Films for the home theatre
Whocouldhaveimaginedthatthecontentioustheatre-vs-streamingdebatewould be halted, at least temporarily, by a virus? Covid-19 has shut down multiplexes in parts of India. Elsewhere, people are staying away out of concern for public health andtheirown.oneofthebiggestindianreleases of the year — — has been postponed indefinitely. The new James Bond film,
has been put off.
With the theatrical experience no longer an option, I recommend that you use this time to discoverwhatliesbeyondbollywood.hereare three titles to start with.
Always at the Movies
Sudani is a strapping playerrecruitedtoplayinalocalfootballclubin Kerala’smalappuramdistrict.thefolksaround himdon’tknowenoughabouttheafricancontinent so they call him, variously, Nigerian (whichheis),ugandan(whichheisn’t)andeven
Sudanese,whichleadstothenicknamesudani andsudu—whichisfromwherethefilmgetsits title.
Sudaniisastarplayer,butunfortunatelyhe gets injured. The team’s manager, Majid, who can’treallyaffordit,decidestonursesuduback to health in his own home.
Majid’s mother, Jameela, her close friend, Beeyumma,andmajidbecomesudu’scaretakers and cheerleaders. The two women can barely communicate with Sudu, but through their warmth and generosity, they help him heal. Majid tells Sudu: Any need, call mother.
Sudu in turn helps heal Majid. His hurt and resentmentareslowlyreplacedbyacapacityto love and forgive. Debutant director Zakariya Mohammeddelicatelyweavesastoryaboutthe tiesthatbindus.thesecharactershavelittlein common except a shared humanity.
features a terrific performance by Soubin Shahir (who you may rememberfromkumbalanginights).youcan watch it on Netflix. first time as adults. He hides from her and then keeps his back to her. When she forces him to turn around, he can’t look at her. He’s a grown man acting like a blushing boy. Vijay is a wonder to watch. is a hackneyedtropebut’96makesyoubelieveinitagain. You can watch the film on Sun NXT and Youtube.
The word is Assamese for meat-eater, but this is a love story. Which is what makes
The film is about the relationship between a pediatriciannamednirmaliandaphdstudent named Sumon. He is writing a thesis on meateating habits in the northeast. Slowly a friendshipdevelopsbetweenthem,andsumonintroducesnirmalitotheuniquejoysofeatingmeat, whichbecomesasourceofraptureandconnection.
Nirmali is married and has a son, so their relationship remains necessarily undefined. But their sharing of and love for food give it an intimacythatbecomesalmostunnerving.their desire finds expression in meals of wild rabbit andcatfishwithcolocasia.assumonsaysatone point: The definition of normal isn’t universal.
Directorbhaskarhazarikaskillfullymoves the narrative into dark places and steers it to a memorable finish. You can watch the film on moviesaints.com.