[dailydriver]

FARZI
-Amazon Prime

The title is an apt reflection of the actual condition of the series: it appears to be a production that lacks the actual quality expected from the makers (Raj & DK).

Two wasted talents in Shahid and Vijay, episodes that seem to stretch on forever, scenes that do not propel the audience to the edge of their seats, meaningless interludes that add nothing to the storyline and lack of depth in characterisation are some of the obvious flaws that got detected when the series ran through the machine of my mind.

Instead of creating a new, watery detective, the makers could have integrated the story with the The Family Man franchise. Srikant Tiwary was a far more believable and rounded cop; Vijay's often confused but suitably cunny Michael pales in front of him.

Shahid and of course Kay Kay Menon could have been utilized better - they had four films worth of time to be shaped and presented. Their performances do not do justice either to their roles or to their potential; nor do they to their audience.

The project was earlier conceived as a movie and then pulled long to be made into a web series. Sadly, it is neither this, nor that. As an instance, there is a scene where...

Well, I won't spill the beans. But suffice it to say that there are multiple scenes which, with the freedom that a web series offers to its makers, could have turned into heart stoppers. Alas, they have ended up being half hearted renderings.

Verdict: Watchable, if one isn't otherwise gainfully engaged. Not a must see.

[StepUP!]

The Night Manager on Hotstar
Binge watched, it has only 4 episodes in season 1
next season coming in June 2023.
Well, from the season 2 trailer it appeared its already shot. Not sure why they chose to telecast it in June.
Big on the cast - Anil kapoor, Aditya roy kapoor

The plot grips you from the first episode. Pace is good. To the point direction. But it lacks detailing, substories which should have been expanded, are left to your imagination, and lack conviction, too easy. It appears as if director was under pressure to finish it within 4 episodes. Or the editor has cut too many reels.

Both actors did well, direction cuts them abruptly when they are expanding into a scene. Will watch the original on Amazon prime.

Rating 3/5

[Sheel]

Farzi on Amazon Prime -

My only gripe with this is, they could not utilize some one legendary like Amol Palekar. If Shri Amol was underutilized, very difficult for others to perform. Shahid was / is an exception. Kay Kay is flawless, he always is. But, the story line lacks depth, some parts can only happen in a typical Bollywood masala flick.

For me, the peak was Mirzapur (only the first series) and Panchayat (both).

[dragracer567]

So, the next ‘our man is’ series is in India?

[Sebring]

Mirrors my thoughts. BTW, The legend looks great in Gulmohar. Coming out on March 3rd

Originally Posted by Sheel

My only gripe with this is, they could not utilize some one legendary like Amol Palekar

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by dragracer567

So, the next ‘our man is’ series is in India?

Yes. the 3rd one is "Our Man in India". Shooting to start this month.

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

The Night Manager on Hotstar


Rating 3/5

Is it based on The Night Manager?. Is it a remake/copy?

The Night Manager, 2016 was fantastic. Based on John Le Carre's novel of the same name. Nothing comes close to John Le Carre in the genre. And the British TVseries is quite well made too. Not to mention the fantastic actors.

[SoumenD]

Watched Farzi on Amazon prime

Was a decent one time watch. I wanted to see it majorly for Vijaya Sethupathi. All others were OK but he shouldn’t have been in this series IMHO primarily because it looked how uncomfortable he was with Hindi. Was great to see Amol Palekar on screen after ages but again he was under-utilised.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Night Manager on Hotstar

I guess they wanted to make a movie but it turned out longer than expected and hence was converted to a series. Again not a bad watch. All the actors have done great. Storyline seems pretty stereotypical, so no wow factor as such.

Rating: 3/5

[DuHasstMich]

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

Is it based on The Night Manager?. Is it a remake/copy?

Yes, to the dot. They have made some minor changes with location names etc but the storyline and details are absolutely same.

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by DuHasstMich

Yes, to the dot. They have made some minor changes with location names etc but the storyline and details are absolutely same.

Not sure about the Hindi one but can't wait to watch the part 2 of the BBC one. It is in the works.

[v1p3r]

Tried a search but didn't find anything for 'The Last of Us' currently streaming in India on Hotstar, or whatever it's now called.

TLU is based on a very famous videogame (I had no idea), and stars Pedro Pascal (Narcos, Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Lyanna Mormont from GoT) in the lead. Both of them are fantastic actors, and are joined by some remarkable individual appearances every episode.

The Last of Us is probably the best show I have watched in a few years. Each episode is being talked of as an Emmy winner, and could probably get an Oscar nomination. While I am no connoisseur of the arts, I have never seen this kind of emotional range and acting on television. Each frame is memorable, and some scenes sear into your memory. Somehow, the showrunners have turned a videogame adaptation of a post-apocalyptic world into a sublime study of human emotions. Somehow, meaning brilliant acting and huge budgets for expansive sets.

I'm told it's also very faithful to the original game, which is a bonus for fans. I'd never even heard of the game, and I'm just absolutely blown away by this show.

[StepUP!]

Watched Korean movie Midnight on Prime
Rating 4/5
Plot revolves around a young deaf woman who fights a serial killer. I liked the story, depiction of a deaf's world, difficulties faced, how they use sound measuring instruments to assess a situation etc.
Though the director went a little overboard with some scenes, overall a good watch.
Jin ki-joo in the lead role acted really well.

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

Is it based on The Night Manager?. Is it a remake/copy?

The Night Manager, 2016 was fantastic. Based on John Le Carre's novel of the same name. Nothing comes close to John Le Carre in the genre. And the British TVseries is quite well made too. Not to mention the fantastic actors.

Yes. It's based on the same novel.
The original series on Prime with Time Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie is well directed and great to watch.

[1lokesh]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

Tried a search but didn't find anything for 'The Last of Us' currently streaming in India on Hotstar, or whatever it's now called.

<snip>

It is there on Disney+ Hotstar. Watched episode 7 yesterday. If you are trying to access the app outside India - high chance that you will get 404.

The winner for me is the fact that even though its a zombie apocalypse series, there is just the right (read least) amount of gore and ugliness. All the storylines are beautifully connected and explained. 5/5 from my side

[Gannu_1]

So glad to see The Last of Us getting all the good reviews. Seldom do movies made out of video games work. Can't wait for this season to wrap up so I can binge it over a weekend.

When I played the first title back in 2013, I was completely floored! Hadn't quite played anything like that before. You can read up on my experience that I had penned down in TE here (please factor in that I was just 26 when I posted that review + Unbanned under my user ID is a custom title). The sequel that came up 7 years later was insane - played out just like a movie and I took it real slow unlike the first one which I had completed in 2 days.

The other zombie apocalypse serial which I have been watching is The Walking Dead which has ended globally but the last season is yet to air on Netflix India. The last few seasons were watchable but I've got to give it a closure.

Fauda Season 3 was amazing - 4/5. Typical edge of the seat experience just like the previous 2 seasons but the finale was intense and absolutely nail biting! I think this season was clearly the best of the lot. Can't wait for the next one!

Wrapped up Farzi and would give it a 3.5/5. Vijay Sethupathi was clearly a miscast. I cringed every time the guy spoke Hindi. Nice easteregg linking this to The Family Man. Maybe the next season would have some from TFM?

Trial By Fire was good but slow paced. Would give it a 4/5. Will never be able to fathom what that family had to go through!

Spotted a LaFerrari on the door which is out of place for events happening in 1997:

[Pequod]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

So glad to see The Last of Us getting all the good reviews. Seldom do movies made out of video games work. Can't wait for this season to wrap up so I can binge it over a weekend.

When I played the first title back in 2013, I was completely floored! Hadn't quite played anything like that before. You can read up on my experience that I had penned down in TE here (please factor in that I was just 26 when I posted that review + Unbanned under my user ID is a custom title). The sequel that came up 7 years later was insane - played out just like a movie and I took it real slow unlike the first one which I had completed in 2 days.

I see you have posted your review of the first game on Jun 17, 2013 - the exact day I called in sick for my first playthrough . The impact that game had on me is such that I still remember the date, almost a decade later.

The opening sequence of The Last of Us (especially as a young father) was gut wrenching, and by the time I reached the ending at midnight or thereabouts, I was an emotional train wreck!

There’s mixed opinions about The Last of Us 2, but one thing is for sure, the developers made a conscious choice to take the story in an uneasy direction. And the first hour delivers a bigger gut punch, something I don’t think a sequel in any medium has managed to do in the history of entertainment!