OTT Platform Watch: Bell Bottom Movie Disappoints, Mumbai Diaries 11/26 Series Well Done, And More!

I’ve been a movie buff since my childhood, I’m also so passionate about it that I wanted to be a filmmaker and actually tried in that direction to some extent, still fueling that ambition. And I always enjoyed movies on the big screens, including the silver screens of the traditional single-screen movie theaters of yesteryear that fit the 35mm film format ideally and whenever occasional 70mm movies came out, the frames used to spread sideways. I find this very tragic, of course it does not compare to the horrors and sufferings of people due to the pandemic, which for more than 18 months have deprived me of normal visits to the cinema and I really miss the action. Therefore, OTT (Over the Top) streaming platforms have become the only alternative, for people like me, who put all the focus on proper behavior and COVID-19 safety. So, I’ve been watching a lot on such a platform since the first crash, always selecting the best available movies and the most talked about series, but limited to a single platform as I don’t want to hurt my ears with constant use of headphones. Many movies belong to the golden age and most modern ones don’t need a special mention. However, I had recently seen three modern movies and web series that I would like to talk about a bit. Latest Bollywood Movie Doorbell (2021) is one of them that attracted me by the name that it was insane in our college days, and that the movie was in the vein of effective Indian spy thrillers that I really enjoyed in recent years in modern cinemas.

The hero of the film Akshay Kumar is one more attraction, since he participated in several successful thrillers made by the filmmaker Neeraj Pandey as Special 26 (2013), Baby (2015), Rustom (2016) and Naam shabana (2017). Of course this movie Doorbell it’s not one of theirs, but like I said, the format seemed to be exciting. Watching the movie, I was disappointed in the overall sense: it had an explosive plot that was terribly affected by an inept script. The basic theme of the film, an Indian Airlines plane hijacking drama (based on an actual event during the last term of the then Prime Minister of India, the late Indira Gandhi), was unnecessarily affected by prolonged flashbacks, and finally when the plot seemed to be picking up, there wasn’t enough time to bring it to a worthy climax. Although the film has similarities to another successful kidnapping thriller, Zameen (2003) directed by Rohit Shetty, its final climax turned out to be very simplistic and rushed.

The movie certainly has its high-octane moments with Agent RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), played by Akshay Kumar, whose codename is Doorbell, going through investigations and raids on the lairs of terrorists. Your RAW boss, indeed well played by Adil Hussain, is nothing more than a pale shadow of the intelligence chief in Baby played by Danny Denzongpa, who almost lived through the overloaded drama and action. The kidnappers’ characters also didn’t get enough attention and none of them managed to scare viewers like they did in movies like Baby and Neerja (2016), the latter very cleverly directed by Ram Madhvani. Pakistan’s intelligence counterpart was also half-hearted. The latest twist involving Akshay’s wife, played by Vaani Kapoor, sharing a secret with the RAW boss was only superficial. Some critics also point to factual errors, but these can be overlooked as it is ultimately a work of fiction. Therefore, the movie Doorbell Directed by Ranjit Tiwari, although it is handled well to some extent, it fails to be as fascinating and gripping as those films of the same genre mentioned here.

A surprise awaited us when the new OTT web series Mumbai Diaries 11/26, made by well-known filmmaker Nikhil Advani, it was available on air. Having lived through every heartbreaking moment of that horrible Mumbai terrorist attack on November 26, 2008 through my work in the media, anything about that attack always caught my eye. However, all the films made about the attack so far have been unconvincing attempts, failing to do justice to the terror unleashed. So I started watching episode 9 Mumbai Diaries 11/26 Immediately, and to my great surprise, I found it very fascinating and doing full justice to the genuine shock that victims and people in general still feel for the first time. Though medically done, telling the story of a Mumbai hospital that was ultimately the target of the terrorist attack, almost every horrible moment from the three-day royal reign of fear is being captured and skillfully presented. With the help of a powerful script, the characters, including primarily the doctors and hospital staff, are portrayed with excellent ease and brilliant performances by all the actors.

The web series also pointed to the much-discussed ‘media involvement’ that was giving constant clues to Pakistan’s terror control room that led the terrorists into action in Mumbai, and the tragedy unleashed by an overzealous news reporter in this work of fiction. it was demonstrated honestly and effectively. If the chronology of the actual series of events was not followed in detail, this was never felt while looking at it, and again, finally, being a work of fiction, such complaints are not necessary. More positively, the Series does not indulge in any bloody violence or glorification of it and the explicit sexuality that has been the hallmark of almost every OTT Web Series broadcast in India. In total, the Mumbai Diaries 11/26 it is fully visible to all types of viewers of any age who want to re-feel the reality of the infamous terrorist attack.

Finally a Hollywood movie Those who wish me dead (2021), directed by Taylor Sheridan. With Angelina Jolie at the helm and an interesting wildfire smoke jumper story, I watched the movie as soon as it aired on my subscribed OTT platform. To my surprise again, I thoroughly enjoyed it, not finding a single moment of slack in this clever thriller. What I found refreshing is that the film followed the ’90s thriller genre religiously and accurately with an impeccably tuned script. Lately, most of the Hollywood movies have been devoted to the treatment of super visual effects, whether it be showing destructive monsters or catastrophes or unimaginable science fiction stories that mainly cover the outside world and the universe. In a way, it vindicated my wish, nurtured over many years, for Hollywood to return to the basic human dramas that are always acceptable around the world. All people with a mentality of this ordinary mortal should, therefore, not stop seeing Those who wish me dead at any cost. Those who can safely visit the theaters are the luckiest.