The long Diwali weekend is the perfect time to binge-watch. The weather gods have predicted a wet Diwali, at least for western India. Here are some great movies and shows to catch up on, in case rain plays spoilsport.
1. The Family Man
Indian series, 2019
Languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu
Time: Season 1, 10 episodes, each episode is approximately 45-50 minutes in length
Where: Amazon Prime
Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Priyamani, Sharib Hashmi
Our very own Indian spy with the NIA is fighting terrorists across the border, conducting online surveillance, and getting into gun fights on the streets of Mumbai. But at the end of the day he gets back to his mundane middle-class home, family, and car. This is an edge-of-seat thriller that has enough plot twists and turns to keep you hooked till the tenth episode. There are plenty of laughs too as our protagonist lives out his double life – spy in the office and husband and father at home.
2. The Middle
American TV series, 2009-2018
Genre: Comedy
Time: 9 seasons, 215 episodes, each episode is approximately 22 minutes in length
Where: Amazon Prime
Cast: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Atticus Shaffer
This family does not always get it right. Debuting after the financial slowdown of 2008, a middle-class family from the fictional small town of Orson, Indiana tries all the tricks in the book to make ends meet. Working 2 to 4 jobs and managing 3 kids cannot be done without American “jugaad” and lots of humour!
3. The Laundromat
English movie, 2019
Genre: Drama-Comedy
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Time: 1 hour 36 minutes
Where: Netflix
Cast: Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, Sharon Stone
As the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI try to track down Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, hiding away in some faraway land, the common man in India is left wondering how these crooks managed to squirrel away so much money and where are they hiding the money? The Laundromat is money laundering explained in a very simple manner. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, it is a fictional take on the Panama Papers scandal. However, the law firm that the story is based on is very much real. Peppered with dark humour, effortless performances by some big stars make this an eminently watchable movie.
4. The Shape of Water
English movie, 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Time: 1 hour 58 minutes
Where: Hotstar
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Octavia Spencer
The Shape of Water is a fantasy drama about a mute woman with few friends in the world, who falls in love with an amphibious creature from South America. Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, the romantic story about an unlikely pair of lovers won critical acclaim and multiple awards at the Oscars and Golden Globes, among others.
5. Inside Syria’s Deadly Dynasty
2019
Genre: Documentary
Time: 1 hour 28 minutes
Where: Hotstar
The human tragedy that has been unfolding in Syria has at its centre, a president who was never meant to lead his country. He was an eye doctor. President Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorial rule and systematic attack on his own people has led to the sad state of affairs in Syria. This National Geographic documentary explains how the Assad dynasty captured power and ruled Syria for over five decades. It spells out the circumstances leading up to the current civil war and the continuing geo-political situation in the region.
(Tinsy is a freelance writer based in Mumbai)