How many times have you sat down to watch a good movie or TV series, but after searching for hours, you ended up watching the re- re- re-run of Friends — again? We all have been there, done that. There’s so much to choose from that it gets frustrating after a point. And those soul-less artificial intelligence-powered algorithms aren’t, well, intelligent enough to suggest something that you’ll actually like.
With Retake...
I will cut the clutter for you and hand-pick some of the best movies and TV series across years, genres, and languages. Every other Friday, you will receive a fresh batch of a mix of five movies and shows that you can sit back and enjoy on a lazy weekend with your family or partner (or alone, no judgements!).
The selection on Retake isn’t going to be your usual trending shows that everybody in your office is watching as the latest fad. You can easily get those from the news. We’ll talk about the stuff that maybe got overshadowed by a big Marvel release or is from a time when we were too young to care about that film or some blast from the past that is worth a rewatch today. And the subjective critic scores don’t matter here. If you had fun watching a film, then it’s a good film. Period.
I’m not going to bog you down with a boring art film or make you feel bad about watching Ms. Marvel over a ‘good’ indie production. There are going to be silly comedies, moody dramas, fun rom-coms, the most ambitious sci-fi flicks, and anything else you’ll have a good time watching. And I’ll ensure Retake’s suggestions are readily available on mainstream streaming services in India.
And when you’ve exhausted all the episodes and movies over two weekends, a new Retake issue will be ready to get you back on your journey to discover amazing cinema!
But Karan, why should I take your word for it?
Actually, don’t. Go read some entertainment pieces I have written elsewhere to get a sense of my writing. I’ve had the chance to learn screenwriting in the last couple of years, so I know a thing or two about film presentation. More importantly, the first issue of Retake is included below for you to decide whether or not the recommendations are worth it.
In fact, Retake is completely free to subscribe to on Substack! This means you will not only get future Retake editions in your inbox but also have access to all older issues without any charge. So, don't wait too long; just hit the subscribe button below right away.
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Now onto what you’re here for.
For the first issue of Retake, I have selected some of the finest films and TV shows from my own collection. It’s a mix of a fun fantasy film that will set your mood for the weekend, an anthology series that aired in India in the 90s, and everything in between. Let’s dive in right away!
Star Bestsellers
The year was 1999 when I was four and the TV was good. A 36-part anthology drama series aired on Star Plus back then, each directed by some emerging filmmakers. Anurag Kashyap, Imtiaz Ali, Hansal Mehta, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Rajit Kapoor, and the likes. You must’ve heard these names before, right? Plus, the cast includes Irrfan Khan, Surekha Sikri, Ronit Roy, Tisca, Chopra, Raghubir Yadav, Amruta Subhash, and many, many more who are counted as among the country’s best acting talents.
The episodes don’t follow a single theme; they range from a talented theatre actor’s struggle with alcohol to a common man’s twisted relationship when he rents a room in the haveli of a peculiar couple. But the stories, their presentation, the setting, the acting — everything is more real than any mainstream TV show these days, or movie for that matter. More than that, they give you a little peek into these directors’ evolution, from where they started to how we know them today.
Star Bestsellers is unmissable, especially since 21 of these episodes are streaming for free on Hotstar. The rest of them are unfortunately scattered in low quality across YouTube.
Palm Springs
We have seen a lot of time loop movies, but not many use the concept properly to their advantage; either it’s too simplistic or too complicated. Palm Springs got it just right. Nyles, played by Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), has been living the same day at a friend’s wedding for so long that he has now given up all hopes of getting out of the loop and is now having a blast.
He finds an accidental companion in his time loop in Sarah (Cristin Milioti) when they both hook up after slipping away from the middle of a party. The loop becomes their avenue to bond over several weeks of waking up on the same damn day. Unlike Nyles, Sarah wants to break the loop, but they aren’t stuck alone. There’s this raging old man who finds inventive and hilarious ways to torture Nyles, which spices things up for the couple.
Nightcrawler
You may have seen Jake Gyllenhaal in a number of psychological, borderline disturbing thrillers, but Nightcrawler stands out. Here he plays a petty but dangerous thief Louis Bloom who learns that photojournalists can earn some good cash by taking photos of late-night crimes and selling them to local news stations. He finds success when one of his footage becomes a hit on a news channel.
With a constant client, Lou’s business is booming; he gets a faster car for his midnight trips and even an assistant. To get the most ‘graphic’ shots that fetch him more money, he, by his nature, starts tampering with the crime scenes and even sets up gun-firing incidents for the sake of his footage. As it is said, whatever can go wrong does go wrong for Louis, but his wicked mind always finds a way out.
Blinded by the Light
Desi parents... let’s say they are next to impossible to please and remain that way no matter which country they move to. Something similar happens in this brilliant British movie by Gurinder Chadha. In a little English town of Luton in 1987, a late teenager Javed (Viveik Kalra), finds himself out of place in his Pakistani immigrant family. He has a knack for writing contemporary poetry and lyrics for songs, but they don’t strike a chord with others around him.
Javed finds a companion, that truly understands the turmoil in his adolescent mind, in the lyrics of “The Boss” — Bruce Springsteen. His strict father disapproves of his choice of pursuing a career in writing. Changing social conditions against Muslims in the country and Javed’s renewed passion for writing force him into entangled relationships with his family and newfound love. But Springsteen’s music is the driving force that doesn’t let them go too far apart.
Khosla Ka Ghosla
When they say Bollywood doesn’t make likeable films, don’t shut them up because they’re mostly right. But show them Khosla Ka Ghosla, which will help change their perception a little. Dibakar Banerjee’s directorial debut revolves around a massive, goofy Khosla parivar that dreams of making a home on a piece of land they bought with their life savings. A. typical middle-class family, haina? But the problem is that an oppressive, corrupt Khurana has seized their plot and won’t let it go without getting a hefty sum.
The family takes the unconventional route. The younger Khosla, putting a pause on his US job offer, brings together unschooled actors from a drama group and devises a plan to take back what rightfully belongs to the Khoslas. What could possibly go wrong? The result is two hours of back-to-back laughter that you can relish with your own parivar. Now that I’m writing about it, I could also use a re-run of Khosla ka Ghosla!
For the opening week of Retake, I couldn’t have thought of a better list of movies and TV series to share with each of you. All of them are wholesome entertainment. I enjoyed watching them, and I guess you will too. If you liked reading this first issue, consider subscribing to Retake.
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