This is #CriticalMargin, where Ishita Sengupta gets contemplative over new Hindi films and shows. |
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| | | Cast: Radhika Apte, Sumeet Vyas |
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MRS UNDERCOVER is the kind of film that has every reason to exist but no reason to be the way it becomes. It is the kind of film that rewardingly mounts the female protagonist as the face of the outing but spends every running minute reducing her to a caricature. Filmmaker Anushree Mehta’s venture is so ridiculous in execution that it single-handedly reinforces our faith in children’s ability to write sensible stories because, as evidenced by the film, the adults have clearly failed us. Having said that, I’d like to believe that at some granular level the film had the potential to work. A housewife in Kolkata, unseen by her husband, son and in-laws, and recognised only through domestic labour, is revealed to be a special agent. Think of The Family Man but headlined by a woman. That she is traditionally bound within the four walls of the house only accentuates her underdog status, making the impending revelation only more fulfilling. But Mehta’s film possesses no humour nor whimsicality necessary for such a premise to sing. Instead the film barters absurdity for comicality, eventually culminating as such a witless affair that it is a marvel that it took two people (Mehta and Abir Sengupta) to write this. Durga (Radhika Apte) lives with her family in Kolkata. Her in-laws are dependent on her, so is her husband (Saheb Chatterjee) and son. She is clumsy but adeptly manages everything at home. Also in the city is a serial killer (Sumeet Vyas) on the loose. He has a specification of course. Misogyny is his superpower and feminism is his trigger. He hates empowered women, to the extent of feeling physically ill at their sight. Termed as a “common man” (probably a jibe at the ubiquity at the condition which marks the film’s sole attempt at displaying some smarts), he has been tricking police and women. At some point, the chief of the special force (Rajesh Sharma) discovers that Durga is an undercover agent staying in the city, forgotten by the force for years. — ISHITA SENGUPTA |
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Shaakuntalam Is Ambitious, But Not Enough Of An Epic |
Shakuntala, daughter of sage Viswamitra and ‘apsara’ Menaka, is abandoned in a forest and raised by a hermit Kanva. The flora, fauna and the company of her good friends Anasuya and Priyamvada are integral to Shakuntala’s existence. When Puru dynasty king Dushyanta comes hunting in their forest, he’s instantly smitten by Shakuntala, who also reciprocates his love. However, a rude shock awaits them just as they plan to formalise their relationship. Gunasekhar directs Samantha Ruth Prabhu in this film. — SRIVATHSAN NADADHUR |
| Midge's Triumphant Return In The Marvelous Mrs Maisel S5 |
Season 5, the final instalment of this show, tracks Midge Maisel's life as she takes her first steps towards stardom. The Amy Sherman-Palladino comedy-drama brings back Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam "Midge" Maisel, Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson, Michael Zegen as Joel Maisel, Marin Hinkle as Rose Weissman, Tony Shalhoub as Abe Weissman, Kevin Pollak as Moishe Maisel, and Caroline Aaron as Shirley Maisel. So will Midge make it as a global star? And at what personal cost? — SUNIDHI PRAJAPAT | |
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The one newsletter you need to decide what to watch on any given day. Our editors pick a show, movie, or theme for you from everything that’s streaming on OTT. |
| Each week, our editors pick one long-form, writerly piece that they think is worthy of your attention, and dice it into easily digestible bits for you to mull over. |
| In which we invite a scholar of cinema, devotee of the moving image, to write a prose poem dedicated to their poison of choice. Expect to spend an hour on this. |
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