The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

This has been a good year for Bangla/ Bengali content on OTT platforms. We have had a mix of thrillers, historical, horror and even drama series, which made it a very interesting year for Bangla content.  Let's get into our top Bangla web series for 2023!  Shikarpur is a thriller series on Zee5. It is a serial killer series set in a small town in North Bengal and is really, really nicely done. The pacing, story, suspense are all very good! Highly recommend!  Shwetkali is a thriller-horror series on Zee5. It is spooky, full of religious symbolism and menace. The pace, narrative and suspense are top notch! Highly recommend!  Buker Moddhey Agun is a cold case police investigative series on Hoichoi. It is a Bangladeshi series inspired by true events from the 90s. Very interesting and nicely done.  Indubalar Bhater Hotel is a historical drama series on Hoichoi, which touches upon themes such as women's rights, their struggles to cope in pre and post-Independent India...

 Hello, hello! A long weekend is just a few hours away from us and if you, like us, plan to just chill and be home, then we have got you sorted with some really interesting OTT recommendations.  Without any further ado, let's get into it, shall we? :)  Documentaries If you enjoy documentaries, then these three on Netflix are definitely ones that you should watch: MH370: The Plane That Disappeared looks into various theories behind the mysterious disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared into thin air in 2014! An interesting look at multiple conspiracy and scientific theories that speculate on what could've happened.  Waco: American Apocalypse is a look at the 51-day stand off between the FBI and a cult based out of Waco, Texas. The documentary sheds light on what went on for those 51 days and how, in the end, the tragic events that unfolded at the compound came to pass. A nice true crime documentary.  Challenger: The Final Flig...

 Hello, hello! Sharing our favourite movies (a mix of Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam and English) of 2022 with you.  These are across genres like thrillers, drama, dramedies, horror-comedies, action and such.  As we wind down the year and, hopefully, you have a little more time on your hands, these movies are good ones to watch!  Without further ado, let's get into it!  We will be back with our Top OTT series faves across fiction and non-fiction very soon!  Enjoy! 

 Hello, hello, It's Friday! That means, the weekend is here for us to binge some really amazing OTT content!  Without further ado, let's get into some of our recent faves across different OTT platforms... 1. Chup (Zee5)  In  Chup, a serial killer is brutally murdering film critics using lines from their own reviews. So, one critic gets "ruthlessly cut" while the other ends up "all over the place" and, well, you get the idea! Who is this killer and why is he killing film critics?  Sunny Deol as the ace homicide detective and Pooja Bhatt as a criminal psychologist are on the case! BTW, so good to see both after such a long time!  A pretty good thriller film with stellar performances from Dulquer Salman and Sunny Deol! Worth a watch for sure!  2. Bodh (Hoichoi) Bodh (conscience in Bengali) is a gripping and nicely written show about justice and not being afraid of facing off against more powerful people in the quest of that justice!  Retired judge, A...

 Hello, hello! Diwali is almost here!  Happy Dhanteras to everyone celebrating!  If you are planning on doing something low-key this weekend, we've got you! Here are some recommendations of movies and web series that you can watch this weekend... 1. 20th Century Girl (Korean Movie | Netflix)  Remember being in love for the very first time? Or having a massive crush on someone in school? Or just the insane shenanigans that you and your best friend got up to? If you love reminiscing about the past and enjoy nostalgic content, then 20th Century Girl is the film for you!  Cute, fun, funny and heartwarming, it is just the ticket for the slightly cold nights that we are seeing in India! :)  2. Shining Girls (AppleTV) Based on the eponymous book, Shining Girls, set in Chicago in 1992 follows Kirby, the sole survivor of a brutal serial killer, who kills smart, kind and talented women. Basically, 'shining girls'. Kirby teams up with a washed up crime reporter to tra...

 Hello, hello!  It is Friday (the 13th, at that) and I hope you are winding down your week and looking forward to the weekend!  If you are planning on spending this hot, hot weekend at home, then we have some OTT series and movie recommendations for you! Let's get into it, shall we?  1. Jhund  A fantastic, heartwarming and inspiring movie about retired sports teacher, Vijay Barse's, journey to create Slum Soccer, an NGO that holds national-level football tournaments for slum-dwelling youth!  Directed by the acclaimed director of Sairat and with realistic, moving, lovely performances, Jhund is an absolute must-watch! Jhund is streaming on Zee5.  2. Anantham (Tamil)  Anantham is a Tamil anthology series that tells the stories of various, different, families that have lived in the same art deco-style house in Chennai from the mid-1960s to present day. Covering different situations, challenges, emotions and struggles, Anantham has something that reson...

 Hello, hello, Shubho Noboborsho to any Bengali person seeing this! I hope the coming year is full of good health and happiness!  Happy Vishu, Bihu, Baisakhi and Pana Sankranti to all our friends from various parts of the country! Hope your coming year is full of good health and happiness!  Blessed Good Friday to everyone observing this day.  So, since this is a long weekend in many parts of the world, I thought I'd share some binge-worthy recommendations.  Let's get into it, shall we?  1. Kakababur Protyaborton Kakababu (the detective created by Sunil Gangopadhyay) is back! This time murder and mayhem find him and Santu during a vacation to Kenya! A good one to watch with kids or even without!  Kakababur Protyaborton is streaming on Hoichoi.  2. Abhay Season 3  Abhay returns for Season 3 and this time with a slew of interesting murders involving a cult! This season was so good! I really enjoyed it!  Abhay Season 3 is streaming on ...

 Hello, hello, Happy Holi, folks!  I hope you've had (or are still having) a lovely Holi!  It has never been a favourite festival of mine- too much chaos, too much forceful rubbing of colour on faces- but I have enjoyed the food and community parts of it.  Sharing some binge-worthy OTT content for you to enjoy over the long weekend!  1. The Weekend Away on Netflix is based on the eponymous book by Sarah Alderson. Sophie, a young mother leaves for a weekend away in Croatia with her best friend, who is going through a divorce. After a blurry night of partying, her best friend goes missing and the cops arent interested in finding her. What happened that night? As Sophie sets out to find answers, she finds herself in an even more dangerous situation. A short, fast-paced movie that is definitely worth watching.  2. Salute streaming on SonyLiv is a Malayalam crime thriller movie starring Dulquer Salman. Three years ago, a professor and his wife were brutally murd...

 Hey guys, It is Saturday night, which means it is peak binge o'clock!  Here are some series that we've started watching this weekend! Several of these are adapted from books! Fun, right?  1. Pieces of Her (Netflix) Based on the eponymous novel by Karin Slaughter, this is a fast-paced thriller series that moves between present-day events and those that occurred in the mid-1980s.  A young woman's life turns upside down when her mother does some ninja-level moves when faced with a shooter at a mall. She finds out about her mom's not-so-kosher past life as she is on the run from an assassin.  2. Rudra (on Disney+ Hotstar)  The official Indian adaptation of Luther, Rudra is a murder mystery/ thriller series that is episodic in nature. The first case was pretty interesting and we're excited to binge the rest of the season tonight!  3. Dropout (Disney+ Hotstar)  Based on the life of tech scammer Elizabeth Holmes, The Dropout traces the meteoric ris...

Hey everyone! Hope your weekend has gotten off to a good start! The festive season has arrived! Even though things are not fully "normal" right now, there is still a lot of festive cheer in the air. However, if you are someone, who (like us) is not going out a lot and celebrating at home, then we have a bunch of Pujo- themed movies and web series for you to watch this weekend!  Some of these are old favourites, some are a bit new, but they all have some connection or the other with Durga Pujo.  Let's get to the list, then, shall we?  1. Joy Baba Felunath: Feluda, Topshe and Lalmohan Babu are in Benares on a lovely little holiday, when an ancient Ganesha idol belonging to a local wealth Bengali family is stolen. Smack bang in the middle of Durga Pujo. Our master sleuth is on the job and what unfolds is a classic. Watch it, if you haven't already and if you have, watch it again! I said 'classic', didn't I?  2. Kahaani: Another classic, albeit a modern one. A...

Hello, hello, In the year where we all had to stay home, watching movies provided for an escape from the very real, very scary and heartbreaking reality around us.  Before we get into this list, just a little disclaimer that not all these movies were released in 2020, we just ended up watching them this year.    Ludo: Available on Netflix, Ludo was one of our favourite movies of the year! It was tongue-in-cheek, hilarious and thought provoking all at once. Pankaj Tripathi as Sattu Bhaiyya- a local goon- stole the show! Rajkumar Rao was brilliant (as always)! Do watch this movie if you haven't already!  Raat Akeli Hai also available on Netflix is a murder mystery and it is so well made! A rich, dysfunctional family's cruel patriarch is murdered and an honest police officer comes in to solve the case. The case takes on one unexpected turn after another as old sins and their long shadows catches up with the murder. Another must-watch!  Mard...