The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 Dear Diary,  Today was a good day.  I took down my Christmas Tree and even packed it away in the loft. Always a bittersweet feeling. Tidied up the flat and even sorted through and moved my coffee mugs around.  Had a cup of delicious cardamom tea, the weather has cooled down and it was a perfect morning to enjoy some chai.  Watched an amazing Bengali film called Habji Gabji on Hoichoi which shows the perils of video game addiction and how harmful it can be for young kids.  Also re-watched Godzilla Minus 1 and loved it.  Read a little and had a very chill day.  So grateful 🧿 for these mellow days of early January.  Here's what today looked like.. 

 Hello, hello! This year has been a bust as far as the Indian movie scene was concerned (for us). We watched a few good ones, though and so, are sharing those as solid recommendations to enjoy over a long weekend!  Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies): Hands down, the best movie of the year! Won't be writing much here because we have a whole post about it. Read it ! :) Streaming on Netflix.  Kill: A gory, thrilling, slick action flick that's made in India! Fast-paced and so, so, so thrilling. Streaming on Netflix. Watch it!  Stree 2: A sequel that is not a sophomoric disaster! Yes, please! This movie takes us back into the Stree universe, except, we have a new villain and also, some new allies. A fun, spooky watch, for sure! Streaming on Prime Video.  Munjya: A nicely made horror movie inspired by the myth/ legend of the Brahmadaitya- the belief that if a Brahmin youth days within 14 days of his sacred thread ceremony, he becomes an evil spirit/ entity. Highly recommen...

  Hello, hello, We just finished watching Laapataa Ladies on Netflix and we loved it so, so much that we simply had to get on here and recommend it to all of you!  So, without further ado, let's get into our top 5 reasons for watching this absolutely smashing movie: 1. The writing! OMG, the writing! It is funny, insightful, wise and so pitch perfect! I haven't watched an Indian movie in the past 5-6 years where the writing made me actually clap more than once! So, so good!  2. The story. A simple story of two brides getting lost because of being inside navel-length ghunghats. Phool, married to Deepak, sleeps on the train and, Deepak mistakenly takes Pushpa/ Jaya to get off with him at his station because both women are dressed in similar bridal sarees with a huge ghunghat. Chaos ensues! The story is about how both the women find their way back home and to themselves.  3. The found family in this movie so absolutely adorable! The people that Phool (Deepak's wife) find...

 Hello, hello! I hope December has been good to you thus far!  We are a little more than halfway done with the last month of the year and, seriously, where has the time flown by?!  Anyway, back to the post. Today, I am going to share our Top 10 Hindi movies of the year. This year has been awful for the Hindi movie industry and they've only given us duds and godawful movies! However, even amongst the uninspiring slew of Hindi movies, there were some that were, thankfully, good!  Let's get into it, shall we?!  Uunchai,  streaming on Zee5, is a lovely, heartwarming movie about a group of septuagenarians, who decide to trek to the Everest Base Camp to honour one of their friends, whose dream it was and who'd passed away quite suddenly. The treacherous trek, the unravelling of secrets and just the dynamics of the friendships was really nicely done!  Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga,  streaming on Netflix, is a really nicely done thriller. It starts with the hi...

 Hello, hello, It is Friday and in just a few hours, another weekend starts! WeeHee!  If you plan on staying in and being a couch potato, then we have some binge-worthy OTT show and movie recommendations for you!  1. Shabash Feluda (Zee5): Another new reboot/ new franchise for our favourite Bengali detective! This one stars Parambrata Chattopadhaya as Feluda and brings to life one of the many Feluda stories that have not hitherto been made for TV or film! This is a convoluted, fast-paced thriller and is definitely worth watching!  2. The Last Thing He Told Me (AppleTV): Based on the eponymous book, this is a fast-paced thriller about whether we really know the ones we love! When Hannah Hall's husband goes missing, she has no idea the kinds of things she would end up finding out about his past and the sacrifices they would need to make to keep his daughter- Bailey- safe. If you liked the book, you'll also like the series.  3. Kathal (Netflix): A sharp and well-ma...