I’ve been a cinephile since my childhood, 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’ve always enjoyed movies on the big screens, including those silver screens of the traditional single screen movie theaters of yesteryear that fit perfectly into the 35mm film format and whenever the occasional 70mm film came along, the frames they used to overflow to the sides. I find this very tragic, of course it does not match the horrors and suffering 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. OTT (Over the Top) streaming platforms have thus become the only alternative, for people like me, that puts all focus on appropriate COVID-19 behavior and safety. Therefore, I have been watching a lot on such a platform since the first closure, always selecting the best available movies and the most talked about series, but limited to a single platform because I do not want to damage my ears with constant use of headphones. Many of the movies are from the golden age and most of the 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 appealed to me because of the name that was fashionable in our college days, and because the film was in the vein of the effective Indian spy thrillers that I have enjoyed so much in recent years in modern cinemas.

The hero of the film Akshay Kumar is one more attraction as he participated in several successful thrillers made by filmmaker Neeraj Pandey as special 26 (2013), Baby (2015), rusty (2016) and naam shabbana (2017). Of course this movie Doorbell It’s not one of yours, but like I said, I found the format exciting. Seeing the film I was generally disappointed – it had an explosive plot that was terribly marred by an inept script. The basic theme of the film, a drama about the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane (based on a true event during the last term of the then Prime Minister of India, the late Indira Gandhi), was unnecessarily affected by the 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 bears similarities to another successful kidnapping thriller, Zameen (2003), directed by Rohit Shetty, its final climax turned out to be very simplistic and somewhat rushed.

The film certainly has its high-octane moments with the RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) agent, played by Akshay Kumar, whose code name is Doorbell, going through the investigations and raids on the hideouts of the terrorists. The boss of him RAW of him, in fact well played by Adil Hussain, is but a pale shadow of the head of intelligence in Baby played by Danny Denzongpa, who almost survived the supercharged drama and action. The kidnapper characters were also not given enough attention and none of them managed to scare the 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 skin deep. Some critics also point out errors of fact, but these can be overlooked because it is ultimately a work of fiction. Therefore, the movie Doorbell Directed by Ranjit Tiwari, while well-handled to some extent, it fails to be as gripping as the movies of the same genre mentioned here.

A surprise was in store when the new OTT web series Mumbai Diaries 11/26, made by well-known filmmaker Nikhil Advani, was available on air. Having lived through every agonizing moment of that horrific terrorist attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 through my media work, anything about that attack always stood out to me. However, all the movies made about the attack so far have been half-hearted 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 absorbing and doing full justice to the genuine shock still felt by both victims and people in general, for the first time. Although it’s done from a medical point of view, telling the story of a Mumbai hospital that ultimately suffered a terrorist attack, nearly every horrific moment in the royal three-day reign of fear is being captured and skillfully presented. With the help of a powerful script, the characters, among which the doctors and hospital staff stand out, are portrayed with excellent ease and with brilliant performances by all the actors.

The web series also pointed to the much-discussed ‘media involvement’ that was giving constant tips to Pakistan’s terror control room that guided terrorists into action in Mumbai, and the tragedy unleashed by an overzealous news reporter in this work of fiction. He showed himself with honesty and efficiency. If the chronology of the actual series of events was not followed in detail, this was never felt while watching, and again finally being a work of fiction there is no need to complain. More positively, the Series does not indulge in any bloody violence or the glorification of it and explicit sexuality that have been the hallmark of almost all OTT Web Series broadcast in India. Altogether, the Mumbai Diaries 11/26 it is fully watchable for all kinds of viewers of any age who want to re-feel the reality of the cowardly terrorist attack.

Finally, a Hollywood movie. The ones who wish me dead (2021), directed by Taylor Sheridan. With Angelina Jolie in the lead and an interesting story of wildfire smoke jumpers, 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 weak moment in this clever thriller. What I found refreshing is that the film followed the 1990s thriller genre religiously and accurately with an immaculately tight script. Lately, most Hollywood movies have been devoted to the treatment of super visual effects, be it showing monsters that destroy everything, catastrophes or unimaginable science fiction stories that mainly cover the outside world and the universe. In a way it vindicated my wish, nurtured for many years, that Hollywood should go back to the basic human dramas that are always acceptable around the world. All people with a mentality of this ordinary mortal, therefore, must not fail to see The ones who wish me dead at any cost. Those who can safely visit theaters are the luckiest.