Lost and Found

This Alfonso Cuarón masterpiece bombed at the box office when it was released in 2006, despite receiving rave reviews. This dystopian sci-fi action-thriller, based on the book by P. D. James, with the screenplay written by Cuarón, is set in the year 2027 when infertility threatens to end human civilization. 

The plot is set in the UK where state surveillance, policing, and harsher border control, akin to that of a police state resembling an Orwellian nightmare, are rampant. Clive Owen plays a former member of a resistance group tasked with transporting a miraculously pregnant woman across the border to a safe haven, somewhere out in the ocean to help save humanity. 

The film was praised for its treatment and depiction of themes such as the global immigration crisis. It also featured several one-shot sequences filmed in documentary style to add a sense of grounded realism to the narrative. 

Clive Owen is joined by a star-studded ensemble cast of Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Charlie Hunnam in what could be described as one of the most underrated films of the 21st century.

If you haven't watched this hidden gem yet then do so exclusively on Netflix

That's the OTTplay Lost and Found film “ Children of Men ''. I shall be back with another podcast soon with a brand new critically acclaimed film but lesser-known. Until then it's your host Nikhil signing off.

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Filmmaker Rohena Gera’s Sir, featuring Tilottama Shome and Vivek Gomber, is a poignant tale of the class divide. The film had its world premiere at the 71st International Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Gera’s previous works include the comedy series Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi (where she was the screenwriter) and the 2013 documentary titled What’s Love Got To Do With It? 

Sir narrates the story of Ratna, a widowed domestic help who aspires to be a fashion designer and attends to domestic chores for Ashwin, an affluent NRI who’s struggling to get over a failed relationship.

Gera’s narrative avoids melodramatic tropes and allows the film’s story to progress organically.

The film’s pace can be a bit sluggish but the subtle turns in the story surely seem plausible. Sir is a pointed indictment of the inherent classism in Indian society. But Sir manages this without resorting to tropes. For instance, the economically disadvantaged are not stock characters donning gamchas and constantly whining about their difficult lives. In fact, the bond that Aswhin and Ratna share in the film seems natural and their unspoken equation is so fluid that their differences seem to fade away.

Why Sir resonates with many is the constant push and pull of fantasy and reality. In one moment, you imagine Ashwin and Ratna finding lifelong togetherness. And in the very next, you question if Ratna would be able to realize her aspirations and how that would influence her love life. Sir is rooted in reality, and yet, urges you to take a flight of fancy. 

If you haven't watched this gem of a movie yet, then do so exclusively on Netflix.

That was all the info about the hidden gem “ Sir”, I shall be back with another episode of OTTplay Lost and found, until then it's me Nikhil outta here.

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Arguably one of Anurag Kashyap’s best films, Ugly takes a dark, twisted and relentlessly unsparing look at the follies of humankind. Set in the chaos of Mumbai, Ugly revolves around a group of men after a little girl is kidnapped. One afternoon, 10-year-old Kali, played by Anshikaa Shrivastava, goes missing from her father Rahul’s vehicle. A distraught Rahul rushes to the police to file a complaint but is blithely disregarded. Things begin to soon barrel out of control when we learn that Kali is also the stepdaughter of police chief Shoumik Bose, essayed by Ronit Roy, who’s bent on misusing his power to challenge Rahul. 

The film becomes increasingly dark and unsettling with every passing minute when the audience realises that none of the parties is particularly bothered about finding Kali. In fact, the film isn’t even about the kidnapping or uncovering the identity of the kidnapper. By the end, one is left wondering whether they would even want Kali to be found because the world she inhabits isn’t far removed from the one that she has been imprisoned in. While Ugly unfolds like a whodunnit, it is actually a whydunnit, or more accurately, no-wonder-they-dunnit. Ugly is not hopeful by any stretch of the imagination. But it is so gripping that it might make you incessantly grit your teeth or bite your fingernails. 

If you haven't watched this flick yet, you can catch it on Disney + Hotstar, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Mubi, Zee5 and Youtube

Well, that's about the lesser-known film Ugly on Lost and Found, this is Nikhil signing off, for now, I shall be back with another brand new podcast soon. 

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Director Amole Gupte’s Stanley Ka Dabba is a love letter to all childhood memories of school, tiffin breaks, and the joy of discovering your friends’ lunch — which invariably tasted better than your own. Starring Partho Gupte as the titular Stanley, the film offers an oblique commentary on our education system that often allows teachers to exercise unchecked control over children without any ramifications. Amole Gupte himself plays Verma Sir, popularly known as ‘Khadoos’ to his students, who takes particular pleasure in stealing his students’ tiffins and berates Stanley because he never gets his own. 

Perhaps the most beautiful moment of the film is one where Stanley’s friends secretly share their food with him so that Khadoos does not find out. On one hand, while the Indian education system routinely fails these young minds, the unparalleled display of humanity and kindness reassures us that not everything is bleak in this world. 

If you haven't watched this flick yet, you can catch it on Disney + Hotstar, Youtube, Google Play

Well, that's about the lesser-known film Stanley ka Dabba on Lost and Found, this is Nikhil signing off, for now, I shall be back with another brand new podcast soon.

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Habib Faisal’s National Award-winning comedy-drama Do Dooni Chaar is the kind of film that touches a necessary nerve. Searingly earnest and mildly humorous, Do Dooni Chaar chronicles the thankless life of a math teacher with a local school who doubles up as a tuition teacher only to make ends meet. The film finds Rishi and Neetu Kapoor filling in as the Duggals, a middle-class Punjabi family from Delhi who dream about purchasing a car for their family of four even though it seems far from their means. While essentially a comedy, it also elaborately depicts the selfless and often ignored role that teachers play in shaping their pupils into the men and women they go on to be.

Faisal ensures the film doesn’t get too preachy but conveys the predicament of local school teachers who struggle to get by on paltry salaries. The film wins for its sharp wit and heartfelt sequences and for depicting the noble, selfless and relentless efforts that academics put in, often hoping for nothing in return.   

Alright, that's the lost and found film for today's podcast. I  shall be back again with another film or show that turned out to be a hidden gem. Until next time, it's your host Nikhil out here.

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This relatively unknown British police procedural is quite simply one of the most well-written shows today. The plot revolves around the fictional anti-corruption unit of Scotland Yard called AC-12. The series follows DS Steve Arnott played by Martin Compston, DC Kate Fleming played by Vicky McClure, and their uncompromising boss Superintendent Ted Hastings played by Adrian Dunbar, as they investigate corrupt policemen. Each season focuses on a particular investigation into a police officer or an entire department, with an overarching plot about a powerful group of officers and politicians running a criminal enterprise within the system.

The show received critical acclaim for its unique cinematography and engrossing screenplay. Even the actors were praised for their ability to bring these complex characters to life. 

Despite the show’s relative obscurity in the rest of the world, it is the most viewed police procedural ever to air on BBC in Britain. In fact, some of the dialogues from the series have become part of pop culture references - a vast majority of them being delivered by Ted Hastings, which is now popularly known as ‘Tedism’ across the interwebz. 

The AC-12 is interested in one thing, and one thing only, and that is, as Hastings would say, “nicking bent coppers”. 

That was some info about the lesser-known series Line of Duty for today on this podcast. You can watch this series on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

I shall be back with another podcast on Lost and found, Until then it's your host Nikhil signing out. 

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Shahid is a 2013 biopic on the life of human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi who was  assassinated in 2010. Directed by Hansal Mehta and co-produced by Anurag Kashyap and UTV Spotboy, the film is headlined by Rajkummar Rao who plays the eponymous lawyer who invested his life for the lesser-privileged and stood up for those who had been wronged. This underrated gem won two National Awards (Best Actor and Best Director) and is a compelling account of a man who served selflessly for those who had been failed by the legal system.

The film borrows from real events and also depicts the fate of those who are routinely profiled on account of their faith and wrongly accused of being involved in acts of terror. That many of them happen to belong to modest homes and don’t have the means to afford a counsel to defend themselves, makes them even more vulnerable to the system and this film elaborately depicts their predicament. 

Shahid is a heart-breaking and gut-wrenching watch but it’s also an unfiltered account of those who are routinely rounded up and accused of crimes they’ve not committed. 

If you haven't watched Shahid yet, it's streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Itunes, SonyLIV and youtube.

Alright, that's the lost and found film for today's podcast. I shall be back again with another film or show that turned out to be a hidden gem. Until next time, it's your host Nikhil outta here.

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Helmed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni, the writer of Hasee Toh Phasee and director of the forthcoming Badhaai Do, Hunterrr is a truly special film that went largely unnoticed when it released in 2015. This Gulshan Devaiah and Radhika Apte-starrer is an adult romcom with a twist. The film revolves around sex addict Mandar Ponkshe (played by Devaiah), who almost mechanically straddles several female partners with minimal emotional engagement. But when he actually falls for one, he’s unable to process the feeling, let alone deal with it.  

Apart from being quirky comedy, Hunterrr is also a poignant commentary on the repressed Indian stance on carnal affairs. Through Ponkshe’s journey of self-realisation, Kulkarni hopes to deliver a complex story of love and lust that is intense and breezy in equal measure. Devaiah belts out a compelling performance and slips into his Ponkshe with much conviction. Playing a single-minded sex addict who preys on vulnerable women may cumulatively colour the character as a depraved individual. But Devaiah’s layered portrayal of Ponkshe ensures that one is also able to empathise with his character’s unique circumstances. Apte, prior to being dubbed the Netflix girl, delivers an uninhibited performance here and Sai Tamhankar, who also plays an important role, is suitably cast as the housewife with unfulfilled desires. 

This one may be a film about a man who can’t keep it in his pants but it’s also a hilarious take on the repressed society we live in.  

Alright, that's the lost and found film for today's podcast. I shall be back again with another film or show that turned out to be a hidden gem. Until next time, it's your host Nikhil outta here.

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Konkona Sen-Sharma’s directorial debut, A Death in the Gunj may be packaged like a whodunit but is a lot more than just that. Prior to the film’s release, the actress-filmmaker had shared that it was loosely inspired from the stories her father narrated to her as a child. Set in 1979 in McCluskieganj, this mystery revolves around a family vacation that doesn’t exactly go as planned. The ensemble cast comprises Tilottoma Shome, Gulshan Devaiah, Vikrant Massey, Kalki Koechlin, Ranvir Shorey and Jim Sarbh. 

The film delivers as a classic mystery and lulls the audience into a world where one is always uncertain about the events to follow. It helps significantly that cinematographer Sirsha Ray translates Sen-Sharma’s vision closely and intuitively, much like an artist’s impression. 

A Death in the Gunj has to be Massey’s most compelling performance. In the film, Massey slips into the protagonist Shuttu, who is also used as a vehicle to convey the flipside of being quietly repressed.

The film’s ending received divided opinions but for those who love a touch of fantasy and the atmosphere of an old school mystery, this one’s a must-watch. 

If you haven't wanted this flick yet, see it on Amazon Prime Video.

Alright, that's the lost and found film for today's podcast. I  shall be back again with another film or show that turned out to be a hidden gem. Until next time, it's your host Nikhil outta here.

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Today, we’re talking about Sachin Kundalkar’s 2012 dramedy Aiyyaa which is a remake of the director’s own Marathi film Gandha. The quirky comedy headlined by Rani Mukherji follows the story of Meenakshi, a feisty woman who meets various arranged suitors to eventually fall for an artist (played by Prithviraj Sukumaran). Kundalkar’s breezy narrative and eccentric characters ensure you’re consistently interested and entertained through the film. But more importantly, Kundalkar, who has also helmed feel-good films such as Happy Journey and Gulabjaam, turns the very idea of women being objectified over its head in this film. 

In Aiyyaa, we get an insight into Meenakshi’s desires which she’s not afraid of admitting and this refreshing twist makes this film not only an interesting and entertaining watch but also an important one. But some couldn’t perhaps accept this alternative lens to a love story where a woman hopes to claim the man of her dreams. Consequently, the film went largely unnoticed, barring a few critics who hailed it as an audacious move. Mukherji completes Meenakshi with an eccentric-yet-adorable streak that was impossible to ignore. While Prithviraj’s role was largely peripheral to the central story, the actor seems to be aptly cast and Marathi actor Amey Wagh, who plays Meenakshi’s eccentric brother is a strong supporting hand too. 

The film, in all, packs a crazy ride and makes for a fun watch. You can catch Aiyyaa on numerous OTT platforms such as Netflix, Youtube, Jio, Google Play and iTunes.

Alright, that’s the hidden gem for today on OTTplay Lost and Found. I shall be back with another podcast soon with a brand new film or show that you haven't watched yet. For now, it's your host Nikhil outta here. 

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