�Puri duniya Kashmir ko ignore kar rahi hai, jaise Kashmiri mard Kashmiri auraton ki khwahishon ko�, says a feisty Jannat Mirza in the second episode of Haq Se � the latest offering by ALTBalaji. This pretty much sets the premise of what is to follow...

Haq Se

A perfect amalgamation of substance and soul, Haq Se � at the surface � is a spectacular looking web series. But then you can�t except any less
when the setting is Kashmir � still the paradise on Earth.
In a beautiful sprawling cottage, nestling in the lush green valley of Kashmir, live four lovely sisters with their mother. Rosy-cheeked, defiant and independent, in the absence of the father figure, they make the best of an idyllic household trying to hold onto brief tranquil moments of paradise in the land of turbulence.
Adapted from Louisa May Alcott�s Little Women, the 11-part ALTBalaji Haq Se series follows similar characters of the four sisters and the friendly neighborhood boy but totally changes both the plot and the theme by setting it in Kashmir. And that is a good thing, considering that the highly popular 1868 novel reflected the role of women in domesticity and love in society, in that century.

After a disappointing Bose: Dead/Alive and more watchable The Test Case, ALTBalaji finally delivers a more satisfying watch in its charming web series Haq Se. The story revolves around the Mirza household of women. The sisters are Meher (Surveen Chawla), Jannat (Parul Gulati), Amal (Nikkesha) and Bano (Aanchal Sharma). Meher is a dutiful medical intern with an unhappy secret. Jannat is a tomboy and a passionate blogger who writes under the pseudonym �Mirza�. Amal is the attention seeking dumb doll and Bano is the shy, innocent girl who transforms when singing. Their mother, Rabiyah (Rukhsaar) is a stern, dignified head of the family waiting for the news of her missing husband who is away tending to war victims.

The story starts off with a family scandal caused by the sisters� gorgeous aunt, Fatima, who they call Khaala (Simone Singh, fantastic). Kahala's secret illicit relationship as the married Kashmir chief minister�s mistress causes both her and the Mirza family deep humiliation. While Khaala swallows her pride, the fiery niece Jannat slams down the minister in her blog. Things come to a point when she has to seek his help later to protect Bano and her newly formed music band against stone pelting and life-threatening goons. Taking on the lonesome battle, the women in the family rally around Bano. Jannat fights back with her blog writings and becomes the voice of Kashmir. �Main Kashmir hoon��, She declares with rebellious pride when told there are other burning issues more important than her �little women� family.

Under the slick direction by Ken Ghosh, the series falters a little when it moves on to become a justification of the story being set in Kashmir. The charming neighborhood boy, Azi (Pawail Gulati), in love with the unaware Jannat and a �Pride and Prejudice� like romantic track between Meher and the arrogant Dr Naushad Rizvi (Rajiv Khandelwal), form sweet and engaging subplots.

Simone Singh as the beautiful and humiliated mistress in love appears probably in only 2-3 episodes but makes the strongest impact after the flashy eyed Chawla as the ever-defiant Meher. Pavel Gulati charms equally in his constant, comforting presence in the Mirza house. Parul Gulati as the spirited Jannat has a refreshing screen presence.

While towards the end of the first season, the series starts taking a turn towards a hint of terrorist areas, it is not entirely convincing how exactly Jannat will continue with this theme: �Main Kashmir hoon� and the family representing the Kashmiris stuck between �heaven� and �hell�. Her dramatic speech sounds great in its dialogue content but does not quite achieve the depth seen in the way the season ends. Sample this: �Kashmir woh naajayaz bachcha hai jise apne ghar ko ghar kehne ki azaadi nahin hai.�

Apparently shot in Manali, the location is indeed a paradise you do not want to leave. The women, the charming cottage (though a far cry from their dire poverty state), the dishy men including a late entry by Karanvir Sharma and most of all, the pristine Kashmir are enough to draw you in and wait for the next season.

It will be a pity to watch Haq Se on the phone. Go find a smart TV screen and be a part of this fantastic Mirza family and experience the courage of living in Kashmir.
Series Cast (17)
Rajeev Khandelwal. Naushad Rizvi (20 episodes, 2018) ...
Parul Gulati. Jannat Mirza (20 episodes, 2018) ...
Nikkesha. Amal Mirza (20 episodes, 2018) ...
Pavail Gulati. Tabish Azad (Azi) (20 episodes, 2018) ...
Simone Singh. Fatima Khala (20 episodes, 2018) ...
Karanvir Sharma. ...
Sameer Kevin Roy. ...
Mahima Mehta.

Byomkesh

Much like Satyajit Ray�s evergreen sleuth Feluda, Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay�s Byomkesh Bakshi defies age. The popularity of the detective has only escalated over the years - Byomkesh, in fact, seems to have scored over Feluda. There are two Byomkesh franchises in the Bengali film industry right now, not to mention the 2015 Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer.

And now the satyanweshi, as Byomkesh prefers to call himself, enters the world wide web with Bengali OTT platform Hoichoi. An original by SVF Media, Byomkesh stars Anirban Bhattacharya, Subrat Dutta and Ridhima Ghosh in the lead roles. The hour-long first episode, comprising two stories, Satyanweshi and Pother Knata, has just been released. The episode revolves around the first adventurous meeting between Byomkesh Bakshi and his soon-to-be-friend-for-life Ajit Bandyopadhyay. It weaves together a second case in which Byomkesh solves what�s referred to as the �gramophone pin murders�.

I can�t vouch for the millennials, but Byomkesh Bakshi stories are widely read. Most of the audience knows who the culprit is and exactly how the sleuth solves the mystery. The pull, therefore, lies not so much in the story itself but the performance and production. And Hoichoi�s Byomkesh scores on these points. Directed by Sayantan Ghoshal, Byomkesh also recreates the �30s Calcutta with care (missed the art director credits) and sticks to the original stories. Crisp camerawork (Sudipta Majumdar) and editing make the experience visually enticing as well - some excellent production values here.

Byomkesh Bakshi�s shoes are not easy to fill. Not only is he being portrayed by two hugely successful stars, Abir Chatterjee and Jisshu Sengupta, on the big screen currently, the sleuth has been portrayed by none other than Bengal�s reel legend Uttam Kumar under Satyajit Ray�s direction. Subrat Dutt provides fitting support.

Byomkesh season 3 web series free download

The first episode streamed two popular stories of Byomkesh - Satyanweshi and Pother Kanta. About his preparations, Bhattacharya said, "I have tried to project him as a crime-buster as well as an ordinary human. To think of it, the character has four to five sides to it and I tried portraying them all." The actor also said that he made his preparations without thinking too much about others who had donned the dhoti-clad detective's hat in the past. "As an admirer of author Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, who epitomized Bengaliness through his writings and portrayal of fictional characters, including Byomkesh, I tried to depict my understanding of him," Anirban said. The second episode will be streamed on October 21 based on two more popular stories - Makorshar Rosh and Arthamanartham. Asked if the audience would be receptive to the new series after multiple films and soaps on the sleuth's exploits, the actor said the viewers show no sign of fatigue. "The box office success of the recent Byomkesh and Feluda movies show that the Bengali sleuths are still very popular with the audience." Director Sayantan Ghosal was calling the shots of the new series while actor Subrat Dutt was enacting the role of Ajit, the sleuth's assistant and chronicler of his investigations. Bengali film actor Riddhima Ghosh was playing the role of Satyabati, Byomkesh's wife.

Race 3 Free Download

The Race franchise is known for its excessively stylized characters and high-octane action. These films showcase expensive cars and fancy set pieces, they have everything to please the action movie buff and James Bond fans. �Race 3� puts the pedal to the metal when it comes to making stylish statements. But as it zooms ahead in style, the substance is left behind in a cloud of dust.

This film is about a rich family dealing with a lot of double-crossing and scheming, as you�d expect from a film of this franchise. The Singh family is executing a high stake heist, where they have to steal a hard disk from a bank, so the setup looks like it's going to have a lot of thrills and action. But the generous dose of action never translates into any serious thrills because the story is so flimsy. To say that the film has a wafer-thin plot is an understatement. Unlike the action, the script lacks any real punch as the story does not engage the viewer at all. Trailer of the film had sparked off a bevy of memes on social media and when you watch the film you realize there are more such dialogues like, �Our business is our business, none of your business� and that makes you wonder what the writers were thinking.


What redeems the tissue-thin plot is the larger-than-life action sequences. You have it all - car crashes, explosions, combats, cat-fights and wingsuit diving stunts. Yes, there's a lot of smoke and fire, but no real steam - in the story or the performances. Most of the action scenes are in slo-mo, meant to heighten the drama and thrill obviously, but it often ends up making the scene a tedious watch. The best-directed parts of the film are the songs, which look like elaborately designed music videos. The movie is mounted on a lavish canvas and shot on some beautiful locales, but none of that holds your attention for more than a few minutes. It�s a visual delight to see a range of supercars in action, glamorous girls throwing kicks and punches, and of course, fans will relish the sight of Salman Khan and Bobby Deol ripping their shirts off to flaunt their well-greased and chiseled bodies.

There�s a star-studded cast on offer so the fans will have plenty of moments to cheer for their favorite stars. Salman Khan leads the pack with the main role, and while he�s great with the action and the style, the character has very little depth. Anil Kapoor plays the father figure of the Singh family with ease. Bobby Deol and Daisy Shah are at their stylish best, too. Jacqueline Fernandez and Saqib Saleem look fantastic as well. �Race 3� will work for Salman fans the most, as bhai kicks and punches with gusto. 

But for all its big moments, �Race 3� just does not work up the feeling of suspense and intrigue that made the previous masala movies from the franchise a guilty pleasure. While the film wants to keep you guessing on who will finish the Race first, you are left wondering when you will cross the finish line.

Incredibles 2 free download

The most irritating thing about Scooby Doo - and it happened in every episode - was when Fred, shamelessly desperate for some alone time with Daphne, would say the words, �Let�s split up, gang.�

As a child, no cartoon on TV was as thrilling as Scooby Doo, and no cast of characters as fun to be around as Shaggy, Scooby, Velma, Daphne and that party pooper Fred - so separating the team felt almost cruel. Without exception, every ghost, ghoul and masked madman they encountered was because they weren�t together. So it made no sense that they kept doing it. In every. Single. Episode.

It was with mild trauma then with which I reacted to the moment when Incredibles 2, Pixar�s 14 years in the making superhero sequel, decided to split up Mr Incredible and Elastigirl for most of the film�s duration, and in a neat subversion of movie tropes, gave Elastigirl all the action and relegated Mr Incredible to a life of domesticity.

Of course, it makes narrative sense to divide characters into different groups - it�s always easier to write two scenes for two characters each instead of writing one for four. The greatest example of this screenwriting hack came not two months ago, when Marvel somehow found an effective way to give two dozen characters their due respect in Avengers: Infinity War.Fortunately for Incredibles 2, it isn�t burdened with an overflowing line-up of characters to serve. The four it has a duty to honour, however, it does with the tremendous confidence and care typical of Pixar�s films.

It picks up a few months after the events of the first film, as the Parr family - Bob, Helen, Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack - continues to fight crime, disguised as their superhero alter-egos. The film opens with one of its many stunningly staged action set pieces, which ends with the Incredibles failing to stop an attempted bank robbery. With little to show for all the damage their actions have done, the Incredibles are left with no choice but to accept the government�s ban on all �supers�. But just when things seem to be at their lowest, a saviour - or two - arrives.Winston and Evelyn Deavor are the rich children of a famous tycoon who was one of the biggest supporters of superheroes before he died. This fandom, this blind trust in �supers� has seemingly transferred onto Winston and Evelyn, who inform the Incredibles that all they need is a PR makeover to turn their fortunes around. All we see about them, they say, is what the news shows us - which is the mass destruction and rampant chaos they leave in their wake. The public doesn�t see the risk the superheroes take every time they fight a lunatic villain. If they were to revamp their image, the Deavors assure them, the public will learn to love superheroes again, just like their father did.

That, in a nutshell, is the film�s premise, which to me sounds an awful lot like the plot of the 2008 Will Smith superhero movie Hancock, of all things, and validates my long-held belief that Hancock is an underrated classic.

The thing about Pixar movies - more specifically their increasingly frequent sequels - is that each film feels almost independent of the series� larger arc. These movies are self-contained experiences, with their own three acts and their own individual identities. I suspect this need arises from the fact that it takes really long to make an animated film - especially at Pixar, a studio whose terrific track record and attention to detail speaks for itself. There is also a very real chance of the film�s original audience having grown up in the five or so years it takes to make a sequel. In essence, Pixar has to attract a new audience for every film. Of course, the interim years also make it possible for new generations to discover these characters - and it�s equally possible that teenagers who watched the first Incredibles movie in 2004 have their own kids now.Nothing you will see in Incredibles 2 carries the same - or even a fraction of - the emotional depth of something like, say, a Toy Story 3. But such is the high bar that Pixar have set for themselves. Anything that seems less than exceptional seems like a disappointment. But as the studio enters a phase that seemed impossible even five years ago - a phase in which they�re churning out more sequels than originals - it�s concerning.

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Kids of a certain age will not mind the serviceable story of Incredibles 2. The film is vibrant to look at (it retains that suave �60s style), the characters are just as warm as ever (Edna Mode, who I�ve always felt was a fairly accurate combination of Anna Wintour and Karan Johar, continues to steal scenes), and director Brad Bird�s natural talent for staging large-scale action is often on display (he really was the perfect choice to make a Mission: Impossible film, wasn�t he?). But in an age when we�ve honestly consumed an unhealthy amount of superhero films - most of them dark and brooding - all this might feel a little too simplistic for the grown-ups.

There�s a lesson in there about apathy and idealism, valuable because it comes at a time when doing nothing doesn�t seem like a valid option anymore - the Incredibles are, and don�t you forget it, people who do good simply because it is the right thing to do. They�re driven by nothing other than the desire to serve, to protect, to empower. And we need earnestness like this now, more than ever before.