scorecardresearch
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
HomeFeaturesBeyond The Reel

Beyond The Reel

Farzi to Scam 2003, Indian OTT loves fraud & fraudsters. They make for good TRPs

In just a week of its release, Hansal Mehta’s Scam 2003 has already raked in 5.7 million views to become one of India’s most-watched web series.

Can Shah Rukh Khan deliver with Jawan what Rajinikanth couldn’t with Jailer? Pan-India success

The new trend of delivering pan-India success has been a one-way street, from south to north. And even that has come undone this year with Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer.

Drag isn’t gag but Bollywood will keep dressing up Ayushmann Khurranas as women just for laughs

Govinda to Ayushmann Khurrana, Bollywood's filmy cross-dressers are just a laughing matter.

Guns & Gulaabs to Kathal, the comedy genre has found its perfect partner – in crime

Comedy refines and defines the heaviness of thrillers, and crime comedy is turning out to be a reliable and entertaining genre in itself.

OMG 2 doesn’t tread the tricky path of God & atheism. Marries tradition with education

Unlike Mehta, Kanti of OMG 2 relies on Hindu scriptures to argue his point. He steers clear of religious debates and instead emphasises the significance of Sanatana Dharma.

Elephant Whisperers’ fight shows Indian documentaries need better contracts, IP regulations

Bomman and Bellie, the mahout couple from the Oscar-winning documentary, are seeking a ‘goodwill gesture’ of Rs 2 crore from filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves.

Kohrra subverts tropes of Punjabi romance & nostalgia. Mustard fields, NRI weddings

Randeep Jha’s Netflix show Kohrra is a police procedural exploring complex human psyche, and the many problems that plague Punjab’s society.

Indian family is back in Bollywood. But Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani just made it imperfect

Johar uses stereotypes to address patriarchy, cancel culture, elitism, and even the disdain that had accumulated about larger-than-life Bollywood films.

Oppenheimer joins the ranks of Wolf of Wall Street. A biopic that lionises the hero, no warts

Just the way Scorsese showed Jordan Belfort, and Luhrmann depicted Elvis, Oppenheimer comes out a hero. Convenient narratives trump uncomfortable truths.

Barbie movie disappoints just like the doll. Needs radical makeover, not trendy updates

Over the decades, Barbie has tried to convince us she's changing. But tweaking isn't transforming. Greta Gerwig's movie is one more modification, not a radical 21st century makeover.

On Camera

India-Pakistan marriage breakdown that British can’t stop crying about

Ever since the Love Is Blind: UK episode dropped, there has been a collective meltdown online over the separation of Pakistan-origin Kal Pasha and Indian-origin Sarover Kaur Aujla.

A Rs 33,000 cr ‘banking fraud’: ED’s case against Arvind Dham, Amtek’s web of ‘500 shell companies’

ED has accused Amtek promoter Arvind Dham of controlling web of nearly 500 shell companies operating as a layered structure, with up to 15 levels of indirect ownership, to divert funds.

‘Real-time, all-climate’ explosives detector could enhance airport & border security—no dogs, no swabs

Bengaluru-based CeNS designs accurate, portable, and cheap sensor using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. It could significantly reduce risks at vulnerable choke points. 

For Indian Mercedes, Asim Munir’s dumper truck in mirror is closer than it appears

From Munir’s point of view, a few bumps here and there is par for the course. He isn’t going to drive his dumper truck to its doom. He wants to use it as a weapon.