Lost and Found

Welcome to OTTplay Lost and Found , one podcast that gives you all the info on  lesser-known but critically acclaimed films. I'm your host Nikhil. Today's episode is all about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. This Mike Newell directorial is set in the idyllic English town of Guernsey, in the final years of World War II and the consequent few years. During the German occupation of...

Rituparno Ghosh managed to churn out yet another unassuming gem with the turn of the century. Nestled in the quietude of suburban life, today’s Lost and Found is Bariwali (which literally translates to The Landlady). With this film, Kirron Kher imbued the nuances of Banalata, a naïve middle-aged woman, grappling through life in her sprawling-yet-crumbling residence. The Gods of Fate are less than...

Every once in a while, we come across a movie that can hardly be slotted. Breaking the conventional mould of cinema, these gems redefine the landscape of storytelling. Onur Tuke l’s 2016 dark comedy-drama Catfight is one such film. And it’s our Lost and Found for today. The title of the film may paint a mental image of two squabbling women, possibly taking off their earrings and accessories before...

Films about cities tend to take a deep dive into the cultural and political fabric that drives its residents.  But today’s Lost and Found, which is Ruchika Oberoi’s Island City, takes a satirical stab at the isolated, marginalized yet hopeful lives that many lead in India’s Maximum City.  This one packs three connected stories that allude to the fears, regrets, dreams and joys that make Mumbaikars...

Mike Flanagan’s 2016 psychological thriller is a masterclass in tension-building. A gripping scare-a-thon about a deaf writer whose suburban house gets attacked by a notorious serial killer, Hush is a slow-burner that gradually reaches a narrative crescendo. Flanagan is clearly in his element with this one -- from screenplay to the seamless inclusion of horrific moments -- Hush is an all-out nail-...

Coming-of-age Indian movies about childhood have mostly focused on issues that adults believe children deal with. But there have also been sensitive films such as Rockford and Taare Zameen Par that closely followed adolescent life, with all its challenges and joys. And today’s Lost and Found, which is Sanjivan Lal’s Bubble Gum, is surely a lesser-known gem that makes for a telling portrait of chil...

Festival films are often regarded to be of a certain type. A piece of art for art’s sake that most find inaccessible, if not unpalatable. But there have been Indian films in recent decades that have broken the mould to find universal audience acceptance and receive due recognition at once. Gurvinder Singh’s National Award-winner Chauthi Koot is one such film. The 2016 Punjabi thriller is set in th...

Today’s Lost and Found is Shubho Mahurat, directed by Rituparno Ghosh. With Rakhee as the protagonist, the film was Ghosh’s personal hat-tip to the innumerable Mrs Marples who reside in every household, unacknowledged, or even uncelebrated. Ghosh paints the character of Ranga pishi, played by Rakhee, with all the necessary quirks of a sharp detective mind. With straight-faced humour and whip-sharp...

Neeraj Ghaywan’s 2015 directorial debut Masaan also launched Vicky Kaushal in a compelling turn. The film, which also stars Richa Chaddha and Shweta Tripathi, is a deeply moving depiction of how some are profiled on account of their caste and also packs a heart-wrenching love story.  The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where it bagged two awards and Kaushal’s performance also earned hi...

Batman is arguably the most popular superhero in the world. The DC comic book character has appeared in countless adaptations over the years ranging from film, television, and video games. In the past decade alone, the character has been played and voiced by several actors. But, fans and critics will point towards one adaptation as the most definitive version of the caped crusader - Kevin Conroy’s...

Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh is based on the real-life story of the Aligarh University professor who was persecuted and laid-off for his sexual orientation and translates as a heart-breaking story of discrimination. When a local news channel manages to shoot this professor allegedly having sex with a rickshaw puller, he’s singled out and ostracised and eventually, compelled to consider extreme measures....

The horrifying and heartbreaking tales of war and destruction in certain African nations have often prompted empathy and concern. So it’s hardly surprising that the premise has been adopted in films, television shows, and even in video games over the years. Films such as The Last King of Scotland, Hotel Rwanda, and Blood Diamond have captured the tragedies as sombre reminders of those who’ve endur...

Filmmaker Rohena Gera’s Sir, featuring Tilottama Shome and Vivek Gomber, is a poignant tale of the class divide. The film had its world premiere at the 71st International Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Gera’s previous works include the comedy series Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi (where she was the screenwriter) and the 2013 documentary titled What’s Love Got To Do With It?  Sir narrates the story of Ratna,...

Shahid is a 2013 biopic on the life of human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi who was  assassinated in 2010. Directed by Hansal Mehta and co-produced by Anurag Kashyap and UTV Spotboy, the film is headlined by Rajkummar Rao who plays the eponymous lawyer who invested his life for the lesser-privileged and stood up for those who had been wronged. This underrated gem won two National Awards (Best Actor and...

Helmed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni, the writer of Hasee Toh Phasee and director of the forthcoming Badhaai Do, Hunterrr is a truly special film that went largely unnoticed when it released in 2015. This Gulshan Devaiah and Radhika Apte-starrer is an adult romcom with a twist. The film revolves around sex addict Mandar Ponkshe (played by Devaiah), who almost mechanically straddles several female part...

Today, we’re talking about Sachin Kundalkar’s 2012 dramedy Aiyyaa which is a remake of the director’s own Marathi film Gandha. The quirky comedy headlined by Rani Mukherji follows the story of Meenakshi, a feisty woman who meets various arranged suitors to eventually fall for an artist (played by Prithviraj Sukumaran). Kundalkar’s breezy narrative and eccentric characters ensure you’re consistentl...

Marital discord has always made for good cinema. From Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan’s iconic love story Abhimaan (1973) to the Jude Law and Carrie Coon-starrerThe Nest (2020), there have been many films that have closely depicted fragmented relationships and the pain and suffering that some couples go through when a marriage begins to go south. Chandan Arora’s 2005 film Main, Meri Patni aur Woh starri...