collinsenosh Reviews

Rennervations: Rajasthan, India: Building a Mobile Water Treatment Center (ft. Anil Kapoor) (2023) Season 1, Episode 4

Inspiring

[10/10 · 12 July 2023]

Social work is hard work and often goes unappreciated. But a dose of creativity can make it fun.

It is a win-win situation. Celebrities should give back to the society. But charity can be complicated, there are too many needy people. Creativity on the other hand is very dynamic. Creativity is a movement, it triggers action.

I kinda do feel bad for the workers. A lot of work; they were the real stars behind the project.

Jeremy Renner proves that mediocre talent when coupled with obsessive work ethic is enough. 90% of hardwork in entertainment is behind the scenes. Yet stars steall all the glory. The least they could do is give back some.

Dead Pixels (India) (2023– )

Underrated

[9/10 · 7 June 2023]

This series is not about games. Gamers would hate it, they would find it cringey.

And yes the acting is really horrible, but for Niharika.

Even so, this series is amazing and a must-watch. For starters, writers tried something new, which is always refreshing. Did it backfire? Yes, it did. But, that is okay. At least this series stands out.

This series is all about a love-triangle, about a person recognizing one's own love towards another human. Underneath the cringey humour, the writers show deep maturity and philosophy.

For example, the series is a commentary on looks versus connection, which is endearing.

Potluck (2021– )

Hidden Gem

[9/10 · 4 March 2023]

Why is this standout series marketed so poorly? I am dissapointed that I heard about it so late.

If you liked "This is Us," then this series is a must-watch for you. If not, then also you can watch it, simply for the novelty. It is rare to find this level of writing in the family drama genre India.

People do not care about stories anymore, they care about characters. The recipe to success is all about real characters, who are also likeable, or interesting. And that is exactly what this series does.

The series features a talented cast; Cyrus Sahukar, Ira Dubey, Shikha Talsania, jatin sial & Kitu Gidwani.

Can you believe it, this series portrays familiar issues like the need of a bigger house, the nanny speaking in her mother tongue, joblessness, cooking know-how etc.

Pros: simple, relatable, realistic, and without melodrama.

Cons: It can be too simple, tad predictable, and somehow lacks that something special.

Jehanabad - Of Love & War (2023– )

Overrated

[6/10 · 4 February 2023]

This show is avoidable.

Jehanabad is so annoying to watch it makes one wonder, who writes these? The only positive behind the series, is its aggressive promotion. Again, it makes no sense, who is spending money on such hopeless projects?

The love story is also cheesy. It saddens me that the cast is actually talented. Harshita Gaur shone here. Ritwik Bhowmik was fine. Satyadeep Misra is the best of the lot.

The real villain perhaps is SEO. These are formula ideas, not very original. The audience can see through it. It is time writers start respecting the audience, and their time.

Not even worth trying.

Shark Tank India: Entrepreneurship Ki Leher Ek Baar Firse (2023) Season 2, Episode 1

The Elephant in the Room

[5/10 · 10 January 2023]

In some ways Shark Tank India is overrated. The journey from zero to one crore rupees is more relevant to the masses. If your firm is making crores per year, you must be doing something right?

This review is incomplete without talking about Ashneer Grover.

Yes, Shark Tank India triggered startup discussion in every household. But it would not have been possible if the show had not been this fun in season 1. It is not just about Ashneer Grover, it is about honesty.

Season 2 is trying too hard to be inspiring, but the audience can see right through it. Melodramatic music is totally unceccessary. People watch the show to understand business sense. It is not about the people.

Moving in with Malaika (2022– )

An Annoying Watch

[3/10 · 8 December 2022]

The show is an exclusive and insightful look into the life of Indian celebrity, alaika Arora.

24 years ago, Malaika Arora rose to fame after her appearance in the famous Bollywood song Chaiyyan Chaiyyan along with Shah Rukh Khan.

Since then, she has chalked her own career path-as a fabulous dancer, fashionista, reality show judge, and entrepreneur.

But more than anything else, she took immense pride and joy in raising her son Arhaan Khan, along with her ex-husband Arbaaz Khan. Over the years, she is also been in the news for her divorce from Arbaaz Khan after 19 years of marriage.

More recently she is making news for being in a relationship with actor Arjun Kapoor. Being a public figure, and one who has been there to make bold choices the life the way she desires to-she has also been on the receiving end of nasty trolls on social media.

Taking matters into her own hands and venturing outside of her comfort zone, she admits that she has been judged her entire life and now, shows the world her real side.

The first episode begins with a lot of promise, and choreographer and director Farah Khan with comfort on her own couch was warm and sweet but didn't really offer anything fresh into Malla's life.

Her second guest, none other than dear friend Neha Dhupia pushes the conversation further as they discuss how Malaika needs to step out of her comfort zone and embark on a new journey.

In both the episodes Malaika honestly talks about the trauma.

The problem is, these conversations about overcoming her fear and the way she goes about doing it in her second episode is a tad bit stretched. A sharper editing between the conversations was much needed.

The format of 'Moving In With Malaika' is quite similar to that of 'The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives,'

Trackers (2019)

Hidden Gem

[9/10 · 28 October 2022]

If you are someone who has exhausted all the classics and struggling to find quality thrillers, then this one is for you.

The closest comparison is Homeland.

The South Africa setting further adds to the charm.

The acting, characterization, pacing, action, and writing, everything fits well. Even so, expectations should not be too high, it is not a documentary. It is gripping and binge worthy.

The dark lighting adds to the eerie. The director of photography needs a special mention. Good plots involve dovetailing of subplots, the ending was perfect. Even good stories get that wrong.

There is a lack of X-factor though.

Jamtara: Sabka Number Ayega: Episode #2.1 (2022) Season 2, Episode 1

Underrated Series

[9/10 · 24 September 2022]

Jamtara is right up there with Mirzapur, Scam 1992, and Sacred Games.

The writing is detailed, fast-paced, and realistic enough.

The new season is an underdog fight back. The writing is so powerful that the veiwer identifies themselves with the underdogs, cheering them all the way to the finale.

The series does lack big-name actors, but that is what becomes its strength. The focus is not on a single character, but rather many charecters who are nuanced and life-like.

Along with the action, drama, and emotional upheaval, the series works because it backs it all up with real ingenuine criminal ideas.

House of the Dragon: We Light the Way (2022) Season 1, Episode 5

What just happened?

[9/10 · 19 September 2022]

Game of Thrones is a success story where storytelling has evolved to keep up with diminishing attention spans.

House of Dragons does the same in this episode.

For modern stories, exposition of characters cannot take too long.

Of course, behind all the threatrics and action, good old storytelling is still indispensable.

House of dragon is so different from Game of Thrones, still packs a punch. Partially because it does not try to be Game of Thrones. It just tries to be a good story, which it is. Very new characters, and audience relate to them very soon.

This time around, the focus is on inter-personal dynamic. Something obviously everyone relates to.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: A Normal Amount of Rage (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

New is Good

[9/10 · 1 September 2022]

In a content overload era, something new or something fresh is top-self materiel. And She-Hulk is exactly that.

I am not a comic book fan, and I don't watch Avengers. She-Hulk is changing my mind. It is light-hearted, and easy to watch.

Some people dislike Avengers and superhero excess because the storylines are too predictable. She-Hulk surprises you. Addressing the elephant in the room, well yes the acting is a bit sloppy. Then again I am a huge Mark Ruffalo fan.

But for the review bombing I might have given this a 7/10. In fact the low ratings piqued my interest. Don't we all love the underdogs?

Koffee with Karan: Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor (2022) Season 7, Episode 5

Great Episode; Bad Season

[8/10 · 5 August 2022]

Is Kfk outdated?

Surely it has outlived its utility. But with this episode the show is back at its best. Aamir is very authentic, a welcome deflection away from Karan's fake glam.

This shows that true stars know something about presentation that is awfull lacking from the nepo kids.

City on a Hill: Gods and Monsters (2022) Season 3, Episode 1

Grossly Underrated Series

[9/10 · 3 August 2022]

I still do not know why this show is not popular.

In the begining I was wondering whether or not to root for Jaclie Rohr. The gray soon glided into black territory, still...

Good storytelling is all it takes.

Koffee with Karan: Alia-Ranveer (2022) Season 7, Episode 1

Disgusting

[3/10 · 15 July 2022]

Ranveer Singh is disgusting, this episode is shamelessly unwatchaeble.

Alia Bhatt is back to her 'stupid-best,' where she fails to understand a simple question. In a way, KJO is exposing the annoying side of celebrities.

Koffee with Karan: Sara-Janhvi (2022) Season 7, Episode 2

Cringe

[1/10 · 15 July 2022]

Season 7 is super boring, KJO has lost the plot. Sara and Jhanvi have exposed themselves; both are dumb and boring.

After all the controversy, the show should have stopped.

Cubicles (2019– )

Season 2 is Dissapointing

[7/10 · 30 May 2022]

Writing is decent, but the pacing is too slow. Acting is neither bad nor stand-out.

This show is too mediocre, and gets a little preachy against IT companies. There is too much stereotyping.

Good series are about personality, writers must resist the temptation of too many punchlines; in this one they did not.

We Own This City (2022)

WIRE 2.0

[8/10 · 29 April 2022]

Jamie Hector who played Marlo Stanfield in Wire is a cop now.

The show stays clear of cop show stereotypes. It rings true, a blank feeling created by the lack of music, just like the Wire.

Actors back the quality writing.

Formula 1: Drive to Survive: Hard Racing (2022) Season 4, Episode 10

DTS wins new fans for the sport

[10/10 · 19 March 2022]

This series is not meant for F1 purists. I have never watched F1 before and mostly never will.

But as soon as DTS 4 was out, I subscirbed to Netflix to watch it all in one go. And it did not dissapoint.

Details matter. DTS has phenomenal sound design, beyond the sport Netflix is at its peak.

The Interns (2020– )

In your face, product placements

[6/10 · 17 March 2022]

Avoid it.

Experimentation is good for the artist as it triggers evolution and novelty. But not all experiments are succesful.

"The Interns" is a failed experiment.

The character Ana is written well, the only standout feature of the series. Ehsas Channa has to rise up from her overacting.

Too much stress was laid on catchy dialogues and the plost suffers.

Fighting Spirit (2000–2002)

Overrated

[7/10 · 28 January 2022]

It is a gripping story, the characters are great. But for boxing fans the exaggeration is annoying.

It is too slow-paced, which is a problem because boxing is fast. Real boxing is more about reflex than chess like tactics.

On the plus side, if someone is willing to invest the time, beginners can indeed learn fundamentals of boxing.

Also, the protagonist, Ippo is annoying. It is more than compensated by the brilliance of other characters, but still.

Me, Boss and Lockdown (2021– )

Irritating and boring!

[4/10 · 18 December 2021]

Even for Carry Minati YouTube fans, this is a let down.

Carry's style and plot does not suit each other. The alter ego route totally backfired. The theme is annoying because there is nothing new about the premise.

If audience wanted to face the drudgery of facing an annoying boss, they would rather work and get paid for it.

Chhuri (2017 Video)

Holds your attention.

[8/10 · 10 October 2021]

Not a masterpiece but keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006)

Boring

[3/10 · 19 September 2021]

Skit this movie.

There was some potential, but Malika Sherawat cannot act. The script is too stereotypical to be taken seriously. The protagonist Trisha is a cliché, not a real person.

The runtime is too long to consider it even a light-hearted watch.

I feel bad for Rahul Bose, he clearly is a good actor who deserves better roles. He did his best here too.

Annabelle Sethupathi (2021)

Beautiful Love Story

[6/10 · 17 September 2021]

If you are stressed out, watch this light-hearted horror comedy.

Yeah if you are bored, don't watch, you will end up more bored. Writing is kind of poor, does not make any logical sense.

The reason I am writing this review is that, it does not take good writing to catch attention. This film is pleasantly new, silly but not copied from anywhere, very fresh.

Surprisingly the love story is beautiful. Maybe I should not be surprised though considering the acting quality of Tapsee Pannu and Vijay Sethupathi. Tapsee brings a certain energy to this film, it seems real despite the nonsense script. Vijay Sethupathi is at his usual cult-classic best.

Definitely watch it in Tamil.

Raat Akeli Hai (2020)

Overrated. Rohit Shetty cop stuck in an Anurag Kashyap universe.

[6/10 · 31 July 2020]

The plot features a Kanpur cop who investigates the brutal murder of a politician from an upper-class but suspenseful family.The Genre is the same old, same old murder mystery.

The cop develops an attraction towards the prime suspect, Radha (played by Radhika Apte) and her dusky-skinned 'outsider' status. Also this hero is surprised as he doesn't expect a fragile woman to execute a murder.

Circumstances forces the cop's gaze to evolve. The focus is on how the cop's understanding of power and masculinity changes, matures to match the changing world outside.Slowly but steadily, we sense the broadening of Jatil's mental bandwidth. The way Jatil sees justice becomes inextricably linked to the way he sees women. He wants to fight a system, but for that he is actually fighting men like himself. Quite mind numbing actually

Unless you are an hardcore Nawaz fan, you could skip it altogether,

She (2020– )

Sex sells!

[4/10 · 22 March 2020]

The premise of She - Netflix India's latest show - is so promising that nothing less than an absurdly confused narrative with no sense of timing and tone might have messed it up.

Even the smarter subtexts are fetishized by the makers. For example, equating the stature of sex workers in society to that of female cops in a male-dominated police force.

The execution of the narrative - the cheesy cop-planning sessions, her training montage, her sister's desi spunk, the incoherent flashbacks is too cringey to examine the complexity of Bhumi's transformation.

Aaditi Pohankar's performance is brave but uneven; she struggles mostly because she has been directed according to a script rather than her character.

The anticlimactic finale is the final nail in the coffin.