The Long Take with Akhil, Rohan & Devika

Is director Vikramaditya Motwane’s meta-mockumentary AK vs AK a one-line premise stretched too thin?

We discuss the film’s inventive approach to Bollywood satire, actors Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap’s willingness to lampoon themselves, and cinematographer Swapnil Sonawane’s use of long takes.

Later, we find time to rant about Indian film critics (it us) being treated dismissively by international studios (we’re looking at you, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and Warner Bros.)

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

With Tenet, has Christopher Nolan become too Nolan-y, verging on self-parody?

We discuss the filmmaker’s delayed sci-fi espionage thriller, the problems with its time inversion mechanic, the admirable action set-pieces, and—the big question—whether it is worth a trip to the cinemas.

Later, we talk about Disney’s newly-unveiled massive slate, with a focus on Star Wars and Marvel.

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Can Mank—an insider tale about ‘30s Hollywood, through the eyes of Citizen Kane co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz—win Netflix its first best picture Oscar?

We discuss David Fincher’s technical choices, his commitment to a discredited version of events, and the film’s mainstream appeal (or rather, the lack of it).

Later, we talk about HBO Max’s game-changing announcement, which will bring 18 Warner Bros. movies day-and-date on streaming and in cinemas.

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Where does the $200-million Mulan stand in the pantheon of Disney’s live-action remakes?

We discuss the film’s multiple behind-the-scenes controversies, its treatment of Gong Li’s shapeshifting character, and how it panders to Chinese interests (in vain).

Later, we talk about Netflix’s terrible new reality series The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, and Asif Kapadia’s documentary film Diego Maradona in light of the great footballer’s death.

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Is Steve McQueen’s anthology film series—Small Axe—the most personal he has ever been? We dive into the first film in the series, Mangrove.

We discuss its unexpected similarities to The Trial of the Chicago 7, McQueen’s distinctive direction, and the ambition of his five-film experiment.

Small Axe is available on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and Amazon Prime Video in the US.

Later, we talk about Delhi Crime’s success at the International Emmys—a first for India—and Netflix’s 62-million hit, The Queen’s Gambit.

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Is the fourth season of The Crown—the Netflix drama about the British royal family—the best one yet?

We discuss creator Peter Morgan’s impressionistic take on history, the performances of its ensemble cast—including Olivia Colman, Gillian Anderson, and Emma Corrin—and whether the show is an indictment of the monarchy, or a celebration of it.

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Come for the rants about Laxmii, stay for recommendations on what to watch instead in the realm of transgender cinema.

We discuss Akshay Kumar’s messiah complex, the film’s rotten writing, its harmful depiction of trans people, and whether it can even be described as a “movie”.

Later, we talk about the government’s decision to regulate streaming content, and how that could affect the industry.

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Is Hansal Mehta’s Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story worth the hassle of dealing with SonyLIV?

We discuss the word-of-mouth hit, including the treatment of its controversial subject, its themes of morality, greed, and corruption, and the performances of its largely unknown cast.

Later, we talk about the artistic counter-attack launched by Hollywood filmmakers against Donald Trump during his presidency, and highlight some of our favourites.

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Is Sacha Baron Cohen’s secretly filmed satire sequel, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, the final blow to an (hopefully) outgoing president or a pointed exploration of American society?

We also discuss the legitimacy of that outrageous Rudy Giuliani scene, the film’s unexpected feminist values, and the performances of its leads: newcomer Maria Bakalova, and Cohen.

Later, we talk about another Netflix India dud, the Shabana Azmi-starrer horror Kaali Khuhi, and Spike Lee’s inventive new film, David Byrne’s American Utopia.

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].

Is Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy a faithful adaptation of Vikram Seth’s lengthy novel, or does it get tangled up in its own excesses and restrictions?

We also talk about its ensemble cast, the show’s relevance to today’s India, and whether making it largely in English was a good idea.

Later, we discuss the reopening of Indian cinemas during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and whether or not we’d go to the movies if work demanded it.

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Hosted by Akhil Arora and Rohan Naahar, The Long Take is fully bootstrapped. Please consider donating if you enjoy our work.

The Long Take is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, JioSaavn, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Follow The Long Take on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Write to us at [email protected].