Mostly Charmless: Of Voices, Villages, and Vigilantes

We are a month into this newsletter now (!!), hoping no one's noticed the week that was skipped over. Thanks to all nineteen of you who cared enough to hit the subscribe link, and the three who were added without their consent but still haven't cancelled, being the good wife and children they are.

Speaking of, how do you folks pick the content you consume? Is it recos from friends? Critics you like? Subreddits, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, newspapers, that weird aunt who vaguely smells of ginger and garlic and has a thing for Russian playwrights? I get mine from all the above, and am constantly on the lookout for more. I am a big fan of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR for instance, and while I may not always agree with their views, the pop culture artifacts they review are almost always worth a look.

I also have this self-imposed "minimum consumption time" for art. It's usually the first thirty pages for a book, though there are times when I've given up after the first two hundred (I'm looking at you, book eight of Malazan Book of the Fallen). With a movie it's usually the first five to ten minutes, as most movies introduce themselves fairly well in that timeframe. I have found that a lot of the Hindi movies from the last few years do not last more than five minutes, though. Your mileage may vary, of course.

I try to watch the entire first episode of a show before giving up, as shows often have a twist or a gimme-more gimmick at the end of the pilot - a hook that's supposed to make you quickly click on the 'Next Episode' button. The first episode of Paradise is a great example, if you want to try one out.

Alright, on to this week's books and binges!

A book

Hitman Omnibus Edition, Vol 1

My introduction to Garth Ennis was through the groundbreaking Preacher series, the one that took a chainsaw to your concept of Christianity, God, and Texas, not necessarily in that order. I had found it explosively funny at the time, and an ode to male bonding and friendship. I don't think it holds up as well now though, but it still remains one of the most prized comic book series in my collection. I then went on to read Ennis' run on Punisher MAX (vicious, brutal, testosterone-pumping) and The Boys (superheroes get the chainsaw this time around), and liked them too. I could spot his recurring themes by then: nihilism, cynicism, grit, war, Ireland, dark humor, and tough men making tough choices.

Hitman has all of the above, with the humor and camaraderie dialed up. The main character is Tommy Monaghan, a hitman who could have been at home in the pulp novels we discussed in the previous newsletter, with his hard-boiled character, laconic outlook, and x-ray vision plus telepathy thrown in as bonus. He lives in the DC universe, which allows Ennis to bring in some of their best known characters and take the piss out of each one of them. With the possible exception of Superman, who is the one superhero Ennis hasn't really skewered. I should confess that I have not yet read Vol 2 of the Omnibus, which I'm told is even better than the first, but I mean to correct that shortly. Recommended.

A movie

Su From So (Kannada, on Hulu/Jio Hotstar)

There is a particular genre of movies, especially in Indian cinema, which centers around the village. We like them because they remind us of an innocent, simple, happy past - one which never really existed, truth be told. We were young then, not exposed to problematic issues of caste, bigotry, and misogyny, and lived inside a protective bubble created by our parents. That said, years later, we need those moments of innocence, particularly now when everything around appears sordid and malevolent. I would happily go back and rewatch a Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal on a Friday night after another week of soul-crushing brought on solely by reading the news.

Su from So is that kind of movie. It's the directorial debut of JP Thuminad, and does not feature any major stars (as far as I could tell). Set in a coastal village in Karnataka, it has a bunch of characters who are not quite the stereotypes you'd expect. The humor is lighthearted, the plot takes a shape of its own as the characters develop, and it's just emotional enough to leave an impact. The subtitles are thankfully not trite, and you do not need to know Kannada to enjoy the film. You finish the movie with a smile on your face, reminding you to ask your mom to watch it if she is able. Recommended.

A show

Delhi Crime (Hindi, Netflix)

Let's go back to malevolence, shall we? If you were in India in 2012, or reading news about India in 2012, you would know what I mean. The Nirbhaya case remains a watershed moment in Indian history - probably the first time the entire nation raised its voice against violence towards women. There have been numerous similar incidents later on, almost numbing our collective consciousness, but this one still lingers. The Deputy Commissioner of Police who led the Special Investigation Team tasked with solving the crime was Chhaya Sharma, already known for her work in investigating the Baby Falak case and exposing the human trafficking network that enabled it. Her bio is outstanding, if you want to check it out.

Delhi Crime Season One is all about the Nirbhaya case, and is a banger of a procedural. It stars Shefali Shah as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi (stand-in for DCP Sharma), the ever-dependable Rajesh Tailang as her second-in-command, and a host of other actors who flesh out the characters they portray with remarkable zeal. I was particularly fond of the tenacious cop Sudhir (played by Gopal Dutt) who takes time to talk with victims and passers-by, searching for any possible clue that would help the investigation. The show does not veer into theatrics and pretty much stays the course of a good cop show featuring humanized police doing their job. This was true of the second season as well, where the plot was about a gang terrorizing the elderly in Delhi. I felt the third season, based on the Baby Falak case, faltered a bit with its plot despite adding two good actors in Mita Vashisht and Huma Qureshi. I'd recommend the first two seasons, but don't go into the third expecting the same.