It has been one exciting weekend with three major releases arriving on Friday. While Rocket Boys and The Great Indian Murder are the web series, Looop Lapeta is a film which has taken an OTT route.
Let’s talk about Rocket Boys first. As expected, this one has emerged as a modern day classic. The period theme of the web series has anyways caught attention for last many months and the promo had set the stage for a vintage affair in the offering. This is what has happened as well with first time director Abhay Pannu emerging as a very impressive storyteller who definitely has an hold over the medium. He has given an entertainer while narrating a story hitherto untold. It isn’t just about the two Indian scientists who laid the roadmap for India’s space plan, it’s also about how CIA conspired to eliminate the threat that that was emerging with India aiming to be a superpower.
It’s these very dramatic elements that further accentuate the kind of performance both Jim Sarbh and Ishwak Singh have given in this Nikkhil Advani, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Siddharth Roy Kapur web series which is all set to be renewed for the second season as well by Sony LIV, considering the cliffhanger that the first season ends on. Yes, intermittently the pace does go down a bit whenever personal love lives of the two scientists is explored. However the moment space mission comes back into action, there is entertainment all around.
The Great Indian Murder is a major surprise of the season. Released with limited promotion, this suspense thriller backed by none less than Ajay Devgn is yet another crime entertainer streaming on Disney+Hotstar. Tigmanshu Dhulia may not have delivered a theatrical success for a while but for the small screen, he has been making quite a few entertainers and this one finds a place amongst the best.
While Pratik Gandhi and Richa Chaddha lead from the front and give a good face value to the web series, this one belongs as much to Ashutosh Rana and Jatin Goswami as well who play out and out morally and socially corrupt father-son jodi. It’s the coming together of some fantastic actors in this ‘twist pe twist’ tale that has one layer after another been explored in every episode. Do give this one a watch.
As for Looop Lapeta, this one is an experimental affair, which by the way goes a bit too far. Agreed that director Aakash Bhatia wanted to play around with technique and hence brings in a new style of camerawork, sound design and background score. However, it isn’t just momentary but right through the narrative that ends up making it a niche affair. Moreover, the film is a little too long and had this been a 100 minute affair, the end result may have been touter.
That said, for those looking for experimental content, there is something unique that Taapsee Pannu and Tahir Raj Bhasin bring in this quirky dark comedy which, ironically, is as flashy, vibrant and colourful as gets. A film about time loop where the same set of events happens thrice over (well, almost), Looop Lapeta is a Netflix film that is more international than Indian in its appeal.