Killer Soup: Abhishek Chaubey Cooks A Delicious Meal With An Ode To The Works Of Both Shakespeare And Virginia Wolf

An impressive OTT debut by Abhishek Chaubey.

3.5

Killer Soup (Hindi)

  • Cast:  Manoj Bajpayee, Konkana Sen Sharma, Nassar, Sayaji Shinde, and Lal
  • Director: Abhishek Chaubey
  • Producers: Honey Tehran and Chetana Koshwik
  • Original Score: Benedict Taylor and Naresh Chandavarkar
  • No. of episodes: 8
  • OTT platform: Netflix

Abhishek Chaubey has proved to be more than a worthy protégé to the master filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj. Starting from Ishqiya in 2010, he has created a space for himself in the industry.

Abhishek Chaubey’s movies have never been part of the big clubs, but he has earned a certain respect among moviegoers.

A case in point is 2016’s Udta Punjab, which ruffled many feathers for its honest portrayal of the drug situation in Punjab.

Now, he has made his OTT debut with Killer Soup, which has been anticipated for more than one reason: The lead actors, Manoj Bajpayee and Konkana Sen Sharma, who have proved their proficiency by playing distinct roles in both movies and web shows.

Additionally, the subject of Killer Soup is based on some real-life incidents. There is an uncanny similarity to a murder that happened in Telangana. A woman called Swathi Reddy killed her husband and burned his body with the help of her lover Rajesh.

Well, without much ado, let’s check the synopsis.

Synopsis

Manoj Bajpayee in Killer Soup
Manoj Bajpayee in ‘Killer Soup’. (X)

The setting of Killer Soup is the fictional town of Mainjur in South India. The story opens with the happy photographs of husband and wife Swathi (Konkana Sen Sharma) and Prabhu (Manoj Bajpayee). And then, we move to their daily routine, which includes Swathi preparing paya soup.

On the other hand, Prabhu chooses what to wear from his huge collection of printed shirts. Swathi aspires to open her restaurant where the star dish would be the paya soup.

Prabhu makes lofty promises to Swathi but does nothing substantial to help her achieve her goal. He maintains an image of a god-like man.

Swathi leads a double life. She wears a burkha and goes outside to meet two people. One is the woman who teaches her cooking, and the other is her lover Umesh (Manoj Bajpayee again).

Things turn drastically at the end of the first episode when Prabhu catches Swathi and Umesh.

From here begins a roller coaster of a journey where Umesh ends up replacing Prabhu. What follows is a delicious mix of a dark comedy and an investigative thriller.

Analysis

Konkona Sen Sharma in Killer Soup
Konkona Sen Sharma in ‘Killer Soup’. (X)

One of the things that stand out in Killer Soup is the mix of different languages.

All the characters alternate between English, Hindi, and Tamil. The vocabulary and diction have an authentic feel and don’t sound jarring at any point.

Abhishek Chaubey does a wonderful job of creating a lived-in world.

Anuj Rakesh Dhawan’s cinematography needs to be commended.

Killer Soup also has some impressive social commentary through the character of Konkana Sen Sharma.

Swathi is someone who has a single-minded ambition of opening her restaurant. There is a visible desperation in her need for respect and social stature. Here, the viewers are reminded of Sobhita Dhulipala’s Tara from Made in Heaven (2019 and 2023).

Swathi is not the only one who wants to have an identity of her own. Her niece Apeksha (Anula Navleker) dreams of getting enrolled in a fine arts school in Paris to escape her controlling family.

Shakespearean touch

Abhishek Chaubey's directorial Killer Soup
Abhishek Chaubey’s directorial ‘Killer Soup’. (X)

Abhishek Chaubey has also done a good job of incorporating the Shakespeare elements.

Hassan (Nassar), a cop, is on the cusp of retirement and wants to end his career on a high.

Aiding him in this investigation is the ghost of a private detective Kiran Nadar (Bagavathi Perumal). This ghost is visible only to Hassan and gives him valuable support whenever the senior officer is in the doldrums.

The director has used the technique of magic realism in the scenes where Hassan interacts with the ghost. Some viewers will feel a sense of absurdity but it is also equally fun to watch.

The characters of Swathi and Umesh have also been humanised. For example, Umesh has pangs of guilt and expresses his frustration of being in the shoes of someone else.

In the case of Swathi, there are occasions where she does come across as a lady Macbeth with her manipulative ways but at the same time, she has a genuine fondness for Apeksha that comes out on more than one occasion.

The supporting characters have also been written with a lot of care. The best examples of this are Sayaji Shinde and Nassar. Sayaji Shinde is a delight to watch as a no-nonsense man. He is the elder brother of Prabhu.

Nassar as the determined cop brings in a lot of integrity to his scenes. The actor also leaves you in splits in his interactions with the ghost.

Performances

As far as the lead actors are concerned, Konkana and Manoj Bajpayee are simply magical together and individually.

Konkana pulls off the different moods with absolute panache —going from loving to scary without any fumble.

Manoj Bajpayee is also wonderful, particularly as bumbling Umesh, who has no control over what is happening around him.

A slight flaw in the Killer Soup web series is the role of Malayalam actor Lal’s Lucas. Lucas is hinted to be a rebel leader before working for Sayaji Shinde’s Aravind, but the characterisation feels sketchy.

Lal makes a solid impression, but a better characterisation would have enhanced the performance.

Also, the editing leaves something to be desired at places.

Verdict

In all, Killer Soup is definitely a dish worth tasting. Abhishek Chaubey has made an impressive digital debut.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

The Family Man Season 2: A Scintillating Sequel

The expectations from The Family Man Season 2 have been huge ever since its announcement. Fortunately the show turned out to be a worthy one. It not only matches up to the first part but it also goes a step ahead. Through the second season director duo Raj and DK continue to showcase their ability in dealing with conflicts both global and domestic through humanist lens. There are no simplistic heroes and villains here. Both sides come with their own shades of grey.

By the start of Season 2 Manoj Bajpai’s Srikant Tiwari had quit his task force job and joined an IT company. The reason for it is his guilt about certain events that happened at the end of the first season. He also wanted to make his family life work. But both were not working well for him. In fact things became worse.

The backdrop of Family Man Seaason 2 is Northern Sri Lanka. You have a Tamil government in exile who wants to take revenge on PM Basu ( Seema Biswas). Manoj Bajpai’s Srikant who is already vexed with his IT job decides to return back to where he belongs. This time around Srikant is dealing with a hardened LTTE militant Raji ( Samantha Akkineni).

In addition the old enemies have also made a comeback lead by Darshan Kumar. As part of the plan Darshan Kumar’s character along with another person Sajid uses a boy to trap Srikant’s daughter. This is only one side of the story but many other things are happening simultaneously.

The biggest take way from this season is how Raj and DK deal with the character of Samantha’s Raji and the entire LTTE thing in general. Samantha has said in various interviews that she doesn’t look at her character as a villain and you understand the reasons behind it when you see the show. Raji is someone who has faced brutality not only at the hands of the Sri Lankan soldiers but has also been abused by men in day to day life.

There are scenes where we see men trying to get into bed with her, you also have a random stranger trying to touch her inappropriately on a local bus. So her anger is not just about the governments but it is also about the patriarchy and the society at large.

Initially we see her as a very silent person with no expressions but as the story goes along we are introduced to the darker side of her life. Samantha embodies all these aspects of her character superbly and delivers a performance which pushes boundaries. Her performance in the action scenes is also top notch.

The scenes where the paths of Manoj Bajpai and Samantha cross keep you on your toes. One of my favourite scenes in the series is when Manoj Bajpai’s character question’s Samantha’s about their plans. Can’t give too much away as it will be spoilers but the scene works very well. In simple terms Raj and DK touch upon about how a freedom fighter is a terrorist for a person who is on the other side.  

The treatment of Samantha’s character also extends to the other LTTE ones. Raj and DK along with co writer Supan Varma show that although the path they have chosen is wrong we shouldn’t ignore the struggles and the sufferings that they have undergone.

Another important thing about the show is how Tamil characters speak. It comes across as very natural without sounding caricaturist (for example Chennai Express).

The moral dilemmas of Srikant Tiwari has also been explored well. This particularly comes out in a scene where he and his boss played by Dalip Tahil talk about a mishap related to the first season. This is regarding a Muslim student who gets branded as a terrorist because of Srikant’s mistake.

The friendship between Srikant and Sharib Hashmi’s JK also grows stronger in this one. There is a strong thread of emotion that comes out.

The family portions don’t get the same weightage as the first one but they still work. The character which gets the most growth in the family is the daughter Dhriti played by Ashlesha Thakur. Her character goes through a major transformation in this one. She gets into a relationship with Kalyan AKA Salman. One thing leads to another and eventually it is shown that Salman is not what he appears to be. He kidnaps her on his bosses’ command. In the eighth episode she saves herself from Salman and also from Sajid. She shows that she has inherited her father’s genes and can make for a great agent herself. After that incident we see a more mature Dhriti. Ashlesha Thakur is particularly good in the scenes where she saves herself.

The comedy bits work perfectly and come across as a major relief when the drama gets dark. The scenes which will make you chuckle the most are the ones where Srikant is struggling to adjust with his IT life. There are also some humorous scenes when the action shifts to South India. Most of the humour in these scenes comes from the stereotypes that north and south people have about each other. These include food and other things.

Manoj Bajpai as Srikant continues his good form and shows why he is the perfect actor to play this character. This time around there are more scenes which portray Srikant’s vulnerability and Manoj faces it. Sharib Hashmi continues his impressive form, out of the old nemeses Darshan Kumar looks very dashing and fits the part of the stylish villain perfectly.

The Family Man Season 2 is well worth the wait and it will be interesting to watch how Raj and DK take the franchise forward. Can’t wait for the third season!

Gulmohar: A Tale Of A Dysfunctional Family Propelled By The Presence Of Veterans

Sharmila, Manoj & Simran’s show!

Gulmohar (Hindi)

  • Cast: Sharmila Tagore, Manoj Bajpai, Simran, and Amol Palekar
  • Writer-Director: Rahul V Chittella
  • Producers: Vikesh Bhutani, Rahul Chittella, and Shujaat Saudagar
  • Music: Siddarth Kosala and Alan Demoss
  • OTT platform: Disney+ Hotstar
  • Runtime: 2 hours 12 minutes

There was a time when the portrayal of families was largely sugar-coated on the big screen. Everything used to be hunky dory until an outsider comes along and creates a rift.

For a long time, the majority of family dramas followed this template. However, this has changed in recent times thanks to directors like Zoya Akhtar and Shakun Batra.

Dil Dhadakne Do and Kapoor & Sons are examples of families where interpersonal relationships were shown on shaky grounds.

Gulmohar directed by Rahul V Chittella pretty much falls under the same space. There is also a semblance of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding.

The big charm of watching the film lies in seeing veterans like Sharmila Tagore and Manoj Bajpai sharing screen space. Their parts are easily the best thing about the film.

However, the movie would have come out better if the director hadn’t tried to cram too many things.

Synopsis

Gulmohar begins with a get-together of the Batras. Kusum (Sharmila Tagore) is the matriarch of the Batra family. She leaves everyone baffled with the announcement that she bought a house for herself in Pondicherry.

She also declares that she won’t be moving in with her son Arun (Manoj Bajpai) into his new apartment. Kusum feels that she has done enough for her family and now wants to follow her heart.

Arun is quite rattled by her decision. But, being an obedient son, he doesn’t let his displeasure show.

Suraj Sharma plays Arun’s son Aditya who also wants to live separately from his wife. This leads to a strained relationship between father and son.

Arun’s biggest solace is his wife Indu (Simran). The twist in the tale here is that Arun is adopted. As a result, he always needs an affirmation that he belongs to the Batra family.

Amidst all this chaos, some dark secrets tumble out which threaten to shake the entire foundation of the family.

Explores interpersonal relationships

The best thing about Gulmohar is how Rahul V Chittella explores interpersonal relationships. Two tracks, in particular, stand out. One being Manoj and Sharmila Tagore, and the other Manoj and Simran.

The character of Kusum is someone that many modern women would identify with. Through Kusum, the director also touches upon the hidden desires of women.

The scene where Kusum talks to her granddaughter about her early days, marriage and motherhood is so endearing to watch.

The scenes between Manoj and Sharmila are also filled with a lot of warmth. We wish to see more of them.

A scene that particularly stands out is when mother and son go through the family photos together. The portions of Arun and Indu are another major highlight of Gulmohar.

There is an authenticity to their portrayal as a mature couple who have gone through many ups and downs. The scenes of Indu imitating her mother-in-law behind her back lead to some amusing moments.

Indu is the pillar who is holding everything together when the family seems to be falling apart. Simran as Indu is a treat to watch and she more than holds her own opposite both Sharmila and Manoj Bajpai.

The performances

Among the extended family, Amol Palaker is brilliant as the brother-in-law of Kusum. It is a role that is in complete contrast to Farzi. It is a delight to watch the senior actor embracing the grey shades of his role.

Not surprisingly, it is Manoj Bajpai and Sharmila Tagore who hold the proceedings.

Manoj Bajpai’s Arun is a complex part. But, as expected, he does full justice to his role. He makes the struggles of Arun so relatable.

Sharmila Tagore is elegantly personified as the progressive matriarch. She effortlessly charms her way through to the audience’s heart. She is brilliant in both the lighter and emotional bits.

Suraj Sharma as Aditya is one big minus. He comes across as mostly wooden and his passion to become an App developer hasn’t got the required fire.

The music composed by Siddarth Khosla and Alan Demoss is soothing. The ghazal number by Talat Aziz, in particular, stands out.

The drawbacks

However, Gulmohar is not just about the family dynamics of the Batras.

The director also looks into the lives of the staff employed at the villa along with an extended family.

A good example of this is the romantic relationship between the cook (Reshma) and the watchman (Jitender).

Their romance is very reminiscent of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. Initially, these portions have a certain charm. But, after a point, it hampers the proceedings.

There is also an attempt at advocating same-sex relationships. But this track hasn’t been intricately woven.

Verdict

Gulmohar is a treat for the fans of Manoj Bajpai and Sharmila Tagore.

Some Of My Favorite Web Series Across Languages (2021)

Firstly advanced happy New Year and here’s hoping that we will finally get rid of this COVID in 2022. Following is a list of the web series that I have liked most this year. Out of the eight web series that I have chosen there are two Telugu, four Hindi, one English and one Pakistani.

Pakistani

Dhoop Ki Deewar– Director Haseeb Hasan’s Dhoop Ki Deewar is a show which is much needed for today’s times. Through a heart wrenching love story the director conveyed a strong anti- war message. The series begins off with an intense India and Pakistan cricket match. You have two families cheering for their respective nations. One family is from Amritsar and the other one is from Lahore.

The first episode gives you a basic idea about these two families. The audiences soon come to know that they are army ones. The main characters are Sara Sher Ali (Sajal Ally) and Vishal Malhotra (Ahad Raza). The fathers of these two are fighting in the Indian- Pakistan border in Jammu & Kashmir. Sara and Vishal don’t know that their lives are going to change forever.

Haseeb Hasan gets many things right with the show. One of those things is the consumption of entertainment across the nations. For example Vishal is shown to be a fan of Atif Aslam songs. The Indian family on one hand is shown to be fond of Pakistani dramas; on the other hand the Pakistani family is shown to be fond of Indian dramas. All these things are narrated in an entertaining way.

The love story between the leads keeps you guessing regarding where it is going to end. At one point it looks like they may have a happily ever after but that is soon drowned with the twists towards the final few episodes. The climax is a highly emotional one; it is very difficult not to be moved. Sajal Ally and Ahad Raza bring the characters to life with their terrific performances. Both of them are equally good and that also helps the audiences in making them root for the characters.

English

1. Sex Education Season 3– There is a major reason why the sex education series is hugely popular. It is a series which had juggled many delicate issues like teen sexuality, gender identity etc. All this was done in such a way that you never feel like being lectured. Sex education season 3 was a worthy successor as it goes a step further. This time the focus was on women’s rights, patriarchy and loving oneself.

Sex education season 3

For those who haven’t seen the first two seasons the plot primarily followed the journey of Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield). He is a student at Moordale Secondary school. Otis is slightly ambivalent toward sex. The reason for that is his divorced mother Jean (Gillian Anderson). She is a sex therapist who has frequent affairs but is unable to maintain relationships.

Another major character is that of Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey).  Otis and Maeve set up a sex therapy business in school in order to help the students who have sexual problems. Season 2 was majorly about an outbreak called Chlamydia that causes students to question and struggle against topical issues.

Coming to Season 3 a major highlight of this one was how it dealt with the female characters. They were written with lot of insight. This insight can be particularly seen with Maeve and also the pregnancy of Otis mother Jean Melbourn. The writing of these characters was also strong in the first two ones but this time it went a notch higher. Emma Mackey and Gilan Anderson were the best out of the ensemble cast.

Telugu

1. Kudi Yedamaithe– Pawan Kumar’s Kudi Yedamaithe was based on an interesting premise of two people having already lived through a particular day. In the hands of a less competent director this premise would have fallen flat but Pawan Kumar did an extremely good job in making the audiences engrossed throughout.

The series comprised of eight episodes and it never deviated from its core plot. Thankfully, there were no forceful insertions like comedy track or songs. The two characters in question here are Adi (Rahul Vijay) and cop Durga (Amala Paul). Durga has her hands full as she is busy trying to catch the child kidnappers. Adi on the other hand is a delivery boy with aspirations of becoming an actor. The core plot is about whether these two can change the turn of events since they are aware of what the rest of the day holds.

One of the major strengths of the series is the subtle variations that the director brings to the table in terms of how he presents the events. This can be particularly seen with Adi’s character. The director also makes sure that the concept of time loop never gets into a boring zone. While Amala Paul is in good form as Durga it is Rahul Vijay who surprises you. He gets equal footage to show his potential.

2.  Unheard– Aditya KV’s Unheard is a series which packs in a lot. There are multiple themes going on. For example you have the ideological stand offs between the revolutionaries. It is a lot to focus on but the director does a good job of keeping you invested.

The series starts off with an idealistic young Gandhian Padma (Chandini Chowdary). She seeks help for an injured comrade played by Priyadarshini. The doctor who helps her is Chalapati (Bala Aditya). The night passes with Padma and Chalapati having heated arguments on the benefits and banes of Nizam rule along with the price of freedom. The next episode is about two revolutionaries with different ideologies, along with Priyadarshini this episode also features Ajay. The rest of the episodes mostly bring back the familiar characters.

One of the most striking aspects of the series is the conversations between the revolutionaries. The series by nature is heavy on dialogues as the characters are frequently saying their point of views. Thankfully the dialogues also written by Aditya KV are just as powerful. These dialogues along with the performances of the actors also aided the script.

Hindi

1. Family Man Season 2– The expectations from Family Man Season 2 was immense, fortunately season 2 more than lived up to the expectations. In fact it was better than the first one. Just like the first season director duo Raj and DK continued to showcase their ability in dealing with conflicts both global and domestic through humanist lens. You don’t come across simplistic heroes and villains here. There are shades of grey on both sides.

By the end of Season 1 Manoj Bajpai’s Srikant Tiwari had quit his task force job and joined an IT company. The reason for that is his guilt about certain events that had happened at the end of the first season. He also wanted to make his family life work but his attempts at neither are working. He is getting fed up of the IT job and the family life has become worse.

The backdrop of Season 2 is Northern Sri Lanka. Samantha’s character Raji is a hardened LTTE militant. The basic storyline is Srikant Tiwari deciding that he has had enough and returning back to where he belongs. The task of Srikant Tiwari this time is to save PM Basu (Seema Biswas) from the hands of LTTE. In addition the old nemeses have also made a comeback.

The biggest triumph of Family Man Season 2 is how Raj and DK deal with the characters of Samantha’s Raji and the entire LTTE thing in general. Samantha had said in various interviews that she doesn’t look at her character as a villain. You understand why she said like that when you see the show. Raji is someone who has faced brutality at the hands of both Sri lankan soldiers and also men in day to day life. Her anger is not just about the governments but it is also about patriarchy.

Samantha embodied all these aspects of her character and delivered a performance that pushes boundaries. The way she did the action scenes was also first rate. Manoj Bajpai as Srikant Tiwari started off from where he left off in the season. Sharab Hasmi in his supporting was equally impressive just like the first part.

2. Grahan– Rajesh Chandel’s Grahan was based on the novel  Chaurasi written by Satya Vyas. The eight episodes covers a story that is set three decades from each other, however there is a commonality that binds them.

Zoya Hussain plays the righteous police officer Amrita Singh. She firmly believes in using her position for the betterment of society. Pawan Malhotra plays the father. When Amrita tries to solve a case of an honest journalist she faces opposition from top politicians. Frustrated she decides to resign, but things take a turn when an old case regarding the Sikh riots in a place called Bokaro comes up. Her world comes crashing down as she finds that her father is the prime suspect in this case.

The most striking aspect of Grahan is the parallels that the director draws between 1984 India and today’s one. There are some sharp observations on how people can be quickly incited by What’sApp forwards and political manipulation. There are some scenes in the present timeline which show how easily people believe in these rumors and turn against each other in spite of living with them for a long time. The underlying message is that the issues are the same whether it is 1984 India or today’s one.

The emotional scenes between Zoya and Pavan Malhotra also struck a chord with the audiences.

3. Mumbai Diaries– Mumbai Diaries directed by Nikhil Advani and Nikhil Gonsalves is a gripping drama that is both emotional and intriguing. The directors took the real life incidents of 26//11 and penned down a fictional story.

The director duo set their story in a crowded, chaotic and low- on resources government hospital. The doctors and nurses are pushed to their limits as victims of gunshots are wheeled in one after another on the night of November 26th.

Although the medical professionals are the centre of the story they are not the only ones under the spotlight. In essence Mumbai Diaries is about the spirit of the people. It was a night where everyone had to be on their toes to fight this unexpected attack.

The biggest success of Mumbai Diaries lies in how they made a thriller that is both heartbreaking and heart stopping. The series makes you applaud the courage and the determination that both men and women showed in the face of death. It also avoided the cliché route of pitting one nation against another, or one religion against another.

Out of the huge ensemble the ones who stood out were Mohit Raina, Konkana Sen Sharma and Satyajit Dubey.

4. The Empire– Mitakshara Kumar’s The Empire was based on Alex Rutherford’s novel The Raiders from the north. It was the first in the series written by Alex Rutherford. The book essentially covered the journey of Babur from Fergana to setting up the Mughal Empire. Apart from Kunal Kapoor as Babur the ensemble cast also included Dino Morea, Shabana Azmi, Drashti Dhami etc.

The Empire wasn’t exactly as engaging as the book but it was still consistently watchable on the account of several factors.

The scale of the series was undoubtedly very striking. The camerawork by Nigam Bomzan and the production design by Priya Suhas was successful in transporting the audience. Mitakshara Kumar worked as an assistant director for several years under Sanjay Leela Bhansali, you can clearly see the influence of her mentor.

Just like Ranveer’s Khilji Dino Morea also had a more of an impactful role compared to Kunal Kapoor who played Babur. Initially we see Dino’s character as a ruthless villain but slowly a psychological insight is also given. His scenes with Drashti Dhami’s Khanzada Begum showed a different side to the character.

The female characters of Dhrasti Dhami and Shabana Azmi were another good aspect of the series. Drashti Dhami in particular molded herself well in a character that requires her to be bold yet restrained and impactful. Both the women characters play an important role in the politics of the kingdom and aren’t mere bystanders.

This is all about the year ender web series, once again advanced Happy New Year.

Ray (Anthology): A Good Tribute To The Master Director

Satyajit Ray was not just a celebrated filmmaker he was also a man of many talents. One of his talents was writing stories. Ray anthology directed by Srijit Mukherjee, Abhishek Chaubey and Vasan Bala is a reimagination of Ray’s stories for the modern audience. It is quite a huge task on hand and fortunately the makers do a good job for most part. My most favourite one is Abhishek Chaubey’s Hungama Hai Kyon. The least impressive segment is the last one directed by Vasan Bala. Below is my brief opinion on the four films.

Forget Me Not directed by Srijit Mukherjee

Forget Me Not focuses on Ipsit Nair (Ali Fazal) who has successfully climbed up the corporate ladder. He is called as a human computer by his colleagues because of his sharp memory. He is adored by everyone around him. But things take a turn when he bumps into an old flame and start spiralling down fast. Ipsit is haunted by that girl whom he cannot remember and slowly starts getting restless and loses focus on the job.

Due to his restlessness he also gets into an accident. Initially the impression that we get is he just lost his memory, some sort of dementia but as the story goes along more things come out of the closet and the darker side of Ipsit’s personality is revealed.

That is when we realise that Forget Me Not is not about a single person. It talks about a very important thing which is the growing selfishness of young men and how they will do anything in order to climb up the social ladder. The best thing about this segment is how Srijit Mukherjee unravels the plot and its characters. This can be best seen in Shweta Basu’s role. Initially she comes across as someone who is not so important but Srijit gives a super twist to the character in the climax.

Ali Fazal nails his part of a man whose life is spiralling downwards. The madness and the eccentricity came out perfectly. Shweta Basu Prasad also does a good job particularly when it matters most.

Bahrupiya also directed by Srijit Mukherjee stars Kay Kay Menon as a clerk with an obsession for prosthetics. He is also an aspiring makeup artist who is stuck with a job and a life both of which he hates. His grandmother was a makeup supplier for Hollywood studios, when she passes away she leaves him a lot of fortune which includes prosthetics too. Bahrupiya uses a Joker kind of setting where the protagonist is pushed to doing things which aren’t exactly right. The path that he chooses leads him to do several unpleasant things which also bring him a question of his own identity.

Bahrupiya makes an interesting viewing because you get invested in the character of Kay Kay Menon’s Indrashish and the world that he is tangled in. The Joker kind of setting has been cleverly adapted and the prosthetics that Indrashish uses to fool people has been well executed.

The best part of the story is the existential question that the character faces of who he really is. Is he Indrashish or the Bahrupiya who is hiding under the prosthetics. Kay Kay Menon is at his usual best and he is successful in portraying the character’s transformation.

Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa

After two intense stories this one comes across as a welcome breather by Abhishek Chaubey. The plot is essentially a train journey and focuses on a disorder called Kleptomania. For those who are not aware Kleptomania is an impulse that results in an urge to steal. Manoj Bajpai plays an Urdu Ghazal singer Musafir. During a train journey he meets Asleem Beig (Gajraj Rao), a wrestler turned- sports journalist. As the story progresses it is revealed that it is not for the first time that these two met. Also a shocking revelation is given about Musafir before he became a famous singer that he is today.

This one rests on a thin plot but works because of Abhishek Chaubey’s treatment. The director cleverly uses the glass of the train’s washroom as a device to narrate the story. It is also a pleasure to watch the crackling chemistry between Manoj Bajpai and Gajraj Rao. Both of them are in perfect sync with each other. The Urdu dialogues muttered by Manoj Bajpai’s character are a pleasure to watch.

The dark humour will make you chuckle at many instances. The editing is also razor sharp and it perfectly complements the fast paced journey of these two. Needless to say that the two actors are in perfect form.

Spolight directed by Vasan Bala

It is easily the weakest link in this anthology. The story is about a superstar Vikram Malhotra played by Harshvardhan Kapoor. He has become a sensation just for his one look. He loves to be in the spotlight but he soon faces an adversary in the form of Didi (Radhika Madan). She is a religious leader who is coincidentally living in the same hotel as Vikram. Vikram starts feeling threatened. They eventually meet which reveals a big twist regarding Didi. This twist is the only thing which works in the story.

The biggest problem with this one is the lack of cohesiveness in what Vasan Bala wants to say. The filmy references don’t work except for a couple of ones. Harshvardhan Kapoor also doesn’t have the star aura about him to play this character. Akansha Ranjan is sincere but is let down by a haphazard characterization. Radhika Madan in her brief appearance is the only one who shines here.

Ray anthology can definitely be watched in spite of a limp ending.

The Family Man Season 2 : Curtain Raiser

For those who haven’t seen the first season the plot is about Srikant Tiwari who lives a double life. On one hand he appears to be a regular middle- class man who works in a government office pushing files for a living but he is actually an agent at the threat analysis and Surveillance cell (TASC). Srikant’s job consists of going after terrorists and looking for clues while bombs are being defused by the experts. The terrorists here are a bunch of people with links to ISIS and Pakistan. The job of Srikant and his team is to uncover the plot and make sure that the plans of the extremists don’t work.

While all this going on there is also the track of Srikant’s family life crumbling. His wife played by Priyamani is on the brink of an affair. His daughter on the other hand is covering up for a boy who’s is pushing pills in their class. To top it the son is a little brat of his own.

What made this plot work was the treatment of the director duo Raj and DK. This can be particularly seen in how they handled the main character. While we are used to seeing spys as larger than life characters Raj and Dk gave a different spin to this character. Some of the best scenes in the series involve Srikant juggling between his personal and professional life. This juggling act makes the character of Srikanth and his world more relatable.

The series also worked for the jugalbandi of Manoj Bajpai and Sharib Hashmi who plays Srikant’s trusted aid. The friendship that the characters share appeared very real thanks to both the actors. Every scene that both of them appeared brings a smile to your face.

The series also deserved appreciation for how it dealt with some of the issues affecting our country. Yes, the treatment could have been better at places but both Raj and DK deserve appreciation for what they have done.

For example there are scenes where we see the Muslim students being rounded up by the policemen for no fault of theirs. You also have videos of mob lynching that are circulated among the students.

You also have a segment on Kashmir when Srikant gets transferred to that place. There is a scene where Gul Panang’s character talks about how common people are the worst effected in the crossfire between Indian army and militants. She almost suggests that there is no difference between army and militants in this matter. Not surprisingly these dialogues didn’t go down too well with the RSS.

Last but not the least, the series gave the opportunity for Manoj Bajpai to lead from the front which is something that we don’t see in commercial Hindi films.

As a result of all these factors the second season has become one of the most awaited web series of this year. Family Man Season 2 was supposed to release in February but it is releasing now due to the controversy that Abbas Ali Zafar’s Tandav faced.

From the trailer of the second season it is very evident that Srikanth is still juggling between his dual duty of being a middle class family man and world class spy. There are witty one liners delivered by Manoj and the camaraderie between him and Sharib Hashmi looks crackling just like the first season.

The thing which I am looking forward most is watching Samantha. It looks like an edgy character with grey shades. Given the talent that Samantha has we can look forward for a powerful performance.

There has also been some controversy regarding Samantha’s character as some people feel that her character of LTTE militant has been shown in an objectionable manner. However, it wouldn’t be appropriate to judge the character based on the teaser. Raj and DK are sensitive directors and in all probability they would have dealt with the story in a responsible way.