Do I Like It?

Daredevil Musthafa is a Kannada film directed by Shashank Soghal. It is based on a short story by K.P Poornachandra Tejaswi; and it was the love for this author's stories that over 100 people funded this film and made it possible. Although, what got me introduced to the film was the fact that Karnataka government made it tax-free. So, do I like it? Tune in to find out!   Learn more about your ad c...

After a fun time reviewing KR$NA and Munawar Faruqui's albums, here I am, talking about Emiway Bantai's album 'King of the Streets', because the third time's the charm, you know! The album consists of 17 tracks, where Emiway chronicles his journey of self-improvement, quitting bad habits, and living a more fulfilling life. But all is not well in this project. Listen to the full episode to find out...

A few months ago I watched a film, that still hasn't left me. In this episode of Do I Like It, let's talk about ‘Dhuin’, Anchal Mishra’s short film. This Maithili film, streaming on MUBI, follows the journey of a theatre actor, Pankaj (played by Abhinav Jha), who treads on the blurred lines of enthusiasm and exhaustion. The film is set in a lockdown Darbhanga, where financial woes make the protago...

In this episode of Do I Like It, Prateek talks about Munawar Faruqui's debut hip-hop album 'Madari'. The album features a solid tracklist with beats by industry stalwarts like Sez on the Beat and Karan Kanchan. After a controversial jail time in 2021 and his subsequent reality show win, will this album capture his state of mind and provide a musical outlet for his distress? Or will it be just anot...

Fire In The Mountains is a 2021 film directed by Ajit Pal Singh. It revolves around a woman in Uttarakhand and is a story that intertwines superstition, patriarchy and a dreamy hill station's sombre reality. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is now streaming on Sony Liv.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Do I Like It, Pratikshya talks about the Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan starter 'Zara Hatke Zara Bachke', which was directed by Laxman Utekar. The film follows the story of a young couple who want to build their own house away from their families, and the trouble that ensues afterwards.  Listen till the end to find out why this film reminds us of the 2023 Manoj Bajpayee starter...

In this episode of Do I Like It, I want to talk about a song that's close to my heart because of two reasons: 1: I love Kashmiri music, and 2: I love wedding music. And Kya Karie Korimol by Alif, Noor Mohammad, and Aashima Mahajan is the perfect blend of the two.  The rendition of Alif's original song talks about a wedding, where all the father is worried about is whether there is enough food to f...

In this episode of Do I Like It, I talk about Yungsta’s album, 'Meen'. It was executive produced by Sez on the Beat and released on his label 'The MVMNT'. With a star-studded feature list of Calm, Frappe Ash, Ikka, Raga, and many more, Meen marks Yungsta's entry into mainstream desi hip-hop. The album has a coherent soundscape and a consistent subject matter about an artist, a fish coming out of t...

Amar Colony is a 2022 film directed by Siddharth Chauhan. It premiered last year at the Tallinn Black Nights’ Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize. It revolves around the lives of three families living in a dilapidated building in Shimla and deals with themes of loneliness, confinement, and sexual repression. Tune in for the full review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

Jaggi is a 2021 Punjabi film, which after winning accolades at several international festivals, screened at the 15th edition of the Habitat Film Festival on Sunday, 7 May. It tells the story of Jaggi, a boy in his twenties who lives in Punjab. Grappling with impotency and the stigma, harassment and ridicule it comes with, Jaggi's story is raw, touching and unnerving.  Tune in to listen to the full...

Usually, Biswa and political jokes would rarely appear in the same sentence. But, with his new comedy special titled 'Mood Kharaab', streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Biswa has cracked the perfect way of performing political comedy. He talks about parental relationships, schools, masculinity, the meta verse and much more. Tune into this review to find out more! Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

I am not a film critic who goes around reviewing movies. But this film by Sudhir Mishra had a huge impact on me and I had to talk about it. Afwaah, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Bhoomi Pednekar talks about how one rumor can change people's lives. In a society that has stopped doing its own research, one online forward can get you lynched.  And this monster is caste and religion agnostic. It can...

Anup Singh’s The Song of Scorpions might be Irrfan’s last release in India but it would be unfair to label it a purely Irrfan film because a lot of the film’s spirit comes from Iranian actor Golshifteh Farahani. The film centers a legend of ‘scorpion singers’ – tribal women whose voices can counter even the deadliest of poisons; here, a scorpion’s.  Tune in for the full review!   Learn more about...

When I stepped into the theatre to watch Mani Ratnam's adaptation of Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan, I was scared that I'd get disappointed. Cuz I'm like a 'Gangs of Wasseypur 1 over 2', and 'Baahubali 1 over 2' kind of a person. I'm usually disappointed with the second part. But this one pleasantly surprised me. Be it the score by AR Rahman, Aishwarya's enchanting performance, or some of the most invent...

In this episode of Do I Like It, let us talk about Irrfan Khan. On 29 April 2020, Irrfan left us after a long battle with cancer. This episode aims to celebrate his legacy by discussing five of his best acting performances. But I won't be talking about obvious picks like The Namesake, The Lunchbox, Paan Singh Tomar, etc. I want to mention some hidden gems from his filmography which don't usually g...

The third season of Netflix's Indian Matchmaking follows a vivacious group of uber-rich Indians in India, the USA and the UK, as they try to navigate the treacherous waters of arranged marriage, all under the watchful eye of the one and only Sima Taparia from Mumbai. But what has changed this season? Are Seema aunty's clients getting more and more difficult? And what about Seema aunty herself?  Tu...

In this episode of Do I Like It, I talk about Naezy's latest Eid offering, 'Apocalypse'. After struggling with his music and his faith for years, Naezy seems to have lost the Top 5 Desi Hip Hop artists' spot that he once held. Will this project help him retain his lost glory? Can Naezy keep up with DHH superstars like Divine and Emiway? And should the music of struggling artists be limited to beat...

At one point, when a character hears that humans are called ‘homo erectus’, he says of three men in the film, “How can they be homo? They have girlfriends.” By the time this “joke” makes it to Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, I had already checked out. Or in the film’s words, hum switch off ho gaye the.  Listen till the end for the full review!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

Ghar Banduk Biryani is a Marathi film that portrays the good and bad of an otherwise gray world. While on one hand, we have a larger than life police officer, on the other, we see a gang leader, called ‘Commander’. The director attempts to humanize both the factions, he showcases the corruption overcome by Nagraj Manjule as the cop, and the circumstances which lead to the crime gang forming in the...

On this episode of Do I Like It, we review the new Barbie trailer starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. While the trailer really entrenches into the history of Barbie, there are some major Easter eggs referencing ‘The Wizard of Oz’, '2001: A Space Oddyssy', and more. Is that a hint as to the plot of the film? There’s only one way to find out! While Greta Gerwig (or META Gerwig) does her magic,...

On this episode of Do I Like It, we review Photo, directed by Utsav Gonwar, which was just premiered at the Bengaluru International Film Festival. This Kannada film is pathbreaking in terms of its  cinematography; the director portrays his story in terms of political consciousness and not political correctness. The movie starts with the story of a young son, excited to visit his father in Bengalur...

In this episode of Do I Like It, we review Joyland - a film by Saim Sadiq- which has recently become a global symbol of Pakistani cinematography. While the movie pushes the boundaries by depicting a love story between a transgender woman and a cisgender man, it also shows the orthodox reality of the misogyny faced by women in general. Overall, Joyland is the most joyous cinematic experience of rec...

In this episode of Do I Like It, I review Anubhav Sinha’s latest - Bheed. Bheed not only packs a powerhouse of talented actors, but a story that directly reflects the reality of many. As always, Sinha takes up real life news incidents and fictionalises them to showcase the depth of the issue surrounding his movie. In this case, he does justice to the horrific reality of workers who were trying to...

An Indian family moves to Norway for better opportunities and a better life but in a somber turn of events, their children are taken away by Norwegian Child Welfare Services (Barnevernet).  This forms the crux of Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, based on the true story of Sagarika Chakraborty (and further based on her book 'The Journey of a Mother').Most of the film's emotional core rests on Mukerji's ab...

In this episode of Do I Like It, we review Zwigato, and no, this is not a new food delivery app; instead a portrayal of the life of a gig worker directed by Nandita Das. Das does an excellent job by using the medium of a food delivery worker to display multiple disparities and prejudices in society regarding gender, caste, and income. At the same time, it’s refreshing to see Kapil Sharma, a celebr...