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453. Web-series Reviews – 250

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More web-series reviews… Rematch – Came in 2024-25. A psychological thriller set in the crossfire of the 1997 historical battle between world chess champion Garry Kasparov and IBM's supercomputer Deep Blue, Rematch is a high-pressure confrontation between man and machine, a war of minds, both on and off the chess board. Based on a true story, Rematch takes us on a gripping journey inside the world of high-level chess competition via one of the greatest man vs. machine matches ever to be played. The event was so important, it prompted the New York Times to print: The future of humanity is on the line. A review from IMDB... To put it bluntly, this is the French answer to The Queen's Gambit (2020). The only difference is that Rematch is based on the true story of Garry Kasparov's struggle against the Deep Blue computer and tells more about the history of computing than about chess. It also has a lot to say about capitalism, because as Xavier Valens (Luca Pasqualino) put...

452. Web-series Reviews – 249

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More web-series reviews… In Transit – Came in 2025. Explores the lives of trans and non-binary individuals navigating love, identity, and the boundaries of gender in a uniquely Indian way. A review from Hindustan Times... What does it mean to be visibly trans in India? There's no whataboutery about the fact that India is still largely homophobic; one look at the cases of violence on the LGBTQ+ community is enough to show why. The new four-part docuseries, backed by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's Tiger Baby Films, attempts to bring together stories of nine transgender individuals across India as they share their lives, hearts, and hopes. It is a vital, sensitively drawn-out portrait of the challenges faced by the trans community in modern India. Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti had previously cast trans actor Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju in the second season of Made in Heaven for the new addition to the show, Meher. That char...

451. Web-series Reviews – 248

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More web-series reviews… Bookish – Came out in 2025. Gabriel Book, proprietor of an antiquarian bookshop, relies on his vast collection to unravel baffling cases. He nurtures a group of lovable yet troubled individuals, providing informal protection and guidance. A review from IMDB... I hear some say oh not another Sherlock Holmes style 1940's crime drama but read on and you might be interested. Mark Gatiss who stars and is the creator of this six part whodunnit certainly has introduced a fascinating new character to add to the world of crime sleuth entertainment. Mark Gattis plays Gabriel Book an unconventional somewhat eccentric book shop owner who helps police solve crimes in 1946 London he even as he often states carries with him a letter from Winston Churchill. The most interesting aspect for me of this six part series that thankfully has already been commissioned for a second series is the emotional triangle of the three main characters. While the crime mysteri...

450. My Tryst with Yoga and Health monitoring

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I had never taken yoga seriously earlier due to various reasons. Maybe, I tried bending my body like they show on TV and couldn’t ! Maybe due to laziness. Maybe due to thinking it is not for me as I don’t think this will help me in the long run.  For whatever reasons, I always avoided it.  Till there came a time when it hit me that I am getting old and I need to take care of my body.  I don’t like walking outside as I cannot do so without listening to music. And while listening, you never know, when someone comes and hits you with his vehicle.  I started to walk inside the house.  There is a 30-feet stretch in my house, which I used for walking while listening to songs on my mobile.  On googling I found that just walking is not going to help.    About 2 years ago, my cousin and his wife had joined a yoga program and were doing it on a daily basis. My wife took the details from them and started doing the free yoga exercises available on YouTube...

449. Web-series Reviews – 247

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More web-series reviews… Special Ops – Second season came in 2025. The series follows Himmat Singh of the Research and Analysis Wing, who draws similar patterns from terrorist attacks and is convinced a single person is behind all the attacks. His task force team of five agents living in various parts of the world aim to catch the mastermind. The story is based on an inspiration taken from nineteen years worth of national significant events. A review from IMDB... When Special Ops debuted in 2020, it offered something fresh in Indian entertainment - a grounded, intelligent espionage thriller with Kay Kay Menon anchoring a well-paced narrative as the enigmatic Himmat Singh. Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the series struck a rare balance between geopolitics, character-driven storytelling, and tactical action. Naturally, expectations were sky-high for the season 2 - especially after the successful spinoff Special Ops 1.5. But while t...

448. Web-series Reviews – 246

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More web-series reviews… Ballard – Came in 2025. Based on Michael Connelly books which include Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer. Detective Renée Ballard runs a small rag-tag LAPD team that investigates cold cases. At an influential congressman's insistence, her main focus is a 24-year-old murder case; the victim was the congressman's sister. Not least among her problems is the ongoing feud with certain members of her old squad, the reason she was consigned to cold cases. A review from iMDB... The project is pitched as a spin-off of the iconic Bosch, and it shows right away: the atmosphere, narrative structure, and visual style are carefully carried over from the original. Everything works in the familiar key - restrained, dark, and refreshingly unflashy. Casting deserves special mention. In the role of Renée Ballard is Maggie Q - an actress who masterfully combines steely resolve with emotional depth. She's magnetic, co...

447. The Fall Part 2

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Continuing from last week…   During the stay at Murari’s place, I was given the food on my bed itself as it was quite cumbersome to hop around to reach the dining table 😊 !  Since the plaster was to stay for 42 days, I stopped my diet restrictions and had sweets and chaat items.  I knew that I could stop these whenever I want, so I over-indulged on these items. For coming back to Hyderabad, I booked a cab.  Luckily a big cab came for us. I sat in the front with a pillow under my leg for support.  It took about 10-11 hours for the drive from Bangalore to Hyderabad. Luckily, I did not have to visit the washroom for the entire trip 😊 . We stopped for breakfast and lunch in between. I stayed in the car and others went to have the food. My wife came to give me the food both times and I had them in the car itself. On reaching home, I hopped on to the house with the support of my son.  My wife got me the walker from the store room.  I occupied the gro...