It’s almost been a month since Avengers: Endgame, and nothing worthwhile has come out since. To add to our agony, the election results were announced and this week was exhausting to say the least. So if you are feeling a bit weary, a bit soul tired too, then maybe turn to the great escape that is cinema. Here are five feel-good films you can binge this weekend that won’t require you to dumb down your intellect.
The Dictator
Larry Charles’ 2012 political satire The Dictator, co-written by Sacha Baron Cohen and starring him, seems like the apt comedy film to watch right now. This scathing political slapstick about a minority-hating, sexist despot is hilarious to boot, especially if Cohen’s Borat is one of your favs.
Jagga Jasoos
Yes, this three-hour-long Anurag Basu flick almost feels indulgent in bits, but it is a thoroughly enjoyable nostalgia-trip for those who grew up on mystery novels and comic books. From the very-real Purulia to Satyajit Ray’s made-up land Shundi, the teen detective Jagga goes on an unreal adventure throughout the film. Maybe this is a good time to get lost in the world of this fantasy?
Piku
Shoojit Sircar’s Piku, starring Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan as a father-daughter duo who embark on an epic road trip from Delhi to Kolkata is totally rooted in reality. There is no satire or fantasy here, and it would make you cry buckets by the end, but it will also take your mind off everything else and help you focus on what matters the most: family.
The Heat
Buddy cop dramas are a dime a dozen in both Bollywood and Hollywood. Paul Feig’s The Heat is a refreshing one among this genre because the buddies here are women, and two of the funniest women in showbiz that too – Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. It’s just a fun film with no sexist “jokes” to go around.
Stree
Speaking of subverting gender tropes, this Amar Kaushik horror comedy does it the best. Starring Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, and Aparshakti Khurana this tale of chudails and consent is soon getting a sequel and we can only hope it is as good if not better than the original. Regardless, this is yet another feel-good watch that will make you laugh and think, all at the same time.
And if all else fails just watch Sooryavansham again in honour of its 20th anniversary. There is comfort in familiarity after all.
