Nonika Singh

When ‘Panchayat’ first dropped on Prime Video in 2020, it marked a refreshing departure from the crime-based dramas, triggering a new trend, and has since spawned a few clones too. Unlike violence and gaali-infested web shows which rule the OTT space, the offering from TVF (The Viral Fever), the original web content creator of shows like ‘Permanent Roommates’, won hearts and appreciation. With its perfect rural setting, an unusual premise and stellar performances, it figured high on the critics’ meter. Five years later and into its fourth season, it retains the series’ major strengths. Ever since Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar), an engineering graduate, landed in the fictional village of Phulera in Uttar Pradesh as Sachivji (the panchayat secretary), all eyes have been on this roller-coaster ride of emotions, drama and laughter. An authentic slice of hinterland, it has brought forth the joys of simple things and the beauty of rural life, laced with subtle political commentary.

t’s a classic whodunit, says our desi Pink Panther, Detective Sherdil (Diljit Dosanjh). Of course, somewhere in the middle, he turns the phrase to “howdunnit”. Peppered with many red herrings, some dead giveaways too are thrown in. Set almost in comic book fashion, coming from the stable of Ali Abbas Zafar’s production house, ‘Detective Sherdil’ cuts no corners as far as the production design is concerned. Cinematographer Marcin Laskawiec trains his camera not only on the beauteous locales in Budapest, Hungary, but also matches the effervescent atmospherics of the film. Otherwise, the Hindi-English feature has all the regular trappings that come with an Indian murder mystery.

We all deserve a second chance. Does life offer it easily enough though? In the lands where nature blooms, time stands still, simplicity reigns and humanity is not a casualty, nothing is impossible. Thus, when a young girl, Nia (Dheera Johnson), returns to her hill home in the Himalayas, coping with personal trauma, heartbreak and more, her journey also transforms into one of self-awareness and self-realisation. ‘Second Chance’ is as much about personal healing as offering comfort to those who have been instrumental in making Nia feel whole again. Far away from the hustle and bustle of city life, as she spends idyllic time in a small village in the mountains, the baggage that urbanisation and modern lifestyle choices often impose is shed. First through her interactions with a young boy, Sunny (Kanav Thakur), son of the caretaker of her home, and more strongly with his grandmother (Thakuri Devi). Slowly, Nia not only finds closure but also ways to refresh, rejuvenate and connect with those far removed from her urban reality.

Ever wondered what is kankhajura and why should a series be named after it? Well, it’s an insect called centipede (with many legs), which finds its place insidiously and can worm up its way right into your brain. Our lead character, Aashu (Roshan Mathew), possesses the same ability. Seemingly innocuous, even a victim, he can curl up right into the mindscape of all he chooses to, much to their detriment of course. It’s a rather interesting premise where one moment he is an informant and at another point a convict. But let you be told that the series is an adaptation of an Israeli series ‘Magpie’, a highly intelligent bird with complex cognitive abilities, including planning. It invariably picks up on bright and shiny things. And let us confess, we have not seen the award-winning original. In case you have, maybe the surprise twists here will not be as exciting. But for those not clued in to the original, the story adapted by director Chandan Arora and co-writer Upendra Sidhaye has enough sting and venom to keep you invested all the way from start to finish.

What comprises a good deed? Is it as simple as feeding the cows, or even the poor, or lighting diyas around sacred trees? Of course, before we come to the heart of the film, it begins on a light-hearted note, even beats around the bush, and only then arrives at what it intends to convey. Love birds Ranjan (Rajkummar Rao) and Titli (Wamiqa Gabbi) have eloped. Only before they actually run away, Titli decides to flit back. They return home. No, hell doesn’t break loose. Parents, even in Varanasi, are not that unreasonable. Only the girl’s father puts in a caveat, “Find a government job within two months if you want to marry my daughter”. And you get the crux of the storyline. In the hero ‘buying’ a government job and finding his way to ‘happily ever after’ lies the rest of the drama.

Incredible, incredulous and invigorating… indeed you expect no less, perhaps no more too, from the Mission Impossible franchise. Ever since Tom Cruise landed on our theatre screens in 1996 as Ethan Hunt, he and his insanely successful franchise have captured viewers’ imagination like fire. The fact that India is one of the few countries where the film released before its US outing in theatres is proof enough of its burgeoning Indian fandom. Indeed, the template of the actioner is the same. Impossible we all know is not just another word in the title of the MI universe, it’s the key driver and mantra where the implausibility of it all is what makes it exciting. Those who have seen the prequel Mission Impossible: The Dead Reckoning, know too well who Ethan’s enemy and world’s is, this time over. In a way his job is cut out, and the very first scene establishes so. Indeed, it’s the ‘Entity’ who has taken control of the nuclear arsenal of most countries including India and Pakistan. In another time nuclear threat hovering over our heads may have seemed like a distant nightmare.

It is indeed passion that takes us to our goals. Thus, the title of the musical series, ‘Hai Junoon!’, is just apt. But more than the name of the series, we need to pay heed to its tagline: ‘Dream. Dare. Dominate.’ It’s important to both dream and dare, but where can the will to dominate take us? When the musical ‘Bandish Bandits’ landed on our screens, it was indeed a breath of fresh air, for it celebrated music in its entirety, especially the sonorous notes of shastriya sangeet. One can’t say Jio Creative Studios’ ‘Hai Junoon!’ walking the musical path is a rip-off. Rather, instead of playing on the rivalry of musical groups or different genres, it starts off as a class divide of sorts. And thus pitches off the college’s musical band, Supersonics, against a dance group, which later finds its name: Misfits.

A reluctant heir to the gaddi, an ambitious CEO of a hospitality startup — sparks fly when they meet. For most parts, ‘The Royals’, touted as a romcom, is expectedly a love story between a blue-blooded heir and a commoner. Only, this aam kumari, to borrow from the series lingo, is no Cinderella. In fact, the so-called ordinary mortal Sophia Kanmani Shekhar (Bhumi Pednekar) is extraordinary and spunky. Winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, she dresses more nattily than royals do. She bumps into her prince annoying Aviraj Singh (Ishaan Khatter) in the very first scene and though attraction is palpable, they soon fall out.