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Watched Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley 4/5 Sony Liv.
Based on the novel The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie and directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, Starring some very good actors who do very well, especially Wamika Gabbi.
Nicely done, however it also could have been a movie instead of a series!
Gulshan Grover hasn't changed one bit since the last 30 years or so!

I would suggest you watch the second season as well; it is even better than the first one. :thumbs up

I have watched all the seasons of CB Strike and completely agree with you that it is one of the best shows we have. :)

It could just be chalked down to the lack of sunshine, adequate exercise and what not because of which I probably have low testosterone in my blood - but here I am, in the 5th season of Virgin River on Netflix. Ahem, I'm not saying that I've replaced my testosterone with female hormones. My pronouns are still "he/him". Yet, I've gotten so far in this series and while enjoying it thoroughly.

Quite simply, it's a drama series that you would normally expect the women in the household to binge on. But in one intense episode of the show, I even found my eyes welling up with sympathetic tears. God damn! I need to resume hitting the gym and need to man up...I should punch a few "manly" men on the street too, for good measure

Seriously - the show has good writing, the sceneries are epic and maybe through the show I'm just vicariously living out my dreams of living in seclusion in the middle of nowhere amid greenery, hills and rivers. And since I find myself comparing Virgin River to the good old days spent watching Buniyaad and Nukkad on Doordarshan long ago - I have to also say that there is an element of simplicity in this series where you connect with the characters as they go through their daily lives and start feeling for them.

You can watch it if you're up for some simple and joyful TV watching.

Kumari Srimathi (Telugu) - 3.5/5

I do not understand Telugu but the subtitles were enough for me to enjoy this very nicely made series of seven episodes. Never a dull moment, excellent photography and rib tickling one liners. Nithya Menen's story all the way but not discounting the acting of the entire cast. Women empowerment in a very subtle manner.

You have mentioned two of the most iconic names from the good old days of Doordarshan and that is more than enough reason for me to watch the series that you have recommended. Thanks much :thumbs up

And I thought it was unmanly for me to accept that I watched the whole "Downton Abbey" including the film :uncontrol

Caveat emptor - all 3 of these shows immerse us in the daily lives of ordinary people, true. That's a thread of commonality they do share. But I might have erred by setting the bar too high for "Virgin river". I'm not sure anything can equal, let alone surpass, Buniyaad or Nukkad.

Something for fans of Pawn Stars - a reality show called Hardcore Pawn. The Youtube channel has some of the shows. Sample:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4hHDJrqgSE

This show gives a more realistic idea about how pawn broking works in USA. In Pawn Stars, mostly well to do folks bring in exotic stuff to sell. But in real life, pawn broking business is about buying/selling used electronics/furniture/clothes/jewellery etc and also actual pawning (loans against collateral)

Looks like the show was quite popular (9 Seasons)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_Pawn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq0iEmSMNGg

Kark Rogue - Bengali (Hindi audio available)



A strictly average watch. Acting was pretty decent and I wouldn't call this a typical "edge of the seat" sort of thriller. Storyline is not something new but just added some flavour to make us think it's new.
Too many aggressive adult scenes which I felt was unnecessary.

Rating - 2.5/5 (Available on Zee5).

Bhoomi Enna Suthuthey - Telugu (Tamil audio available)



Time loop concept. Not sure about Amala's acting and some of the investigations/interrogations were really bad (some obvious questions/thoughts will come to our mind). Editing was decent but could have made it better since this was based on a time loop so there were many scenes repeated.

Rating - 3/5 (Available on aha). Time-pass watch.

Mumbai Diaries Amazon Prime.

Second season of Mumbai Diaries is better than season one in my view. While the first one was about 26/11 terror attacks, second season is about 26/07 Mumbai floods. Scope of acting is better in the second season and almost everyone has played their parts well. Surprise package is Parambrata Chatterjee who has almost most nailed his abusive husband character to the T. Surprising since he has always played the good boy part all his life.

One standout scene is between Mohit Raina and Tina Desai in the last episode. I wonder why Tina Desai doesn’t work often. She is always brilliant in whatever she has played till date. Every actor is relatable and have done justice to their roles. Recommended watch.

Rating: 3.5/5


Since you watch Bangla stories, please give Raktokorobi a watch on the same streaming platform. Good actors, decent performances and definitely a good watch.

Lupin - Season 3

The season 3 of the popular French TV series - Lupin based on a French novel about a ‘gentleman thief’ is out. It’s really good as expected with the 7 episodes leaving you at the edge of the seat with its suspenses, twists and turns!

Season 3 isn’t as grandiose as the first two seasons though but is more grounded with more drama and character development.

The ended clearly alluded to a season 4, so can’t wait!

Loki Season 2 on Disney Hotstar

Episode 1 & 2.

Simply couldn't connect with this. I'm a Marvel fan (more of DC comics though) but there seems to be a sharp dip in the MCU. There was a sense of urgency in the first episode that only the characters felt. I just kept wondering "why" the entire episode. :Frustrati

Ms. Marvel was the first thing MCU that I skipped and the upcoming movie The Marvels might be the next.
IF Disney keeps churning out average stuff it won't be long before it has to sell MCU as well.

Disappointed.

The Canadian TV series 'Departure' Season 1 starts well - keeping you glued to your seat. It is about the disappearance of a British Plane ala the Malaysian airline AH 370 disappearance. The plot thickens after some time.
Legendary Actor Christopher Plummer stars in this TV series. Archie Punjabi is the lead actor in this thriller.
https://youtu.be/RmEMdMnGcm4

I don't know how the rest of the seasons will turn out.
As for the first season, I would rate it 4/5.

I recently subscribed to SHOWTIME.

And, I was pleasantly surprised to see- Dexter New Blood airing on this OTT.

Being a huge fan of Dexter series, I can't wait to start this series over the weekend.

Any feedback on how this new season is compared to the excellent old one?

'Dexter' belongs to Showtime, as 'Breaking Bad' belonged to AMC. They are the original producers. No surprises, there. :)