74. Web Series/Direct-to-TV Films - A few good ones!!

Nowadays, a lot of web series and direct-to-TV movies are being launched by Netflix, Amazon, Zee and others.  I have watched quite a lot of them.  I am writing below on some of them that I found to be of my liking.  Enjoy the blog!!

The first film is linked to Sholay😊 Can’t help it😊. The film is called The Sholay Girl! It is about the first stuntwoman, Reshma Pathan, in Indian cinema. She was the one who did the climax tonga stunts instead of Hema Malini, when she is being chased by Gabbar’s men and the tonga loses a wheel!!  She acted as herself in Rohit Shetty’s last Golmaal series movie in a 15-20 second role.  She has done lots of stunt scenes for Hema Malini and other actresses.  The movie is well made and is quite interesting to watch. Good clean cinema.

Sacred Games was the first web series that I saw.  This was with my brother who was recovering from an operation in Jakarta, Indonesia!!  I was staying with him at the hospital that time and we saw the entire series on my laptop over 2 days!!  A very good series and very gripping.  Both Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saif Ali Khan were very good in the series.  After seeing the series, I got hold of the book and read it.  The first series is only about 20-25% of the book.  And apparently the second series is coming this year.  There are many variations in the series in comparison to the book.  But both of them have their own  charm. Pankaj Tripathi is going to play a major role from the second series onwards.  This I can say having read the book!!  Looking forward to the second series!!

Next, I saw Breathe, a web-series featuring Tamil actor Madhavan.  It was quite good.  It was about his daughter going to die if she does not get a transplant.  His daughter’s number on the transplant list was low and it was felt that she might not live that long before she can get a transplant.  Coincidently, the patients who are above her in the list start getting killed one-by-one!  You can see the series before I spoil it for you!!

Next, I saw Home, a serial where a colony of houses are about to be demolished as it was built illegally.  The series starts with the police coming to the colony for the demolition and ends also on the same scene!! Based on the response, maybe they will decide if Part 2 can be made!!  The series was OK but Annu Kapoor has done a wonderful job in the series.  You can watch the series just for him.  It is supposed to be based on real life incidents!!

Next was Ghoul, touted as India’s first original horror series featuring Radhika Apte.  I liked the series but there was no horror factor for me😊, having seen many horror movies over the years!!  Radhika Apte was good and the story too was good.  Most of the happenings happen in a prison and are mostly shot at nights, thereby trying to increase the scare factor!!

Then came Mirzapur, about a Don in Mirzapur and his empire.  Pankaj Tripathi was too good in this series.  Menacing like a Don.  Only in the last episode there was some action involving him whereas in the entire series, it was just implied that he is very tough!! You can see the series just to see him act out his scenes!!

Delhi Crime, which I saw recently.  This was about the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi.  The series is about how the perpetrators were captured by the Delhi Police after the incident.  You can watch the series for the acting of Shefali Shah and others.  A captivating series!!  Even when all the drama was going on during the time, the police department worked overtime to nab the accused in a record time by using their sources.  A very well-made series.

Criminal Justice was the last one that I saw.  It featured Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi and Jackie Shroff.  It is supposed to based on the BBC drama series of the same name.  Here too Pankaj Tripathi is the star of the series. He simply steals the scenes whenever he comes in it!!  Watch out for the bland expressions that he makes in the series!!  Jackie Shroff is also good in the series, acting as a Dada in the jail.

That’s all for now.  I have some more web-series lined up.  Will let you know in some future blog about that!!

Cheers!!

Today’s Daffy Definition

Parachutist – A professional dropout!!

PS – Next week there will be no blog as I am out on a vacation!!  Maybe I will write a blog later on that!! 😊😊