State of the Khandaan
Hello there, lovelies! This newsletter should have arrived in your inboxes much earlier but April was a busy, busy month and May wasn’t much better. For one thing, April was our giant meet-up month - after three long pandemic years, Asim, Amrita, and Sujoy were meeting up in person in London and we had a bunch of stuff we wanted to do - like meetups and video podcasts and all sorts of things!
Give Away
Our January/February giveaway for BONES AND ALL starring Timothee Chalamet has two winners as promised - Melvin and Sybil! For March/April, we’re giving three Khandaan Podcast: Masala Content stickers and our winners are long time listeners and friends of the podcast, Faz and Jax! (We had a third winner but they didn't respond so if any of you wants it, please do let us know @ upodcasting@gmail.com. First come, first served!)
Remember: all you need is to subscribe to this newsletter for a chance to win Khandaan merch. Do remember to share the link with anyone you think might like it.
Recommends
This month, we have a few recommendations for you:
Sujoy
Amrita
Loved: Daisy Jones & The Six. This really felt like some old-school 80s series full of drama and angst. I never quite got around to reading the book when it came out but this show has me OBSESSED. And the music is actually good! Riley Keough is so incredibly perfect and Sam Claflin has one of those faces that looks like a douche when photographed but unspeakably, poetically beautiful when seen on video. I especially loved that the women in this show are allowed to have relationships and equations with each other and are clearly flawed but fiercely determined to live their own narratives. It’s very sex, drugs, and rock and roll though, so decide wisely who you want to watch this with.
Loved: The Diplomat. Is this a silly international intrigue show? Yes. Very mid-2000s cable-network-wants-to-be-edgy feels. But! It stars Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell who are two of my all time favorite actors and Sewell in particular just steals the show in this drama that is possibly the best take on the Clintons’ marriage. He loves her but he loves himself more, you see. And she loves him to the point where she forgets to love herself. And in the middle, the world is burning. It’s great.
Asim
Loved: Shrinking. The first season of Shrinking wrapped up and honestly hit it out of the park. From the creators of Scrubs, Ted Lasso, and Cougar Town, and featuring an all-star cast including Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, and Harrison Ford, this 10-episode season on Apple+ follows a psychiatrist grappling with his own grief as he takes a hands-on approach to healing his patients. It's the perfect addition to the growing list of light-hearted, wholesome comedies like Abbott Elementary and Parks and Recreation. I tweeted my initial impressions when I started watching, and I'm thrilled to report that the show not only lived up to my expectations but exceeded them.
Avoid: Chor Nikal Ke Bhaaga. As an amateur Yami Gautam enthusiast, I was excited to give her latest film a shot, hoping for a tight, B-grade thriller reminiscent of Wesley Snipes' classic Passenger 57. However, much to my disappointment, this one didn't quite hit the mark. The plot was convoluted and relied heavily on predictable twists that I spotted from a mile away. While I appreciated Sunny Kaushal's performance in The Forgotten Army, his "Baazigar-lite" act here felt entirely miscast.
Started: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Just started watching this so I can't share many details. I'm not a Trekkie by any means but I always make a point to sample a few episodes of the franchise's latest endeavors. While nothing has quite captured my heart like the iconic Star Trek TNG, I did enjoy Star Trek: Discovery even though I am yet to complete the series. I had high hopes for Picard especially as it was supposed to be a reunion of the TNG cast but unfortunately it failed to fully engage me. Strange New Worlds, the latest spinoff, taking off from Discovery, has me positively giddy with excitement! With a more serialized approach and a snappy pace, this new series is shaping up to be a delightful addition to the Star Trek universe. It's only 10 episodes so I think I might binge this one!
PS: We do a series called "5 Things I Watched That You Might Like" on Patreon (for subscribers only). For more quick thoughts on Non Bollywood content, here is a link to the last episode:
Social Quotient
In March, Sujoy was the first to make the DP/Filmfare comparison:
Asim sent out a call to fundraise for the family of his dear friend Ahmed, who was also part of Upodcast when it began. We discussed this briefly on the podcast with Asim being sad but the full context is that Ahmed was taken all too soon and very suddenly from his loved ones and leaves behind a 4 year old who will be growing up without her dad. Every dollar helps so if you have even one to contribute, please do consider going here or sharing in your networks:
Up Next on Khandaan
Over at the Patreon, one of the benefits we offer for the $20 tier and above is a chance to pick a movie for us to feature as a main review. It can be literally any movie. Laina chose the Mithun classic DISCO DANCER and now we’re all jamming to Bappi Lahiri’s music. Episode drops Thursday, May 25.
Highlights from the previous couple of months include:
Our review of TU JHOOTHI MAIN MAKKAR (we live-streamed the recording on Instagram and now the full video is available on Patreon)
We went through a few listener’s emails and it was really sweet, thank you for writing in
We conducted a quiz for our Patreon channel - and Yamini won a tote bag that says Khandaan <3 SRK!
Our discussion of KABHI SOUTEN KABHI SAHELI came out to rave reviews - special shoutout to Top Friend Beth for taking time out of her vacation to watch it with us. Video is up on Patreon.
Community
On Saturday, April 29 we met for our big Khandaan meet-up in London! It was a day marked by sunny weather and whatever mysterious glitch it was that took out the Jubilee line. We want to thank everyone who came to meet us and hang out for a couple of hours just discussing movies. Particularly KISI KA BHAI, KISI KI JAAN. Afterwards, a bunch of us headed out to watch PS2 together. It was all a lot of fun.
So we’re probably going to do it again in June of this year! Keep your eyes peeled!
And lastly, a very happy birthday to hum sab ki jaan, Sujoy!