Although I have reduced screen time considerably and binge watch sparsely I managed to watch a few movies/web series in the meanwhile.
1. Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris (2022 Movie)
A feel good movie wherein Ada Harris, a war widow and a cleaning woman by profession , dares to chase her dream of owning a Christian Dior haute couture dress she falls in love with. Though socially it’s not her stature to own one but her dogged perseverance, in the long run, results in opening out Dior to the masses.
Great story line but the only hitch being Ada turning into a messiah for the employees of Dior on strike to the tongue tied lover/accountant Fauvel and the bored model Natasha and also the conservative Mrs. Colbert who is the second in command at Dior. Too many garments to mend for Ada. Ain’t it?
2. The Gentlemen (2024 – Web Series)
Edward (Eddie) Horniman, the younger son of the Duke of Halstead is surprised to inherit the property from his father. On death bed his father extracts a promise from Eddie to take care of his elder brother, Frederick ( Freddie), who is the black sheep of the family and habituated to get embroiled into one scrape or the other. Freddie has also not taken kindly to this deviation from age old family tradition whereupon the inheritance automatically passes on to the elder son. He is submerged in debt. The debtors are dangerous people. Eddie has to rescue his brother before the goons catch hold of him.
But there’s more to resolve when Eddie comes to know the property is being misused by drug dealers to run an underground operation of cultivation, refinement and transportation of cannabis. The clandestine business is going on for years with his father’s consent whereby the deceased Duke is to earn a hefty sum annually.
Eddie weaves an intricate plot to oust the criminals off his estate. But before cleansing the property he has to take care of a murder, ruthless drug lords and the hawk-like Mr. Stanley Johnstone who is hell bent on laying his hands on the grounds. Eddie is a soldier and an aristocrat – a true gentleman – who is oath bound to his father to save the family name. The antidote to poison is poison itself. In order to prevent further insurgency, Eddie has to take the help of Lisa, the daughter of the drug don, who is operating the business on behalf of her father, a jailbird, at present.
To decriminalize it is imperative to understand the tricks of the trade itself. As is customary , Eddie finds himself inextricably enmeshed in the power game of the underworld so much so that the status quo of greed, gore and lust starts to appear more and more lucrative. Inspite of himself, it is as clear as broad daylight that he is cut out for the vengeful trade itself.
I would have been happier if Eddie were to prove otherwise.
3. Maamla Legal Hai ( It’s A Legal Matter 2024 – Web Series)
If you happen to visit Patparganj Sessions Court, you will meet accomplished negotiators ( Sujata Negi), Court Assistant (Vishwas) who is infatuated with a “principled” lawyer looking for a break (Ananya Shroff) , sundry lawyers who have taken to other professions (beauty parlour etc. ) in the absence of ‘profitable’ cases, petitioners who throng for the ‘next date of hearing’, piles of cases that will never see the light of justice and above all two contesting advocates aspiring to win the presidentship of the Bar Association of the lower court.
It’s a spoof on the current lamentable condition of the Indian Judiciary letting out much hoots of laughter for the audience who wish to watch ‘clean content’ on OTT with family.
However, the forced endeavour to make home the nobility of the profession falls on deaf ears as in general viewers are more taken with the sarcastic narrative of the series rather than the dwindling nobleness of the profession in actuality.
4. Wedding Guest (Movie – 2018)
Faizal Zamaan aka Asif aka Jay meticulously plans to kidnap Sameera from Youganabad, Pakistan on behest of Deepesh, a Londoner. Things go a bit awry when unintendedly a guard gets killed while Faizal is dragging Sameera out of the house in the dead of the night.
Though the duo reach India, as planned, Deepesh is reluctant to meet Sameera because he is scared after the killing which has made headlines now. He tells Faizal to dump her back in Pakistan. Sameera refuses to go back because she is not ready to get married and settle down to an unexciting life. Obviously, she is party to the whole (mis) adventure.
So , in an untoward bend to the narrative, Deepesh is killed by Faizal and both Sameera and Faizal run away to Goa with the ‘fake’ jewels stolen from Deepesh’s person.
Interestingly, both the kidnapper and the kidnapped are birds of the same feather and soon suspicions give way to an unusual bond between the two.
However, the movie has a touching and unexpected end which leaves scope for fanciful ruminations for the viewers.
I am happy to note that I have moved away from dark and stark investigatives , murder mysteries and police procedurals. All the above movies/ series are of variant colours. From feel good to thriller to comedy to soft romance I am finding solace in different genres which is a welcome change in itself.
If you find the plots interesting and to your liking do watch all or any.
Till then Tudloo…
PS : Forgot to tell you all – at present am watching Monk which is a mix of Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Police Investigation. The Serial is named after the ‘defective detective’ Mr. Monk who has not yet gotten over the sudden death of his wife four years back. He has been moved out of his Office as unfit because he suffers from acute anxiety disorder, fear of height, lack of confidence and a horde of other disabling syndromes. But his sharp observation gets him called as a consultant in various cases. He is accompanied by his nurse, Sharona, a single parent to Benji, who is as enthusiastically involved in the cases handled by Monk as the detective himself. The livewire bond between the two is amusing as well as speculation worthy.
Monk has eight seasons. I am into the first. Let me watch all. I will come back on it thereafter for sure.
Pics from Google