Awful and Awesome Ep 345: Murder Mubarak, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Daniel Sloss

While discussing Kate Middleton’s ‘disappearance’: 

Rajyasree: It is a little weird that she is nowhere to be seen, but then the royal family has had a bit of a dull phase. 

Abbas: Exactly. 

Rajyasree: Too bad that our public figures don’t go missing. 

Abbas: Or are half as interesting…Kate, if you’re listening to this, please show up. 

Rajyasree: And subscribe to Newslaundry!

This and a whole lot of awful and awesome as Rajyasree Sen and Abbas Momin discuss the movie Murder Mubarak, the series Big Girls Don’t Cry, and Can’t, the new special by stand-up comic Daniel Sloss. 

This episode is outside the paywall. Watch it, enjoy it, and subscribe to Newslaundry so you can tune in every week.

Have something to say? Write to us at newslaundry.com/podcast-letters.

General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together. Choose an election project you would like to support and power our journalism. Click here.

Timecodes

00:00 - Introductions

02:21 - Headlines

04:41 - Murder Mubarak

19:23 - NL-TNM Election Fund 

21:19 - Big Girls Don’t Cry 

36:34 - Daniel Sloss: Can’t 

References

General Elections 2024 Fund

Murder Mubarak

Big Girls Don’t Cry

Daniel Sloss: Can’t 

Click here to download the Newslaundry app on Android. And here for iOS.

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Shubang Gautam, edited by Umrav Singh. 

Sting: [00:00:00] This is a News Laundry podcast, and you're listening to the Awful and Awesome Entertainment Wrap.

Rajyasree Sen: Hello, hello. This is the Awful and Awesome Entertainment Wrap, episode 345. This is Rajshri Sen. 

Abbas Momin: And this is Abbas Momin. 

Rajyasree Sen: This is the bald and the beautiful this time. 

Abbas Momin: Oh yeah, you're on video. 

Rajyasree Sen: I'm almost going bald, so it could be anything right now. But we have some awful things to discuss. They're really quite bad.

So we have two things which are all over the like being reviewed a lot, which is big girls don't cry. The new show on it was on Amazon Prime, 

Abbas Momin: Amazon Prime. Yeah. 

Rajyasree Sen: And on Netflix, they have murder Mubarak, which [00:01:00] also which for some reason, I on Instagram, I'm following three celebrities. One is Priyanka Chopra.

I don't know why I'm following her because I'm not a big fan. The second is Katrina Kaif. Again, I don't know why I'm doing this. The third is Karishma Kapoor. Oh, which I realized because I kept seeing like I don't follow too many people on Instagram, which is why it's even worse that of the people I follow.

These are the three. So I've been seeing a lot of murder Mubarak posts by her promotions. Yes. And we also have a Daniel Sloss is a stand up comedian. 

Abbas Momin: Yes. I watched his show in Mumbai. Yes, he's touring touring India right now. He's doing eight cities, I think, which is a lot for, uh, for international comedian to do in India.

Okay. So he's specialist called Kant and that's C A N apostrophe T. And, uh, [00:02:00] yeah, I, I caught it and he's a pretty popular comedian, uh, in India and abroad. So we'll talk about that. So 

Rajyasree Sen: where's he from? 

Abbas Momin: He's from Scotland. 

Rajyasree Sen: Oh, he's Scottish. Okay. Yes, that would be nice. How? So, uh, I just did a little reverse kind of complimentary racism over here.

Scottish must be nicer. So what should we start with? 

Abbas Momin: Let's start with Murder Mubarak because I've been seeing the hoardings and as you said, the social media blitz is everywhere. Netflix is going all out and they've got everyone and their grandmother to join the star cast of this film. So I think it's only fair we start with this.

Rajyasree Sen: But before we discuss Murder Mubarak, let's get on with the headlines. Uh, YouTuber and Big Boss 2 winner, uh, OTT 2, Big Boss OTT 2 winner, Elvish Yadav. I don't know why his name is Elvish, but Elvish Yadav was arrested by Noida police and sent to 14 day judicial custody for allegedly supplying [00:03:00] snake venom as a drug at rave parties.

Now I saw the video of him. with the cops. It looked like he was with his pals because he's just like strolling along, having a proper chat with them. And also it's very sweet that Noida police are so affectionate towards people they arrest. 

Abbas Momin: Yes. I mean, you never know some snake venom might still be left over.

So yeah. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. 

Abbas Momin: Oscar winning music director M. M. Kiravani will collaborate with Bollywood actor Anupam Kher for Tanvi the Great. The movie will be directed by Anupam Kher under his own production banner. 

Rajyasree Sen: Dune part two is all set to reach the 500 million dollar box office milestone. Timothy Shalami and Zendaya, uh, have set a new global box office collection record with this film.

You watch Dune. Part one, 

Abbas Momin: I haven't. So I've have a bit of a hamstring injury [00:04:00] because of which I've been, uh, I've been advised bedrest, so I haven't ventured out much, which is why I was able to binge on Big Girls Don't Cry. Oh, that's right. Motor. Yes. So I think you want 

Rajyasree Sen: Part one is online now? 

Abbas Momin: Yes, it is.

It's on, it's streaming on Netflix, I think. Oh. Uh, if you remember, actually, Dune part one was my, we discussed that on my first appearance on Awful and Awesome. It was you, Abhinandan, and me. So that's why I remember that very clearly. And he'd 

Rajyasree Sen: watched it because I watched it on big screen with him, I think.

No, I 

Abbas Momin: don't think either of you had watched it. Yeah, because then we went. 

Rajyasree Sen: After that, you moved us so much via review that we went and watched it on Wix screen after that. 

Abbas Momin: And part two I haven't got, so yeah, I'm looking forward to 

Rajyasree Sen: it. Ed 

Abbas Momin: Sheeran collaborated with Diljit Dosanjh and sang his first Punjabi song in his Mumbai concert.

The award winning singer was seen grooving to Diljit's hit, Lover. 

Rajyasree Sen: This is the thing like, you know, what a time to be alive, really. I know. And on that note, we will get [00:05:00] to another, uh, the first of the, uh, things we want to review, which also makes us so happy to be alive to see this kind of entertainment being produced out of India.

Of course. Murder Mubarak is based on Anuja Chauhan's book called, uh, club you to death as far as I know. Yeah. Club you to death. I'm not a big fan of Anuja's, uh, writing. 

Abbas Momin: Oh, really? 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. I, like I've read that, uh, 

Abbas Momin: Zoya Factor. 

Rajyasree Sen: No. What girls are there? Something girls. 

Abbas Momin: Those Thakur girls. Those Thakur 

Rajyasree Sen: girls, which was okay.

It was sort of, it was, that was still okay because you could recognize people from news track and from all over the place. But otherwise, like, I'm not like a diehard fan. Like a lot of people really, really love her books. 

Abbas Momin: Yeah. 

Rajyasree Sen: So I feel she is much better as a, like when she's being interviewed or she's talking and all [00:06:00] she's about to say a 

Abbas Momin: big fan of Anuja Chauhan as What, what she's done in advertising and as a speaker, but I've, I've only read the Zoya factor.

It was like just a checklist of chick lit things happening in the plot. So, yeah, 

Rajyasree Sen: exactly. So even Thakur girls, those Thakur girls is like that. So the film is directed. So I first thought it's a, uh, series, but thankfully it was a film because if it was a series would have been too much. Absolutely. But actually, 

Abbas Momin: you know what, Rajshree this week, I feel like Uh, the, the two things I, I, I would have preferred if Murder Mubarak was a series and Big Girls Don't Cry was a movie, I think it would be more palatable.

Yeah, 

Rajyasree Sen: actually, because at least the characters in Murder Mubarak, if you, if they are scripted well, they can be interesting, quite like funky and fun and all. So it's directed. It's directed by Homi Adjaniya, who I think is very hot, most importantly, I do [00:07:00] not think he's a great director, but he is an extremely attractive man, I must say, and it's produced by Dinesh Vijan, who I sadly don't know who he is, but the film is set in a what is supposed to be Delhi Golf Club or Delhi Gymkhana, basically.

And it's a commentary on this club culture and the kind of people you'll find in clubs, especially in Delhi high society people. So Delhi Golf Club is like that. Delhi Golf Club, Delhi Gymkhana has sort of had its time in the sun and is no longer it's K day, but Delhi Golf Club is still the place to go to.

And unless you're very well connected, It's very difficult to get a membership. You are even Delhi Gymkhana. You won't get a membership and they are golfers and very rich people who are a little removed from real life 

Abbas Momin: reality. Yes. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. So actually, do you, do 

Abbas Momin: you have a membership at either of these clubs?

Rajyasree Sen: No, but I have in Calcutta. [00:08:00] Toilet Clumsy. Oh, 

Abbas Momin: okay. 

Rajyasree Sen: And some other clubs also. 

Abbas Momin: Talking about being far removed from reality. Yeah, 

Rajyasree Sen: but we are very sort of the earth people. So, in, in that's how I can turn my, Oh, but I am Delhi Gymkhana. Sorry, I have a reciprocal membership. But I don't go there. I like look down at like that kind of thing.

But the film, so the film is about a whole set of members of the club. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, someone gets murdered, which is the gym instructor gets murdered, which is right off the bat. So I'm not giving any spoilers over here. And Pankaj Tripathi is called in to solve the murder, because first they think it's just a death, but then they realize it's a murder.

And he is called in and there's a laundry list of, uh, uh, Members and suspects, which includes Dimple [00:09:00] Kapadia, who is, uh, who is an auntie, one of those socialized aunties who likes drinking. So there's this place in the hills, I don't want to name it, but, uh, which has a homestay and at 9am, the lady who owns it, the lady and her husband who own it, the lady can be seen watering the plants wearing a kaftan with a glass of tea.

Prosecco or champagne in her hand. So these are things which happen in life. It's not like it's like cooked up and then there's Sara Ali Khan is the, what is she? She's just a rich kid. 

Abbas Momin: So she's a wife of, uh, she's a widow. Yeah. She's a widow. Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, The backstory given to her is, uh, again, there are multiple backstories here.

So she had a romantic liaison with the son of one of the other influential families was a member there, but they couldn't get married. She got married to someone [00:10:00] else. The marriage also happened at the club and now the husband is dead. So, uh, Sara Ali Khan's character and Vijay Verma, who plays the lead, uh, or second lead, you can say they are kind of rekindling their romance.

through this murder mystery happening, uh, in the background. So yeah, that's the backstory that she's given. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. So that's Sara Ali Khan, Vijay Verma is there, who is a lawyer who fights for the, like for people who are not from a privileged background. He helps people, uh, fight their cases. And he's 

Abbas Momin: also, So he's also a rebel, uh, uh, towards his parents.

So his parents make a lot of digs at him being a liberal leftist and being rich and fighting for the poor. So yeah, there are some jokes. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. So there's, he is there, then there's Tiska Chopra, who's another socialite. Auntie, and she has this son who she really loves, who's a bit of a crackhead. Yeah, basically, then there's Sanjay Kapoor, who is my favorite character, [00:11:00] who is I so I am a big fan.

I've become a big fan of Sanjay Kapoor, because I feel OTT has given him like has been able to tap this potential that was lurking inside Sanjay Kapoor, which nobody knew of. Even he did not know off, I think. And what was that film he did with Madhuri Dixit? Yeah, that song. Yeah, I remember the 

Abbas Momin: song. I remember the movie.

It had some very hard Hindi title like Agni Pariksha or something like that. 

Rajyasree Sen: So he is Sanjay Kapoor is a is one of the many rajas, royals. from someplace he is. And he is, everyone says he's from Rajasthan because they speak, they say that phrase, whatever it is. And, uh, so he is there as well. And who else is there?

Abbas Momin: One of the three people you follow on Instagram, that's [00:12:00] Karishma Kapoor. 

Rajyasree Sen: Oh, Karishma Kapoor is there. She is a B grade actress. But a star actress of B grade films. But a star actress. Yeah. Yes. And, uh, both she and Sanjay Kapoor are running for president of the club. So that is one thing. But anyway, during, uh, The ACP, whatever his name is, basically Pankaj Tripathi's investigations.

Various things keep coming out about the wheelings and dealings of these people. So, so, 

Abbas Momin: so how did you find this film, Rajshri? Please tell me. 

Rajyasree Sen: I thought it was quite bad, but means it could have been so good, I feel. 

Abbas Momin: I agree. Listen, I can like I can forgive bad. I cannot forgive boring. And this is that is what this film turns out to be.

It starts off interestingly, where they're setting the scene of who the cast members are. And again, like just giving us glimpses into the rich high [00:13:00] society of Delhi. And then, uh, I mean, unfortunately, when the investigation starts, when the film is supposed to keep you hooked and gripped, it just becomes a laundry list of suspects being interrogated, and none of those interrogations are interesting, and Pankaj Tripathi essentially is playing Pankaj 

Rajyasree Sen: Tripathi.

Abbas Momin: Which he does in every film. And, uh, the, the quarks are missing, the jokes are missing. And I don't know if it's a Netflix problem of what it is because Homi Adjaniya made, uh, uh, this show on Hotstar called, uh, Flamingo something, which also starred 

Rajyasree Sen: Dimple 

Abbas Momin: Kapadia. Yeah, yeah, Saas, Bahu, and Flamingo. Saas, Bahu, and Flamingo, which was quite gripping.

Everything of 

Rajyasree Sen: his, uh, stars Dimple, by the way. 

Abbas Momin: Dimple Kapadia, yes, yes, yes. Finding 

Rajyasree Sen: Fanny, Being Cyrus, all of them. Being 

Abbas Momin: Cyrus, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I, I'm mixed on Homi Adjaniya as a filmmaker. I think, like you said, he's made these, Indian English films like being Cyrus and finding Fanny, but then he also does this, uh, mainstream Hindi films like cocktail and Hindi medium, which I 

Rajyasree Sen: have [00:14:00] written, uh, an article on cocktail because I was so horrified by how regressive that film was.

It basically said bad girls don't get the boy and good girls who pray and, uh, nice sweet girls, even if they cheat on you or even if they're seeing someone else's boyfriend will finally get the boy. It was horrible. But there's this film. I don't know whether you've seen it. It's called Little Zizu. Have you seen Little Zizu?

Yes, 

Abbas Momin: I've seen Little Zizu. It's 

Rajyasree Sen: such a lovely film. Suni Tara Polawala's, uh, so I don't know, maybe because of Homi Adjania's. Parsi. I just assume that you make such nice films, but that's not happening. And no, so that's what I thought. It was very, like, you didn't care about any of the characters. I felt Karishma's character could have been fleshed out.

She was there just for it. Like, she said, okay, I want to do an OTT, uh, film and they said, okay, there's [00:15:00] this character, but we haven't fleshed out your character at all. And she said, screw it. I don't care at all. And, uh, Dimple's character, like that could have been so good. 

Abbas Momin: I know. Yeah. But it was 

Rajyasree Sen: even Vijay Verma's character could have been interesting.

You didn't care by the end of it, what happened to him or what happened to Sara Ali Khan either. 

Abbas Momin: Yes, Sara Ali Khan, I think in the beginning of the film, I thought, uh, okay, she's actually showing some chops, but then without giving much of it towards the end, she has to play some big scenes. And then again, her performance kind of falls apart, uh, in that, uh, but what I broadly the two things that stuck out to me is I think.

Uh, this is Netflix's attempt to do Knives Out and White Lotus, the two things that stuck out. So, the Knives Out Agatha Christie mystery is back in, back in fashion again, because there have been those Hercule Poirot movies, uh, Death on the Nile and all of that. And a bunch of Uh, murder mystery shows also.

So [00:16:00] this clearly draws from that and white Lotus being that rich people are bad and corrupt that whole sense of, uh, sense of, uh, and having them in a 

Rajyasree Sen: beautiful setting also 

Abbas Momin: betting. Yeah. Yeah. But I think it, it kind of fails on both those, uh, both those fronts. Uh, uh, I just thought the like, okay, they are rich daily famous socialites, but all of their backstories and I don't, I haven't read the book, so I don't know all their backstories are very paper thin.

Like there's nothing there. Yeah. That I could, that I could dig my teeth into or empathize with anyone. It was just very, even 

Rajyasree Sen: that you're like, okay, now what could have happened to the character? You're like, okay, screw it, I don't care, which is very sad, but they've spent a lot of money on this. I think as a lot 

Abbas Momin: of money.

Yeah. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. 

Abbas Momin: Uh, I think they've been who plays the manager at the club. He's good. Yeah, he's very good. Perennially has this cold and he's sniffing his nose and, [00:17:00] uh, he knows everything about everyone. So he's pretty, and he's least bothered about every, any of the people. So he's pretty funny. But overall, I just really, it was a slog and it's two hours, 20 minutes, which is very long, especially 

Rajyasree Sen: if there's, and I have to say that the most forgettable parts were Karishma Kapoor's parts, which is why I forgot.

That she was on it after seeing that. Oh, like you just forget that she's in it because her character has nothing to do pretty much. 

Abbas Momin: Nothing to do. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, and yet the reveals also come out of nowhere. It's just, it's just, it just left me bored. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. Very bad. Do you think 

Abbas Momin: it's a, do you think it's a Netflix issue?

Because I can't remember after Sacred Games, they haven't made anything that's like Netflix India original that Netflix 

Rajyasree Sen: India doesn't seem to have anything. So there's the gentleman is on it right now, which is Guy Ritchie's, which is actually very good. As in at least two episodes in, it seems quite good, but I can't think of any [00:18:00] Netflix originals which are.

Abbas Momin: Yeah, they seem to even take like good filmmakers like the Vishal Bhardwaj film Khufiya, even that was very by the numbers, very pale. So I don't know what to do to No, I don't think much 

Rajyasree Sen: thought goes into it and they spend a lot of money on all their productions. It's not like they aren't spending money.

They're 

Abbas Momin: sitting on a, they're sitting on a Debakar Banerjee film, which they're not releasing because they're scared it'll, uh, it'll create controversy. It seems like they're also very safe, play very safe. So they are 

Rajyasree Sen: also sitting on monkey man. Uh, this was Dave Patel's because I don't think they realize what the film is about.

And now that they have realized they're so scared, they can't, they just can't put it on Netflix India. Netflix will have to leave India then I think if they put monkey man on. So, uh, they are a little, I feel they have Even more careful than Amazon and Hotstar and all that. Yeah. So it's, it is not good at all.[00:19:00] 

But, uh, the other thing that is on, oh, let's do one announcement, one important announcement. Let's do. First of all, this, uh, episode of Awful and Awesome is, not behind the paywall. It's going to be outside the paywall this week, but from next week, it will go behind the paywall like NL Hafta and NL Chacha.

And you can watch the full episodes of these podcasts on the YouTube channel. But just remember that this is all possible because of subscriptions. So please subscribe to News Laundry and support free news. And speaking of supporting free news, the News Minute, News Laundry, Election Fund is, uh, up and running, and, uh, there are going to be a whole bunch of stories, reports, on ground reports, videos, across, from across the country during these elections.

There will be more than 15 reporters, producers, and editors. Editors [00:20:00] from NLTNM on the ground covering various states, including Manisha, Atul, Dhania, Sudipto. And you can head to newslaundry. com slash 2024 dash election fund to make a contribution. And you don't have to be. To like, it's not for the entire fund that smaller projects as well, which you can fund, but please do go onto that page and try and give some contribution.

Any contribution will help and, uh, you will not have to read about the Ambani's and all of them. That are my two bits. 

Abbas Momin: I was, I was wondering of the three people you mentioned you follow on Instagram, Priyanka Chopra, Dimple Kapadia, and who's the third one? No, 

Rajyasree Sen: not Dimple Kapadia. Don't be like that. Dimple might actually have a more interesting.

Oh, I also follow four people. Twinkle Khanna. Yeah. Twinkle, we've said. Twinkle Katrina. 

Abbas Momin: Katrina. Yeah. So were any of these four people at the Ambani bash? 

Rajyasree Sen: [00:21:00] Katrina was there. Oh, she 

Abbas Momin: was there. And Kareena 

Rajyasree Sen: and Karishma were there. Oh, so then. Oh, 

Abbas Momin: Alia Bhatt also I follow 

Rajyasree Sen: now. It's all coming back. Sorry, five people.

Maybe by the end of this episode, it will be just celebrities I'm following on Instagram. I, 

Abbas Momin: I, I, since this is News Laundry, I'm going to fact check you live. Karan Johar also. Karan 

Rajyasree Sen: Johar also I follow. It's all coming out now. No one else. I promise. Nobody else. Akshay Kumar and all, I don't follow. Even I have standards.

You might not think so, but even I do have standards. But there's another show, a full series, which Everyone I know posted on, because I seem to know a lot of people from Wellham and Wellham Girls School in Dehradun. And, uh, this is a show called Big Girls Don't Cry, which is, uh, on Amazon Prime. And it's been directed by Nitya [00:22:00] Mehra, who has also directed a film scripted by a friend of mine, a very, very close friend of mine, Anwar Pal, but we don't discuss it in public anymore because that film was so terrible.

It is Baar 

Abbas Momin: Baar Dekho with Siddharth Malhotra 

Rajyasree Sen: and Katrina Kaif and 

Abbas Momin: it's been directed by Nitya 

Rajyasree Sen: Mehra, We went to watch it on the big screen, and I wanted to leave after half an hour because it was so bad, but this is your 

Abbas Momin: friend's film. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. And Abhinandan was showing more loyalty to my friend than me, but he was groaning through the film, which is why I said, let's, we don't have to watch this because it is so bad.

But, uh, so Nitya Mehra had directed that as well. So I should have, you know, Kept that in mind and set my expectations, but not that I thought it would be great, to be fair. Nitya 

Abbas Momin: Mehra actually has a pretty great CV. She's been an assistant director on Life of Pi, [00:23:00] the Ang Lee film. 

Rajyasree Sen: Okay. 

Abbas Momin: Uh, also The Namesake, also Little Zizou, which we just spoke about.

She was an assistant director on that. So she, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, again, a Neera Nair film. So she has this great, Uh, uh, CV when it comes to as an assistant director, uh, she also directed a couple of episodes of, uh, made in heaven season two, I think. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah, that I know that she did. Yeah. 

Abbas Momin: So, so she's had a great body of work, uh, around, uh, great stuff, but yeah, the one directorial venture of hers.

Yeah. 

Rajyasree Sen: This is a bit, uh, much I felt. So I think it's. Eight episodes. Let me. 

Abbas Momin: Yeah, it's seven, I think. 

Rajyasree Sen: Seven episodes. Yeah, because at the sixth episode, I thought, oh, now it's over. But it wasn't. There was another episode after that. Anyway, it is set in, uh, the school in the hills. It was shot at, uh, Love deal, I think.

And, uh, it's set in this boarding school in [00:24:00] the hills, girls boarding school in the hills. It is called Vandana Valley High School. The principal of the high school is Pooja Bhatt, who has also got Pooja Bhatt, who's looking 

Abbas Momin: very hot. 

Rajyasree Sen: Who's looking very hot and who's also got second win with OTT. Have you realized?

Abbas Momin: Yes, yes, yes. She gets 

Rajyasree Sen: a lot of stuff now with, and she is a good actress. 

Abbas Momin: Hmm. 

Rajyasree Sen: And she's very cute. She used to be cute. Now she has become hot. 

Abbas Momin: That's true. I think, uh, age has been on her side. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. 

Abbas Momin: And, uh, I think she's one of those, uh, in the nineties, I think she just got to play the pretty young thing in films.

Whereas I think she deserved a lot more. Do 

Rajyasree Sen: you think she deserved a lot? 

Abbas Momin: I think so 

Rajyasree Sen: because 

Abbas Momin: I, I don't remember, but, uh, yeah. And 

Rajyasree Sen: she was 

Abbas Momin: really good at that. Mahesh Bhatt. Uh, cast her as his mother, like there's a lot of, 

Rajyasree Sen: yeah, it's very Freudian. Like even Freud was concerned about what was happening there and he tried to make Ajay Devgn act in that film.[00:25:00] 

Abbas Momin: Yes, true. And I think succeeded to a certain degree. So I 

Rajyasree Sen: really like Zakam and that song. G

Abbas Momin: I'm not gonna sing 

Rajyasree Sen: it because it'll not sound like the song then, but, uh, no. So, no, no. The, 

Abbas Momin: the song will be next week behind the paywall. Yeah. So subscribe to , 

Rajyasree Sen: subscribe then and log on. Then ndi, there'll be a lot of music next time, but she plays the principle. And, uh, it's a mix. It's basically a show about, uh, high school, not like a school and you see all these borders were there.

Some are from very privileged background. Most are from privileged backgrounds. Then you have one child who was a scholarship kid, which could have been really well done that portion of it or her character, but that doesn't get fleshed out too well. And this whole thing of trying to. Uh, get your own clique of friends and get into the [00:26:00] cool gang in school.

Yeah, yeah. And, uh, which is all fine, but it was really boring. It was like, I couldn't care what these kids were doing at all. I think, 

Abbas Momin: yes. So, so you hit the nail on the head. But I have a question, Rajshree. What do you think is the target audience for this? This show. 

Rajyasree Sen: So that's what I was trying to remember.

The other they had, there was another show on a boarding school, which Hotstar had done called School of Lies. Do you remember School of Lies? Where Nimrat Kaur is a teacher and there's a murder which happens and all that. And School of Lies, I think Mukul Chaddha is in School of Lies also. But, uh, That was about a missing child.

Like it becomes about that and what happens in these schools and all. So I can't figure out this one where they aiming at people who are like, is it women who is first of all, who are the target [00:27:00] audience? Then if it's women, are you aiming at a 15 plus demographic to? Say my age group, maybe, because the people who made this are my age group.

Okay, so 15 plus to almost 50 or hitting, which can there are lots of shows. So there's Derry Girls, which is on Netflix, which is superb, absolutely. And it is girls and they are 17 year old girls and all. But it is so funny. It is political. It is It has so many, uh, comments on culture, pop culture, every, and it's so removed from India, but you still love it because it's so clever, the entire, it's clever and funny.

Then that other show with, uh, Gillian Anderson, Sex Education. Sex 

Abbas Momin: Education. Yeah. 

Rajyasree Sen: So this, I felt, maybe it's that same demographic which cuts across everyone, which they are [00:28:00] aiming for. Yeah. But I don't think even Yeah. Kids as in 15 to 18 years old will find it interesting. 

Abbas Momin: That's true. That's why, because, uh, the show is well done.

Like it's not like it's poorly made. It looks great. I think the kids, 

Rajyasree Sen: the 

Abbas Momin: girls who are playing the students are also quite good. I think they act pretty well, but I couldn't like, there was something, there's no hook. Like you said, the hot star show, it had the central mystery of, you The missing child, right?

There was also this Netflix show called class, if you watch it in a school, which I think did a lot, 

Rajyasree Sen: but still the characters. 

Abbas Momin: Yeah. And it did the, uh, the class difference quite well, I think as compared to this 

Rajyasree Sen: class, by the way, when I was trashing it, I have a lot of friends who unlike me had. children at the right time and all.

And the kids are now 16 and 18 and so on. And they are in various schools in Delhi, Sriram, modern and all. And I was saying it's like, you know, it's such like, it's just painful to show. And they said, but you know, [00:29:00] that's the way kids are in school. They said you might be rolling your eyes and saying, Oh, they've stretched it.

Too far. It's not nice, but kids were able to relate to it because 

Abbas Momin: to it. Exactly. Yeah, because 

Rajyasree Sen: there was something common. 

Abbas Momin: So do you remember back in the day, there used to be a show called remix, which used to be on this channel called star one, which was again, it was, it was on mainstream TV and it was very much, uh, rich kids being bratty.

Rajyasree Sen: The little sin. 

Abbas Momin: Yes. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yes. I call her the little son because she's little. How? 

Abbas Momin: I remember that back then, uh, like I was, I had just gotten out of school and I was not relating to these kids, but that was an aspirational thing of, Oh, we wish we went to a posh school where we could be brats also. Uh, the thing is in, in big was don't cry.

I don't find there's no sense of adventure. There's no central hook in the show. Um, the backstories of the parents and the teachers aren't engaging also. [00:30:00] And so I'm, I'm wondering. Is it me as a 36 year old who's not able to connect with this? But then I don't think this show will even appeal to like a 15 or 18 year old.

Also listen, 

Rajyasree Sen: I'm from a girl's school, by the way. I'm from a girl's school, which had a, faced the boy's school. So we had La Martinière for boys and La Martinière for girls, but I'm basically, our classes were unique. Like it was a girl's school. The boys couldn't enter our school and so on. So I've been in a girl's school.

I've been, uh, maybe some people thought I wasn't a mean girl, but I was just like, uh, like whatever. I was very sweet. I was a nice person.

Exuding that energy of being a very sweet, nice person. So I get this whole dynamics that they are showing that there's a, like, there are groups of girls and groups of friends and there's great loyalty with friends and all that. And you won't, uh, 

Abbas Momin: yeah, like you [00:31:00] won't 

Rajyasree Sen: see your friends are all 

Abbas Momin: there, but they're just not coming together for some reason.

Like I saw three episodes and I have no, 

Rajyasree Sen: it does not get the rest of the film. That's the best part. It does not get better. And they have a great lineup of other stars. So there is, uh, Pooja Bhatt, of course, there's Mukul Chadda. And, uh, I don't know why she was cast though. Uh, that, uh, Raima Sen. 

Abbas Momin: Rahima Sen.

Rahima 

Rajyasree Sen: Dev Varma. They are not Sen, sorry. Rahima Dev Varma. Then there is, uh, 

Abbas Momin: There's also that actress, now I'm forgetting her name, who was in Dil Chahta Hai, who plays Saif Ali Khan's girlfriend. Suchitra Krishnamurthy. Suchitra Krishnamurthy. Not Krishnamurthy. Is it Krishnamurthy? 

Rajyasree Sen: Suchitra Pillai. So Chitra Krishnamoorthi is the other one.

Then there is this guy Shatav Ziggar. You've seen him, who is her husband, Pooja Bhatt's husband in this. I've seen him elsewhere also. Then there's Pavleen [00:32:00] Gujral. She's, uh, plays that Kavya's mother. Oh, she doesn't come till the end. Then there's Zoya Hussain, who plays the drama teacher. 

Abbas Momin: Correct. Yeah. Yeah.

Rajyasree Sen: I just felt that one, the way the kids, there's a scene right at the end where the kids are, this is not earth shattering. So I'm just going to see it. There's the princess. So the princess's character is nice. Also the Rajkumari, the Nepalese. Rajkumari. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Correct. Nepali and Bhutanese families, uh, this thing, the royal family's, uh, daughter.

So there's this Rajkumari who's friends with this other girl. And right at the end, they basically, uh, run off into the hills. And the Rajkumari is going to take her to Bhutan without her parents permission. These things are not going to happen. We'd get two slaps. I'm just imagining if I took my passport and I ran away at 16 just for a holiday when I came back.

I don't even [00:33:00] know what would happen. I don't want to think what would have happened to me. Absolutely. Also, this whole, I don't know, most of it did not. There's also at the end, they show that the girls band together for this whole thing of that accepting homosexuality is like, why should you discriminate?

And they do this sort of takeover of the school during the annual day or the last day. These things don't happen in boarding schools or high schools because you get rusticated if you behave like that. Like, you know, the principal is speaking and you're putting up. Flags and starting to sing and all, this is not going to happen.

So a lot of it did not make sense. Either you make a sensible because you are trying to show a very sensible, uh, storyline as such. 

Abbas Momin: They, yeah. 

Rajyasree Sen: And, uh, so one, the stories were not making sense. The way the characters were behaving was not making sense. I felt none of the girls were interesting. [00:34:00] But they acted well.

So the casting was very good. I felt the casting was very good. And, uh, whatever the hill station and school this is, if it is love deal, it's either love deal or spring deal. Now I've forgotten which one it is, but it's short in either of these. It is very beautiful though. Entire setting that in the middle of this pine forest, there's a school pops up.

Right. 

Abbas Momin: I also had this one other, uh, uh, observation is that, uh, the show almost looks. Like very pristine. It almost looks like an ad, you know, it's very, very crystal, crystal clear, very well done. Everything is very meticulously framed and all of that, which works well in like a 30 second ad promo. But watching an hour of that is like, everything is very crystal clear.

I watched 8 hours, 7 

Rajyasree Sen: hours I watched. It was very trying. Oh, that guy is there by the way from Made in Heaven. Tell me the main, uh, as in the two, uh, main characters, Shobita [00:35:00] is one and the other chap, Arjun Kapoor. 

Abbas Momin: I know what you're talking about. 

Rajyasree Sen: What is his name? So he comes on as a key character. 

Abbas Momin: Arjun Mathur.

Arjun 

Rajyasree Sen: Mathur comes on as a key character at the, like he comes on as a benefactor of the, uh, school at the end. So, and then something else happens, but there's, but 

Abbas Momin: if you, if, if I'm not interested in watching the rest of the thing, Arjun Mathur is not going to convince me to. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah, exactly. It's not going to happen.

And I just want to see that it is very sad. If this is what Wellham Wellham isn't, but it's ex students have been promoting it as, oh, you know, it's, uh, even Nitya has said that it is, uh, based on my memories of Wellham and all, this is very sad, and you all should not say this during your, because I know a lot of people from Wellham who are very sensible, fun, nice people.

When I watch this, if this is what you're saying you all went through, And that you're so [00:36:00] like, you know, emotionally disturbed when these incidents happen in your lives. 

Abbas Momin: Then it's 

Rajyasree Sen: very worrying. Pretty 

Abbas Momin: sad. Yes. It's not 

Rajyasree Sen: good, but good for Pooja Bhatt that she's getting lots of. 

Abbas Momin: Absolutely. Pooja Bhatt, Mukul Chadha, all these people getting a research exam.

Raima 

Rajyasree Sen: is getting, she did that other thing also, that COVID, what was that film? 

Abbas Momin: Oh, 

Rajyasree Sen: Vaccine Wars. Vaccine Wars also she got. Now she's got, it's too much. She is in her Peak, peak of a career right now. But so watch, I think everyone should watch Murder Mubarak and Big Girls Don't Cry because maybe y'all would like to say that we are incorrect.

Maybe. How can you say that unless you go through what we have been through is my point. But now you are going to tell us about something which was not awful. 

Abbas Momin: It was not awful. Yes, yes. So I watched, uh, the Scottish comedian, uh, Daniel SLOs, uh, he's touring India with his, uh, comedy special called [00:37:00] Can't Mm-Hmm.

Um, so Daniel SLOs actually did, I think one or two shows in India last year. Hmm. Uh, for a comedy festival. And those tickets sold out in like a few minutes. Oh, so Daniel Slo, I think it was 2022. Yes. 2022. So Daniel SLOs himself was very surprised with. The, the fame that he has in India. So I'll give you a little bit of background.

Yeah. So you can check out. He has two or three specials on Netflix. Netflix I just saw. Yeah. One is, yeah, one is called Jigsaw and uh, uh, the other is called, uh, I, I'm not really sure. I think it's called Dark. Mm-Hmm. Uh. So Rajshri, his claim to fame is that, uh, Daniel Sloss used to do a show where he used to, um, he used to convince people to break up with whoever they were seeing at that point.

And he, he convinced people to such an extent that people would actually get their divorce papers signed by him. So he became this Legend of breaking relationships. He's spoken about this on [00:38:00] an episode of Conan O'Brien. Mm. Uh, so he, he would, he would primarily jo, his, his material would primarily be about relationships and people, uh, and about being Scottish.

But then he also has a very strong political bent. Okay. Uh, there's this very famous bit of his, where he talks about that. Uh, I wish I was a right winger because right wingers accept anybody, but left wing, uh, you're never left wing enough. Like if you say that you hate Trump, uh, they'll be like, what else?

They'll be like, Oh, I'm also accepting of the LGBTQ community. They'll be like, okay, what else? They're like, are you vegan? And they'll be like, no, I'm not vegan. Then you're not truly left. Then why don't you go join the Nazis? You can never be left wing enough. So, uh, he's very politically aware. The reason this special is different is because this guy who had been going around telling people to break up with people and divorce people got married himself two years ago with his longtime partner and he had a child.

So his new show is about [00:39:00] his wife's pregnancy and how life has changed post marriage. Okay. But he also did take digs at the current political situation in India. Uh, He talks about this one thing where he said, five years ago, I performed in Russia. And there are four countries where he said that you are not able to criticize the government.

He names Russia, a Middle Eastern country, one more country. And he says, I'm slightly forgetting the fourth one. 

Rajyasree Sen: And 

Abbas Momin: then at some point he talks about something and the word democracy comes up. So he actually takes a pause and like, okay, India, let me tell you what democracy is. And he actually lists, tells you what democracy is.

So the good thing is that the 

Rajyasree Sen: right wingers don't know. About him. And actually, yes, it's a good thing. 

Abbas Momin: So, uh, the, the show is actually a pretty good amalgamation. He also addresses this whole thing of cancel culture and how comedians are saying that they're not allowed to say stuff, but actually men don't really face any consequences even despite allegations.

So he's touring. India right now. I think he's done with Delhi and Mumbai. [00:40:00] By the time this episode goes on, I think Bangalore would also be done, but he's doing Goa. He's doing, uh, I think Chennai, he's doing a couple of other big cities. Uh, so in case you're someone who likes comedy, if not go watch Daniel's Lost Life, check out his specials on Netflix.

I think he's, uh, he's pretty, he's pretty cool. Uh, he's also written a book. Uh, he's written a book called Everyone is going to die and other comforting thoughts. So, uh, It does comfort you. No, no. 

Rajyasree Sen: So I'll try and catch it on him on Netflix then. 

Abbas Momin: Yes, please do. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. So at least one, one good recommendation.

One thing was, it was not awful and awful. It was awful. It was awful, awful, and a little awesome. And, uh, there's something else which has happened in the world. Which everyone is talking about that Kate Middleton has gone missing. 

Abbas Momin: Oh, yes. Yeah. The photoshopped picture. 

Rajyasree Sen: Which was a little bizarre. Even I Agree, because why even release a [00:41:00] picture na.

Also people how because I kept looking at the picture after those articles came out that it's been photoshopped and then they were pointing out what has been photoshopped and that means people really went into that picture with a magnifying glass because I still couldn't figure it out. So first I thought someone because on Insta and all they have all this nonsense.

They have the same picture with her with six fingers. So I was like, Oh my God, did they do that? I saw that. Oh, that hadn't happened. But I think the poor thing just wants to sleep and not come out. That's true. 

Abbas Momin: Yeah. You know, I read this meme somewhere that right now, uh, Kate Middleton is in some small town falling in love with a stranger who doesn't know she's from the royal family.

That's a, that's a Netflix meme. It's 

Rajyasree Sen: just, it is a little weird that she's nowhere to be seen, but, uh, then it wouldn't be the royal families had a bit of a, 

Abbas Momin: exactly like a dull 

Rajyasree Sen: time. So they might as well have something interesting [00:42:00] happening. Too bad that our public figures, uh, Don't go missing. Not half as 

Abbas Momin: interesting.

Don't 

Rajyasree Sen: go missing. We can keep hoping for a triathlon. Well, doesn't happen. 

Abbas Momin: In India, if they go missing, the consequences are way worse. 

Rajyasree Sen: And you know that that's the end, basically. 

Abbas Momin: Yeah, exactly. Kate, if you're listening to this, please show up. 

Rajyasree Sen: Please subscribe to News Laundry, support free news. We'll support the Free Kate Foundation also then.

Abbas Momin: Yes, totally. 

Rajyasree Sen: Yes, but, uh, that's it for this week. We will be back next week with The Gentleman, which I have six more episodes. It's a very long show though, I have to say. All these shows are very long. I am waiting to watch The Zone of Interest. Have you watched it? 

Abbas Momin: No, I haven't watched it, but everybody who's seen it has been learning about it.

So yeah, I really want to watch it. 

Rajyasree Sen: And I watched, uh, Poor Things, which you watched. Have you watched? 

Abbas Momin: Okay. The Emma Stone film. Did you watch it? [00:43:00] No, I have not watched it. Watch it. So did you watch it on Hotstar? 

Rajyasree Sen: Yeah. And they haven't censored. 

Abbas Momin: Oh, they haven't censored it? Because if they've 

Rajyasree Sen: censored it, I don't know what else was in this film.

Okay, because nothing seems to have been censored. And then it's fine that they censored a bit. It's okay. It's fine. No, no, watch it. It's not bad. But we will be back next week. And till then. Thank you, Mr. Momin. 

Abbas Momin: Thank you, Ms. Sen. 

Rajyasree Sen: And it's a wrap.

Sting: Thank you for your subscription. You're changing the world by changing the way news is funded. For the smoothest News Laundry experience, download the News Laundry app. It is the best way to listen to our paywall podcasts. And you'll also get access to all free News Laundry shows. Keep us ad free and subscriber funded.

Help us grow. Tell people who listen to you to pay to keep news free. Subscribe to News Laundry. Bye! [00:44:00] Keep journalism independent.