The Best From The World Of Entertainment And Books: The Brutalist, I Am On the Hit List, Have You Heard George's Podcast? and More

The Brutalist, In theatres, from 28 February

Perhaps the most ambitious mainstream Hollywood film since Oppenheimer, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist is an uncompromising three-and-a-half-hour epic about creativity, addiction, obsession and the American immigrant experience. The Hungarian–Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor László Tóth (played by Adrien Brody, who won a Golden Globe for his performance) is separated from his wife and his orphaned niece after he is sent to the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp.

Soon, he immigrates to the United States and immerses himself in a large-scale project, even as heroin, family troubles and his own artistic hubris threaten to derail everything he has worked so hard to preserve. Brody’s towering performance may well nab him a second Academy Award for Best Actor after his memorable turn in The Pianist all those years ago.

Sookshmadarshini, On Disney+Hotstar, from 11 January

Another small-movie gem from the Malayalam film industry, M.C. Jithin’s Sookshmadarshini applies a black comedy filter on the private investigator genre. The intelligent and resourceful Priyadarshini (Nazriya Nazim) is happily married but resents the fact that she doesn’t have a job of her own. Soon, the small, tightly-knit coastal Kerala community she is a part of is thrown into a tizzy at the re-arrival of shadowy baker Manuel (Basil Joseph) and his mother.

Where were they all these years and what agendas might they have upon re-entry? Priyadarshini and her band of feisty friends set about discovering the truth in this very enjoyable, Miss Marple-esque mystery.

Severance (S2) On AppleTV+, until March 21

Quite simply, Severance is the best sci-fi show in recent years and one of the finest thrillers streaming right now. The narrative follows the hapless employees of the dystopian Lumon Industries, where high-value employees are subjected to a failsafe measure called the ‘severance chip’.

Once this chip is implanted, the employees (‘innies’) can finish work on top-secret projects, with no memory of their lives outside office. And once they leave the office and are outside (‘outies’), they will have no memory of what they worked on while inside. Severance is the logical extrapolation of every ‘work/life balance’ article you have ever come across. It is wickedly scary and a whole lot of fun.

Unknown City by Amitabha Bagchi (HarperCollins)

It’s been nearly two decades since Amitabha Bagchi released his debut novel Above Average, about an IIT Delhi graduate named Arindam who harbours writerly ambitions. In the intervening years, Bagchi has grown into one of the most acclaimed Indian English novelists.

His latest book Unknown City is a ‘jump sequel’ to Above Average, and Arindam is now a near-50 novelist and professor looking back at a string of failed relationships. Could it be that, despite his ‘progressive’ instincts and sensitivity, he was actually an arrogant, unthinking chauvinist all along? A unique and immersive story about one man’s reappraisal of his personal and professional lives.

I Am On the Hit List: Murder and Myth-Making in South India By Rollo Romig (Context)

The September 2017 murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh outside her home in Bangalore shocked the conscience of a nation. It wasn’t just the brazenness of the killing but also the fact that a scribe had been targeted for her beliefs and writings. Journalist Rollo Romig breaks down the complex interplay of individuals and institutions that led up to the moment—mysterious religious organizations, hired muscle, rationalist publications, the IT firms that fund leaders and parties and so on.

In doing so, a scary picture of rising political and social polarization emerges out of South India. A very engaging mixture of old-school reportage and sociological discourse.

The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF, Edited by R. T. Samuel, Rakesh K. and Rashmi R.D. (Blaft Publications)

A beautiful, wide-ranging anthology of short stories, translations and graphic narratives, The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF brings together renowned writers such as Dalit activist Gogu Shyamala and veteran Tamil author, Bama (in translation by Meena Kandasamy) alongside new names like Mimi Mondal—nominated for the prestigious 2023 Nebula Award—and Sumit Kumar, creator of the very funny Bakarmax Comics.

The book’s impressive production values and a stunning ‘cybernetic Ambedkar’ cover illustration by artist Priyanka Paul make this book a legitimate collector’s edition.

Mismatched Season 3 OST 

In December, the third season of Netflix’s hit romance-drama Mismatched premiered. The show has been distinguished for its consistently popular songs and the third season’s soundtrack is no different—as many as three tracks from the OST are in the Spotify India top 20 for the month. Anurag Saikia and Raj Shekhar excel on vocals for the former’s ‘Ishq Hai’, an old-school Bollywood Sufi-infused love ballad.

Sagar Verma sounds uncannily like Prateek Kuhad on the genteel acoustic guitar song ‘Khaamiyan’. The absurdist, Europop-influenced ‘Heartbreak Disco’ will resonate with fans of Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga, while the tear-jerking ‘Gumshuda’ has a convincing ‘Pehla Nasha’ vibe going for it.

Fin vs History by Fin Taylor and Horatio Gould

In line with the popular tradition of comedians adopting confidently inept, ignorant personas to interview domain experts—see Zack Galifianakis’s Between Two Ferns or the Philomena Cunk ‘mockumentaries’ on Netflix—comedian Fin Taylor shot to viral fame with his Fin vs the Internet videos, where he spoke to online celebrities about the absurdity of their social media fame.

Taylor and his partner-in-crime Horatio Gould are now back with Fin vs History, to incorrectly explain “every war, revolution, assassination and movement that has ever existed.” Was the British civil war ‘the most pointless war in modern times’? and was JFK the ‘horniest president ever’? Find out with this witty, irreverent podcast.

Have You Heard George’s Podcast? By George Mpanga (BBC)

Another unique, immersive gem from the BBC stable, Have You Heard George’s Podcast? features George Mpanga, better known as George the Poet, a British spoken-word artist and rapper widely heard in both the UK and America. The USP of this podcast is that it is delivered almost entirely in verse, often in rhyming couplets.

Mpanga’s verses cover everything from the minutiae of inner-city life in London, to the history of imperialism in Ghana to the very sweet story of how he met his wife. This is an unusually sensitive and versatile artist who’s found the medium he is perfectly suited for; Mpanga’s earnest, velvety voice and impeccable sense of rhythm will quickly have you hooked.