Alisa Rivera, @BollywoodNewbie on Twitter, asked me to suggest a South Indian film we could both watch and discuss. She’s been watching Hindi films for the last couple of years, and has just started to watch Malayalam films. She had not seen any other Telugu films other than Baahubali, and did not know Mahesh Babu. 1: Nenokkadine was my first Mahesh film, and I’d been meaning to watch it again. I’m not sure it was the best one to recommend as Alisa’s first Mahesh film, but she left wanting to see more of his films. We also talk about the deaths of Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor as we recorded this right after their deaths.
Extraction Movie Review
Extraction is Netflix production starring Chris Hemsworth and Randeep Hooda (!!) with a script by Joe Russo of the Avengers films. Frankly, it felt like I was in the middle of a shooter video game for much of the film, with a staggering body count. But, the movie is at least half in Hindi and Bengali, with subtitles, and it was just cool to have actors from the Hindi industry and Hollywood together in a film.
Ayyapanum Koshiyum Review
Prithviraj and Biju Menon star opposite each other in this tense Malayalam drama from director Sachy. I caught up with this film on Amazon Prime.
Chat with Sunny about Chori Chori & Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin
Sunny of Sunny’s Starlight had a fantastic discussion about the two Hindi remakes of the classic Hollywood film It Happened One Night, one of my all time favorites.
Chori Chori was the last film of Nargis and Raj Kapoor, and then Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin starred Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt.
Bangalore Days Movie Review
After rewatching this favorite Malayalam film for the It Pod To Be You podcast, I realized I’d never done a video review. When I first saw Dulquer Salmaan in OK Kanmani, I then sought out his other films and ordered a few DVD’s from India. The first Malayalam films I saw were Ustad Hotel and Bangalore Days. These are the films that made me fall in love with Malaylam cinema.
Bangalore Days on It Pod To Be You
I had a great time discussing one of my all time favorite films, Bangalore Days, with Manish Mathur on his podcast, It Pod To Be You. He normally talks about Hollywood Rom Coms, but he gave me the choice of film to talk about. Bangalore Days was Manish’s first Malayalam film, and his first time seeing Dulquer Salmaan in a movie. Bangalore Days, a film about three close cousins and their romantic stories is just the comfort movie we all need right now. Thankfully, it’s streaming on Amazon Prime. I’ll be honest, the English subtitles on Amazon are not the best, but I still highly recommend watching it! Video review coming later today.
Hope you enjoy listening to the podcast!
Dia – A Unique Romance Film
Many viewers had recommended the 2020 Kannada film Dia to me. It’s now streaming on Amazon Prime, and I’m so glad I watched it. K S Ashoka has a well crafted script, about introverted Dia. I wasn’t expecting the boy she falls for in the first half hour to NOT be the love of her life! This film was unique and really different with a shocking ending. If you’re looking for something completely light for quarantine viewing, this may not be for you, but if you want to see an offbeat romance, I highly recommend Dia.
Top Five Hindi Films of 2019
This was not the best year for Hindi cinema, but there were some stand outs.
Honorable Mention:
Badla
#5. War
#4. Sonchiriya
#3. The Sky Is Pink
#2. Article 15
#1. Gully Boy
HIT & Trance are on Amazon Prime
Two recent films I saw in the theater, are now streaming on Amazon Prime.
HIT is a Telugu mystery thriller starring Vishwak Sen as a troubled detective. This film produced by Nani is worth a watch!
Trance is a Malayalm film starring Fahadh Faasil as a faith healer preacher. It’s the first film with Fahadh’s wife Nazriya since Bangalore Days. The film is directed by Anwar Rasheed, director of Ustad Hotel. The first have is exceptional, but I found the second half abstract and confusing. Still worth a watch for Fahadh’s performance, and the supporting role of director Gautham Menon.
Quarantine Live Chat from March 25
I hadn’t livestreamed on Youtube for a long time. I had a wonderful chat with viewers and answered their questions for over an hour:
Pardesi Reviews 