Ops (Language: Hindi) ; Rating: 7/10
Good cast, expected storyline, a bit of drama and an apologetic ending . Not sure why Neeraj Pandey took the convenient route. Special Ops is an espionage thriller NOT based on but probably inspired by books or real events and is Available on Hotstar.
Trivia: A lot of the scenes in the show were actually shot at Madh Island, Mumbai. Watch and figure out :)
Best Movie:
Trance (Language: Malayalam) ; Rating: 8/10
As one of my friends and a genuine movie buff gave Fahadh Faasil an 11/10 on acting. Indeed this was a sheer entertainer and was made around a subject which is taboo and sensitive at the same time. Must watch! Trance is the personal story of a person around the subject of cult following for pastors and their miracles and how it impacts his life overall. Available on Amazon Prime.
Trivia: One of my favorite directors Gautham Menon plays a pivotal role in the movie. Watch the movie to know more!
Best Book:
The Ride of a Lifetime by Bob Iger; Rating: 8/10
The journey of this extraordinary man from a backstage production assistant to being the CEO and eventually the executive Chairman of the board at Disney. My first complete read on Kindle!
May:
My birthday month. So I had to watch and read more, silly me wanted to reach milestones before growing one year older.
Best Show:
Paatal Lok (Language: Hindi) ; Rating: 8/10
Narration and Story Telling extraordinaire. Seamless execution, well researched characters and perfect casting. No overt and unnecessary drama. Jaideep Ahlawat and Abhishek Banerjee may have given their best on screen performance till date in whatever little or non-mainstream content that they have featured.
Trivia: Paatal Lok is a politico-crime drama based on Tarun Tejpal’s book ‘ The Story of My Assassins’. Available on Amazon Prime.
Best Movie:
I actually came across the works of a legend during this month and thankfully so!
Satoshi Kon- the legend in the world of anime. I ended up watching all his major works Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, Millennium Actress and Perfect Blue. (9/10 for all)
Cannot rank them in any order because each is a masterpiece in its own space and subject. Eureka moment: Inception was COMPLETELY inspired by Paprika- Nolan better acknowledges it in public!
Trivia: Satoshi Kon passed away too son at an age of 40-41. He could make only 4 films but all are classics in their own right and place!
Best Book:
Wizards: The Story of Indian Spin Bowling by Anindya Dutta; Rating: 9/10
My first print buy in lockdown. Yes lockdown was now part of the daily lexicon. I finished this book in 3 nights to be exact. Unputdownable for me, probably because I love reading anything and everything about cricket, cricketers and the stories and tales around them and the sport in general. Very very well researched and edited.
Trivia: The great leg spinner Subhash Gupte, (greatest to have played -claimed by the likes of Sir Garfield Sobers) had an unfortunate and unceremonious exit from the Indian Cricket Team and eventually emigrated to the Caribbean where he got married and spent the rest of his life.
June:
Best Show:
Money Heist (Language: Spanish ); Rating: 7/10
The last (released) season of this show had released in April 2020 and which had kept my wife busy into the start of the lockdown! She had kind of coaxed me into watching the show which was seemingly fantastic. So there it was, on a late Friday evening, I had set myself up to watch the first episode of Season 1. And by Sunday morning 3 AM I was done. I was done watching all episodes, I was done awed by the exhilarating experience, the sheer thrill in each episode. I was done witnessing the characters graduating from the name of a place to the enormity of a place in the heart of the viewer. It all sounds exaggerating and fanatic and indeed it is. Money Heist has a storyline probably never thought of or executed on screen. And so probably there are many unreal sequences or plot points. May be that is why I have given it a 7 and not a 9 or a 10. Seasons 3 and 4 kind of could not keep up at the same level but had some really riveting scenes- specially the climax action scene involving one against the entire main cast!
Trivia: La Casa de Papel started broadcasting on a local Spanish Network - Antena before a tweet or a social media post led to creating huge positive reviews for this otherwise unknown show. The worldwide streaming rights was eventually in 2017.
Best Movie:
The Intern (Language: English) ; Rating: 7/10
This was a ‘serendipitous’ find when both of us were trying to watch something on an otherwise exhausting day at work. And after ‘Devil Wears Prada’ I had become an eternal admirer of Anne Hathaway. And with Robert De Niro, one could not ask for more. Very very refreshing watch- while Anne Hathaway brightens up the screen with her finesse, Robert De Niro truly shows what a classy actor he is - there are times in the movie when without uttering a word, he says what is to be said. Yes Robert De Niro has done this all through his acting career. But this role is a bit different, the character is plucked straight out from the slice of daily life- no complication, no burdensome past, nothing. The camaraderie is so beautiful, wish all intern and mentor relationships were such in all fields of life!
Trivia: There is gonna be a Hindi remake very soon starring Deepika Padukone. Robert De Niro’s character was to be played by Rishi Kapoor but due to his unfortunate demise last year, the search for a new actor is on.
Best Book:
Miguel Street by V.S Naipaul ; Rating: 7.5/10
One of the first books by the legendary writer, in fact his first work of fiction. This is a collection of 17 short stories based out of a small suburb in Port of Sport, Trinidad and set during World War Two. The setting is one, and each story is weaved around each of the characters who are introduced in each of the chapters.
Trivia: V.S. Naipaul was born in Trinidad and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001.
I hope you enjoyed this read which I intend to complete in 3 parts. The next part will revolve around the next three months and a closing final one to wind up the otherwise messy year.