Hotstar Archives

Criminal Justice Review: An Average Crime Drama that Says Nothing New About India’s Flawed Judicial System

Criminal Justice comes across more like a faithful remake than an adaptation of the eponymous BBC series, undone by its inability to contextualise the proceedings and Indianise them. The sluggish, over-explanatory pace of the initial episodes ruins the chance of a tense build-up.

Poulomi Das July 28, 2016

Pop Culture

Rubaru Roshni Review: The Documentary Convinces Us that Everyone, Even Criminals, Deserve a Second Chance

Given the popularity of vengeful cinema – Simmba, Uri – and the strain of hateful politics bearing down on us, Aamir Khan’s Rubaru Roshni is that rare film that advocates and asserts the novelty of forgiveness.

Manik Sharma July 25, 2016

Features

Stop Hating On India’s “The Office”! Haven’t We Lapped Up Remakes of Mrs. Doubtfire & Reservoir Dogs?

We live in a country where we take two minutes to make our noodles and take five to change our Whatsapp display picture. So why are we outraging about the Indian adaptation of The Office based on a one-minute trailer?

Hardik Rajgor July 17, 2016

Features

Why the Emmy-Nominated Watchmen is a Must-Watch for Any Fan of Joker or The Dark Knight

Today, a superhero story can be many things, from an R-rated comedy romp (Deadpool), to a grim character study (Joker). There is more depth in the genre now than ever before, and it can be traced back to one important question: “Who watches The Watchmen?”

Dushyant Shekhawat July 16, 2016

Pop Culture

The Temptation of Trash TV: Why You Need Need Bigg Boss After BoJack

It’s the age of #PeakTV, and there’s a plethora of content out there that is intellectually stimulating, aesthetically pleasing, and artistically rewarding. But it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Acclaimed shows are like caviar – perfectly fine to treat yourself to, but sometimes you just want good old vada pav.

Dushyant Shekhawat June 26, 2016

Features

You’ll Never Guess Where You Can Watch the Emmy-Winning Shows Everyone’s Talking About

If we take an Emmy win as a metric to consider whether a show deserves a watch or not, then it’s only fair to extend that line of thinking while considering which streaming platform to subscribe to. At the moment, Hotstar Premium hosts 12 shows that have won at the Emmys.

Ananya N June 26, 2016

Features

I Have a Happy Love Marriage, But I Can’t Stop Fearing That My Husband Will Cheat on Me

An Out Of Love survey that polled married Indians on their expectations of loyalty found out that people in love marriage are more prone to being suspicious of their partners than the ones in arranged marriages. Normally, I’d scoff at this. But today, I’m living proof.

Simran Kapoor June 4, 2016

Pop Culture

Reaching For the Stars: How Koffee With Karan Got us Closer to Bollywood

Almost 14 years ago, writer-director-producer, Karan Johar did the unthinkable: He brought our favourite Bollywood stars from the big screen, straight into our living rooms. Rarely have our stars been as relatable as they have been on Koffee With Karan.

Arré Bench May 11, 2016

Pop Culture

Out of Love Review: Rasika Dugal Shoulders this Psychological Infidelity Drama

Hotstar's Out of Love isn’t the first Indian show to take a crack at the complexities of infidelity, but it might be the rare show that locates the pulse of the betrayal. Aided by a reliable Rasika Dugal, the show compellingly argues that sometimes the things that we do out of love are the very reasons that have us fall out of love.

Ananya N May 6, 2016

Pop Culture

Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors Review: A Tale about Abuse and Marital Rape that Becomes Predictable

Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors feels like a tired attempt at resuscitating characters and a world that frankly needed more than just the injection of precious ideas like domestic abuse, marital rape, and consent. Even Pankaj Tripathi and his mastery of the OTT space cannot elevate the second season.

Manik Sharma March 31, 2016