Stuff I've Binge-Watched Since March
Books and movies and tv series provided respite in a dark and uncertain year.
Hello my lovelies,
Welcome to my end-of-the-year roundup. This year has been so weird and I, somehow, cannot believe that we’ve made it to the end of this god forsaken year. 2020 has tested me in so many ways. The only way I could’ve gotten through this year is to completely let go any illusion of control, fully surrender to the moment and whole heartedly embrace everything that was coming my way. “You just got to roll with the punches, babe.” my best friend told me halfway through the year when it became evident that this quarantine life is here to stay.
My preferred coping mechanism to deal with stress and trauma is to dissociate from reality, maladaptive daydreaming and blacking out my memories. One of the ways that I escape reality is by excessively immersing myself into art and culture.
Real life was so depressing and movies and shows and books provided that relief through relatable storytelling and vicarious joy. We heavily depended on artists to tide us through these unpredictable times. This year, more than ever, collectively art and entertainment (in all its forms- music, cinema, literature, etc.) healed us and helped us survive.
Most of the movies and shows and books mentioned below released years ago. For some- i just got around to them during quarantine and for others- i chose to watch/read old content rather than new stuff because i was seeking comfort and familiarity during these uncertain and unprecedented times.
funny and relatable tweets on streaming
This, by no means, is an exhaustive list. I have only included the ones that made me feel happy and hopeful, even if for just a fleeting moment. (all typos and punctuation errors are on purpose.)
Movies
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - i tend to watch this one when i feel stuck emotionally. but this time, it was because i was physically constricted to one place. love this movie for giving us permanent road trip music, for the friendship goals and for selling travel aspirations to middle class Indians who cannot afford international trips. (Netflix)
Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham - what do you do when you have nowhere to go and nothing to do? you watch K3G. at a run time of over three hours, this one is bollywood at its grand, over-the-top, unparalleled, dramatic best! (Netflix)
Karwaan- One of Irrfan Khan’s last films and Dulquer Salmaan’s debut in hindi films with the stunning western ghats and nilgiris as the backdrop, with Prateek Kuhaad’s soothing voice. This is a highly underrated, feel good, heart warming movie! every friend to whom i’ve recommended this movie has thanked me later. so, dekh lo. (Amazon Prime)
Ludo- as anupama chopra rightly said and i quote “ludo is an absurdist tragi-comedy that leaves you in splits.” talented ensemble cast, soothing music, a screenplay that is mad in the best way possible. fun weekend watch. (Netflix)
thoughts i had while watching ludo: rohit saraf, hello future husband. abhishek bachchan needs to be cast in more films, this man hasn’t gotten his due yet. pankaj tripathi needs to do more comedy films and needs to curse more on screen. aditya roy kapoor is so damn hot. his shoulder muscles are better defined than my life right now. why does pritam reserve his best music for anurag basu films? cue: phir le aaya from barfi and inn dino from life in a metro. and now, aabaad barbaad from ludo. pearle maaney is a revelation! yess to more curly haired women in hindi cinema flaunting their natural tresses. sanya malhotra is killing it. rajkumar rao is such an earnest performer. how is this six year old child a better actor than most of the star kids we’ve seen in the last two years?
Dear Zindagi - therapist srk in dear zindagi really helped me get through some rough times!! and made me go see a therapist irl. the first time i watched this movie i was 20 and had just gotten my heart broken, just like alia bhatt’s character in the film. the advice her therapist gave her in the movie helped me navigate my situation. (Netflix)
some unnecessary gossip: dear zindagi is rohit saraf’s film debut and i’m obsessed with the man! recently i found out that this girl who was in my dance class in sharjah dated him for a while. what a small world. funny how life works out for some people.
Bulbbul - 2020 has been a shit year. but for anushka sharma, 2020 was a fantastic year! personally, she was locked at home with pride of the nation virat kohli and now she’s expecting a child with him. congratulations to the parents-to-be. professionally, she produced two of the greatest hits on streaming platforms in India this year. Paatal Lok on Amazon Prime and Bulbbul on Netflix. highly recommend both!!
Jab We Met - what happened to Imtiaz Ali!? watching this movie made me so sad. the same brain that gave us Jab We Met gave us the dreadful Love Aaj Kal this year. how! anyway. even after all these years, jab we met is a good film. taimur’s mom really showed her acting skills in this movie. also, i had forgotten how much of a bop mauja hi mauja is! (Netflix)
Shows
Derry Girls - this series follows five high school kids against the backdrop of the Northern Ireland Liberation revolution against the British. I cannot recommend this show enough! Such smart, witty and sharp writing. It has some laugh-out-loud moments which is ironic because it is set in one of the darkest periods of Northern Irish history. Perfect show. Abundant laughs. Please watch. (Netflix)
Kota Factory - this was the first TVF show that i watched. after this, i downloaded the TVF Play app and binged half a dozen of their shows. quality content with tight storylines and gripping performances. for anyone who has gone through the madness of engineering entrance exam coaching classes, you will relate heavily with this show. i wanted to reach in through the screen, shake each of the kids and tell them that “engineering is not everything. even if you fail at the entrance exam, its fine. you’ll be okay.” (Amazon Prime)
Bad Boy Billionaires - please watch this show to join me in feeling fury and rage at the sheer injustice and unfairness of life and duniya. the blatant ways in which social structures and the government is designed to make life so much easier for filthy rich people is disgusting. tax the rich! pay the poor! (Netflix)
Churalis - some website called this show “desi justice league” and i completely agree. if you appreciate avenging someone who does you wrong, you’re gonna love this show. (Zee5)
Fleabag - admittedly, i was late to the fleabag party. i went down an andrew scott rabbithole during quarantine which led me to this show. i binge watched both seasons in one day! definitely lives up to the hype. during a time when everything felt so utterly hopeless, fleabag was a reminder that it’s important to laugh despite the pain. as the AIB theme song goes “tragedy mein comedy.” (Amazon Prime)
The Crown - i watched all the previous seasons of this show right in time for the the release of season 4. now, a whole new generation is fuming at the british royal family, seeking revenge for Princess Diana’s untimely death. with Meghan and Prince Harry’s exit from the family, viewers have context of the absolutely disgusting tabloid culture that exists in the UK. the paparazzi's hounded Princess Diana like vultures and there’s a conspiracy theory that the royal family was involved in her death. it makes total sense then that Prince Harry chose to prioritize his wife’s safety and wellbeing, given what his mother had to endure. the past seasons of the show were largely centered on Queen Elizabeth 2. Season 4 features Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana in it. it is filled with historical context and power packed performances. (Netflix)
Afsos - this is, by far, my most favorite show from the Indian streaming ecosystem this year. i have been recommending it to everyone. highly underrated. very relevant with the current theme of “everything is pointless and i’m very insignificant.” the basic storyline is - there’s a guy who wants to die, so he hires a hitman to kill him and then everything goes horribly wrong. come for the dark humor, stay for the suspenseful plot twists. (Amazon Prime)
Books
Anuja Chauhan’s entire bibliography - i hadn’t read for leisure in over five years. i used to devour whole books in one sitting, usually in less than a day. and suddenly i stopped reading in college. in lockdown, one of the ways i comforted myself, was by getting back into the habit of reading. losing myself in alternate realities and staying away from screens helped me curb my anxiety and stay sane. rereading Anuja Chauhan’s books felt like catching up with old friends. it felt familiar and comforting.
City of Djinns- this is a travelogue about Delhi by South Asian historian William Dalrymple. in first year of college, i travelled through dilli and acquainted myself with the city following the map that is given in the beginning of the book. i recommend reading the book and retracing the map if you are someone that loves delhi or history or the history of delhi.
Revolution from Within- i messaged Rega Jha and asked her to recommend a book and she suggested Gloria Steinem’s Revolution from Within and i say this without any exaggeration- this book changed my life! no therapist or self care ritual or self help book as helped me understand myself and reroute my life as much as this book. Gloria Steinem makes it easier to navigate being a twenty something year old trying to figure out who i am and who i want to be. (bonus: may i suggest the FX miniseries Mrs. America. gripping show based on real events inspired by the life of Ms. Steinem.)
Eat Pray Love- when this book released in the early 2000s, my mum bought it from a bookstore in kolkata and never got around to reading it. it lay on our bookshelf at home, gathering dust. after school ended and before college began, i made it my personal mission to read as many books that were in our house. there were a lot, my entire family reads a lot. i had first read this book then. i did not like it. it felt like a sermon by a rich, white lady. not everyone can take off on a world tour when life gets tough. yet when i read this book during lockdown, i really enjoyed it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
after this, i read author Liz Gilbert’s other works and watched her very inspiring Ted talk. in fact, her book Big Magic persuaded me to start this newsletter. the events that had happened in my life since the first time i had read eat pray love gave me perspective and depth. i had personal context to the book, which made it so much more enjoyable.
few Agatha Christie books - during this year, i became heavily invested in reading detective novels and listening to true crime podcasts. the last time i read Dame Christie’s stories, i was fourteen. the world was different, i was different. i was a rebellious teen then, i’m an angsty twenty something now. i have gotten better at predicting who the killer is, in these stories. the pandemic has forced me to confront my feelings about mortality and the Great Oblivion. i dealt with it by diving deep into murder mysteries. i have no regrets. it was wonderful.
Special Mention
Try Guys - if you compress all the time i spent binge watching try guys videos on youtube, i’m sure it would easily equal to weeks. one of the few examples of positive masculinity that i’ve come across. generally fun, copious laughs, feel good content.
Tiktok - shout out to tiktok for its incredible algorithm. the ‘for you page’ is so well curated, i feel like tiktok knows me better than i know myself at this point. tiktok has been my constant source of serotonin during these dark and depressing times.
Gifts from The Internet
Instagram is spying on you. Bloomberg published an alarming article accusing Facebook of spying on Instagram users through their phones’ front cameras and now Facebook is being sued for unlawful use of mobile phone cameras. Earlier today, Apple CEO tweeted that Facebook will require users’ permission before tracking them. In the meanwhile, go to your phone’s settings and disable apps from using your microphone and camera to collect background data.
I recently sent out a survey to learn more about how young people use Instagram, the responses so far have been interesting. If you want to take the survey, reply to this email and I’ll send it to you.
(one good meme)
This is a great read detailing Gurgaon’s rise from a sleepy farming village on the outskirts of the nation’s capital to a fast growing place of commercial importance. What do the initial inhabitants of the place feel about all the companies and startups that have sprung in the last decade? How did DLF build an entire city from the ground up within a few years? If you have ever lived in Gurgaon, this will be a fascinating story.
Have you visited an Indian Coffee House? I have been to two- Delhi and Kolkata. This article about the history and legacy of the Kolkata Coffee House made me nostalgic and sad. My parents used to visit the Kolkata Coffee House during their courtship and every time we are in Kolkata, it is a must visit for my family. Gleaming cafes and modern restaurants threaten the demise of this iconic location, where even today you can enjoy hot coffee and sandwich for less than fifty bucks.
(here’s a map of the coffee house from way back when. now most of the locations have closed now. who says india doesn’t have a coffee drinking culture.)
The Rise of The Roommate. For most people in my generation, home ownership is a long forlorn dream. With rising rents and unstable job markets, burnt out and debt ridden millennials are being forced to live with roommates well into their thirties.
Here’s a great guide on how to survive the pandemic winter dread. Cold weather, stuck inside, barely any sunlight, deadly virus, work/health/family anxiety. I’m doing great, you guys. Also, I’ve made this sabudana khichdi twice in the last month and it is comforting, hearty and makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
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Thanks for reading!