Current Final

Tag: Netflix

  • Every Pakistani girl wants to be ‘Emily in Paris’

    Every Pakistani girl wants to be ‘Emily in Paris’

    Meet Emily – a bright, vivacious and a tad bit annoying American who suddenly finds herself in Paris for a new job. She lands in Paris, makes an Instagram account to document her year in the city, posts a picture of a croissant on Instagram and boom she’s hit 20,000 followers. And you’re just like, where, what, when, HOW? But that’s what Emily in Paris is about. It requires you to leave all sense and sensibility aside and just immerse yourself into Emily’s world.

    Created by Darren Star of the Sex and the City fame, Emily in Paris has been produced by the show’s star Lily Collins and follows Emily as she navigates her life in Paris and tries to add an “American touch” to the firm she works at. She breezes through life with the mantra ‘fake it till you make it’ and still manages to get everything right and save the day while running around the city in her cutesy clothes and heels (Again, HOW?). She makes friends on the street, has a hot neighbour, gets invited to all cool parties and events in town and eats all the butter and chocolate croissants she wants without gaining a pound. With all this, who wouldn’t want to be Emily? Or live in her world – where everything can be solved via Instagram engagement?

    As a 20-something girl living in Pakistan, I can say with full conviction that every girl in the country wants to be Emily in Paris. She wants to be able to live her own life in a charming city like Paris, away from the prying and judgmental eyes of the society and relatives, do a job she loves, post pictures on social media without a care in the world, and eat and drink as many croissants and Starbucks as she likes without putting on a pound. She wants to be able to walk free on the streets without worrying what awaits around the corner or if she’ll make it home safe. She wants to be able to date and hang out with whoever she wants without being labelled a s***. She just wants to be free to live her life the way she wants. And the way Emily does.

    It is rare for a show like Emily in Paris to trend at number one on Netflix Pakistan, given the show and movies that nab the top spot are either all-time favourites (Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Friends), Bollywood films, action/crime (Money Heist/Sherlock) or soft porn (365 Days). For Emily to make such an impact proves my earlier stated point and shows that Pakistanis love an absurd rom-com just like any other. They are done with love triangles and saas-bahu stuff that are shown regularly on television, most of it which is also not relatable.

    Emily in Paris is far from reality but the beauty of it is that it doesn’t even pretend to be real. Even the French have accused the show of stereotyping French people and culture and presenting an image of Paris that even they don’t recognise. But the creators of the show knew exactly what they were doing. They wanted to transport their viewers to the charming, cobbled streets of Paris and give them a stress-free vacation right in their living rooms. The episodes are short and crisp – less than half an hour each – and easy. They don’t demand you to use any of your brain cells. That with lots of eye candy including good-looking people (Sigh Gabriel), dreamy locales, beautiful clothes (though I have to add Emily’s wardrobe did not impress me) and some witty one-liners (courtesy Julien), Emily in Paris is trash television at its finest.

    “Don’t you want to go to the movies to escape life”, Emily asks her colleague in one of the episodes. That one dialogue is the gist of the whole series and the reason why you should also be watching it.

    Meanwhile, latest reports have suggested that Emily in Paris will be renewed for another season. In an interview, the show’s creator Darren revealed that he has plenty of ideas for season 2 in which “Emily is going to be more of a part of the fabric of the world she’s living in. She’ll be more of a resident of the city.”

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi cancels Netflix subscription over movie sexualising young girls

    Hamza Ali Abbasi cancels Netflix subscription over movie sexualising young girls

    Hamza Ali Abbasi has cancelled his Netflix subscription and is urging everyone to do the same after Netflix ignored criticism and went ahead with the release of Cuties. The streaming platform had received immense backlash from outraged audiences who accused them of ‘sexualising’ young girls in the film.

    Sharing a picture of his cancellation, Hamza said: “Despite global condemnation, Netflix still went ahead and released Cuties.”

    “Yup, now we have softcore pedo porn on a mainstream media platform. That’s a deal-breaker for me”, he said further. “Can’t do much, but what I can do is cancel my Netflix subscription.”

    Hamza also urged his followers to do the same.

    Earlier, Hamza had expressed his “horror” to see a show in the “mainstream blatantly sexualising 11-year-old kids.” He had signed a petition calling for Netflix to cancel the movie and had stated that he would cancel his subscription if they don’t. Till the filing of this report, 205,042 had signed the petition.

    According to details, the film, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is about Amy, a Senegalese Muslim girl who lives in a poor neighbourhood in France. After she develops a fascination with dance, she joins a dance group called the ‘Cuties’.

    Meanwhile, the film’s official synopsis states: “Eleven-year-old Amy starts to rebel against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew.”

    The film is originally a French-language film titled Mignonnes. It was written and directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, who is also Senegalese. The director, in an interview, had shared that the inspiration for the film came from seeing an amateur talent show in Paris.

    “There were these girls on stage dressed in a really sexy fashion in short, transparent clothes. They danced in a very sexually suggestive manner,” said Doucouré. “There also happened to be a number of African mothers in the audience. I was transfixed, watching with a mixture of shock and admiration. I asked myself if these young girls understood what they were doing.”

    However, parents and audiences say that the film exploits and sexualises children and demanded Netflix to remove the film from the streaming platform. Multiple petitions were filed on change.org in an attempt to force Netflix to cancel the movie.

    “The movie Cuties shows children dressed provocatively, dancing sexually and is rated only for adult viewers,” read a petition. “It was created for the entertainment of adults who are paedophiles. Please sign the petition to protect our children from exploitation in movies.”

    Following the backlash, Netflix apologised for the “inappropriate” artwork used for the film.

    The film’s original poster showed the film’s cast – all children – in midriff-baring uniforms and short shorts striking various dance poses.

  • ‘Cuties’: Netflix slammed for ‘sexualizing’ young girls

    ‘Cuties’: Netflix slammed for ‘sexualizing’ young girls

    Netflix has received immense backlash from outraged audiences who have accused the streaming platform of ‘sexualising’ young girls in an upcoming film titled Cuties.

    According to details, the film, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is about Amy a Senegalese Muslim girl who lives in a poor neighbourhood in France. After she develops a fascination with dance, she joins a dance group called the ‘Cuties’.

    Meanwhile, the film’s official synopsis states: “Eleven-year-old Amy starts to rebel against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew.”

    The film is originally a French-language film titled Mignonnes. It was written and directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, who is also Senegalese. The director, in an interview, had shared that the inspiration for the film came from seeing an amateur talent show in Paris.

    “There were these girls on stage dressed in a really sexy fashion in short, transparent clothes. They danced in a very sexually suggestive manner,” said Doucouré. “There also happened to be a number of African mothers in the audience. I was transfixed, watching with a mixture of shock and admiration. I asked myself if these young girls understood what they were doing.”

    However, parents and audiences say that the film exploits and sexualises children and have signed a petition asking Netflix to remove the film from the streaming platform. The petition reportedly has more than 250,000 signatures till now.

    “The movie Cuties shows children dressed provocatively, dancing sexually and is rated only for adult viewers,” reads the petition. “It was created for the entertainment of adults who are paedophiles. Please sign the petition to protect our children from exploitation in movies.”

    Following the backlash, Netflix apologised for the “inappropriate” artwork used for the film. However, it did not clarify whether the film will be cancelled or not.

    The film’s original poster showed the film’s cast – all children – in midriff-baring uniforms and short shorts striking various dance poses.

    Read more – ‘Family-friendly’ movies you should NOT be watching with your family

    Cuties is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 9.

  • Trending on Netflix: ‘Raat Akeli Hai’, ‘The Kissing Booth 2’ are nothing out of the ordinary

    Trending on Netflix: ‘Raat Akeli Hai’, ‘The Kissing Booth 2’ are nothing out of the ordinary

    Diriliş: Ertuğrul is a hard one to top but Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Raat Akeli Hai managed to do that and has been trending at number one on Netflix Pakistan since the past ten days. Hollywood’s recent teenage rom-com The Kissing Booth 2 has also proven to be popular among the Pakistani audiences and has been trending since it released on July 24. To be honest, The Kissing Booth 2 was a welcome addition to the top 10 list which apart from Diriliş: Ertuğrul usually features dark or erotic (read: 365 Days) movies.

    Read more – R-rated ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ number 1 on Netflix Pakistan

    Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte, Raat Akeli Hai is a murder mystery which revolves around the murder of a rich landlord on the night of his wedding. It appears that post the success of Sacred Games, Bollywood has found a new genre to explore – crime and the corrupt police system of India. Many recent films and series have centred on this theme, for example, Malang, Pataal Lok, The Family Man.

    While Radhika plays the dead man’s newlywed wife Radha and the prime suspect, Siddiqui plays the police officer who is investigating the case. The plot and story of the film are unoriginal and something we’ve seen many times before in Hollywood and Bollywood films (Most movie critics and some members of the audience have also compared it to Knives Out). All through the film, I found several references to Amazon Prime’s Pataal Lok and Sonakshi Sinha-Sidharth Malhotra’s Ittefaq.

    However, what makes the film worth a watch is the brilliant execution, performances and cinematography. Nawazuddin, as always, delivered a stellar performance as the cop investigating the case. Apte also gave a good performance as did the supporting cast of the film including Shweta Tripathi as Karuna Singh, Nishant Dahiya as Vikram Singh and Aditya Srivastava as Munna Raja. The chemistry between Nawazuddin and Radhika was crackling but it was let down by the weak development of the script and was not explored properly.

    • Radha
    • Vikram Singh

    Moreso, given that the film can be classified as a whodunnit (a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus), it makes a fun one-time watch as you keep trying to figure out who the killer is. Be prepared for a slow first-half and a confusing but relatively fast-paced second half – the last 20 minutes of the movie are the most engaging and hold your attention.

    Teen rom-com The Kissing Booth 2 is the exact opposite of Raat Akeli Hai. It is a light-hearted film which doesn’t demand much, though I do wish it demanded less time. While the film was a big hit and the makers have already announced that the film has a third part which has already been filmed and is currently in the post-processing stage, the film is nothing out of the ordinary. It is a typical rom-com featuring two teenagers who are trying to figure out a long-distance relationship and the deal with the baggage that comes with it. It can test your patience at a few instances especially when Elle tries to avoid being a clingy girlfriend but mostly it’ll have you rolling your eyes at the cliches. The makers have also weaved in several subplots, creating a bit of a jumble.

    The performances were also not something to speak off. Joey King who plays Elle and Jacob Elordi who plays Noah were dull and had limited expressions. Noah, in particular, seemed to have a poker face throughout the film. The only person who truly demonstrated his acting abilities was Taylor Zakhar Perez who plays Marco.

    Marco

    If you’re a fan of sappy, teenage rom-coms, give this a watch. Else feel free to skip it and leave it for the teens.

  • ‘Indian Matchmaking’: Who is Sima Taparia from Mumbai?

    ‘Indian Matchmaking’: Who is Sima Taparia from Mumbai?

    Throwing light on the highly controversial Indian (and Pakistani) wedding and matchmaking culture, a new Netflix original reality series has stirred a debate online and received mixed reviews about the toxicity ingrained in the country’s age-old process of finding a life partner. The show is currently trending at number four on Netflix Pakistan.

    The eight-part series Indian Matchmaking premiered on Netflix on Thursday and is currently among its top-ranked India shows. It features Sima Taparia, a real-life matchmaker from Mumbai, who offers her services to families within India and abroad. As the show gains traction, the one question which is crossing everyone’s mind is ‘Who really in Sima Taparia’?

    In a recent interview, Taparia, who hails from a small town of Gulbarga in Karnataka, opened up about herself and revealed that she always wanted to be famous.

    “I always had great ambition and wanted to make something of myself so people far and wide would know my name,” she says.

    However, her marriage was arranged when she was just 19 and because her in-laws were from an orthodox family of Marwaris, she never really got a chance to work on her dreams.

    But as fate would have had it, the small-town girl has become a sensation ever since her series streamed on Netflix.

    On how she ended up in this business, Taparia said that she considers herself a natural born matchmaker.

    “I am an extrovert and so I am very social and I love meeting new people, talking to them and finding out little details that I lock away in my brain,” says the 57-year-old.

    “When people come to me saying they have a son, daughter, nephew, niece or a grandchild who is looking to get married, I immediately start thinking of all the people I know of who could be a good match,” she explains, adding that she is always mentally matching people. “I have found matches for people when I was on vacation in Zermatt and in Interlaken and even when we were in the Canadian Rockies, I was on duty matching people up. Hell, I have even matched people up while waiting at the luggage carousel at Mumbai airport.”

    Ever since Taparia set up her matchmaking bureau ‘Suitable Rishta’, based out of her apartment in the midtown Mumbai neighbourhood of Worli, she has brought hundreds of couples together in India as well as in diaspora communities around the world.

    Taparia follows a tried and tested approach that she has found success with. “I go and meet the boy and the family, see what their home is like, where they work, where they have been to school,” she explains. It’s not just the information the family provides but unsaid details she has learned to pick up over the years.

    “This helps me assess their lifestyles so I can recommend a match that is on an even keel. This is where Tinder, Bumble and Shaadi.com can’t compete. I get to the bottom of things, finding out all the inside stories, the family’s values and other such details you would never get from looking at a person’s online profile,” says Taparia.

    She further shared that she only works with “high-profile clients”.

    “In India when I meet clients they usually have a working wedding budget in mind. So based on that golden number, I quote my price that I charge as a lump sum,” said the match-maker.

    Following the series’ success, Taparia’s phone has not stopped ringing.

    “Now young people who have seen the series have been getting in touch with me from all around the world and people in India are asking their parents to get in touch with me to find them partners like Nadia and Aparna,” she says.

    Netflix’s ‘Indian Matchmaking’ divides the internet

    Meanwhile, the show has the internet divided. The show has become a subject of memes and jokes, and criticism, on how individuals and their parents are picky and have a long list of demands that centre around factors like caste, height or skin colour.

    The show “makes very clear how regressive Indian communities can be. Where sexism, casteism, and classism are a prevalent part of the process of finding a life partner,” wrote Twitter user Maunika Gowardhan.

    Thousands of Twitter and Instagram posts echo that view. “The show is simply holding a mirror to the ugly society we are a part of,” Vishaka George, another Twitter user, wrote.

    Created by Oscar-nominated director Smriti Mundhra, the show focuses on matchmaker Taparia’s visits to the homes of families who need her assistance. After hearing their demands, she presents résumés of prospective matches and then arranges meetings between them.

    “The two families have their reputation and many millions of dollars at stake. So the parents guide their children,” Taparia says at one point in the show, referring to some of her wealthier clients.

    In the first episode titled Slim, Trim and Educated, an Indian mother tells Taparia her son is getting a lot of marriage proposals but in most cases, the prospective bride’s education or height was not ideal.

    Just as Taparia says: “So you want a smart, outgoing, height …” the mother interjects, “I won’t even consider (a girl) below 5 feet 3 inches.”

    Some have praised the show for its honesty and treating its subjects respectfully.

    “The hate against it is, frankly, baffling … Indian Matchmaking is well on its way to becoming a cultural phenomenon,” a column in the Mint newspaper said.

    Watch trailer:

  • Netflix reveals its biggest hits for the first time

    Netflix reveals its biggest hits for the first time

    Despite having close to 183 million subscribers, Netflix never revealed how many people are watching their original series and movies. However, the streaming giant recently decided to release a list of its 10 most-watched original movies.

    Chris Hemsworth and Randeep Hooda’s action thriller Extraction topped the list with 99 million views. It received the biggest audience of any Netflix original movie in its first four weeks. The film shows Hemsworth play a mercenary who must rescue an Indian drug lord’s kidnapped son.

    Read more – ‘Extraction’ & ‘Love Aaj Kal’ are trending on Netflix Pakistan but not worth the watch

    It is followed by the horror, sci-fi thriller Bird Box (89 million) about a mother and her two children who make a desperate attempt to reach safety after a threatening unseen presence makes most of society commit suicide.

    Spenser Confidential, an action-comedy is number three on the list with 85 million views. The film which has a rating of 6.2 on IMDb, is about a former cop Spenser who teams up with his roommate to take down the murderers of two Boston police officers.

    6 Underground is number four followed by Jennifer Anniston and Adam Sandler’s Murder Mystery at number five. Murder Mystery is about a New York cop and his wife who go on a vacation to revive the spark in their marriage, but end up getting framed for the death of an elderly billionaire.

    It is interesting to note that the top four most-watched films are action or thrillers with top movie stars including Hemsworth, Bullock, Mark Wahlberg, and Ryan Reynolds. The list also includes three comedies.

    Read More – Netflix censors images of meat for Indian audiences

    Martin Scorsese’s lavish crime epicThe Irishman starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, was the sixth most-watched film, attracting 64 million views.

    All 10 of the movies were released in the last three years, most of them in the past 12 months. 

    Meanwhile, as coronavirus continues to paralyse the world, Netflix, in a letter to shareholders, said that while its slate of original shows for this year is on track, it is focused on safely getting production back up and running.

    “As the world slowly re-opens, our main business priority is to restart our productions safely and in a manner consistent with local health and safety standards to ensure that our members can enjoy a diverse range of high-quality new content,” executives said in the letter.

    “There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and we’re adapting to local circumstances. Today, we’re slowly resuming productions in many parts of the world.”

    Netflix is facing increased competition from tech giants such as Apple and Amazon, along with entertainment titans including Disney, NBCUniversal, and WarnerMedia.

  • U-turn? Shaan says ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ is a ‘classic masterpiece’

    U-turn? Shaan says ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ is a ‘classic masterpiece’

    Did Shaan just take a u-turn?

    After strongly criticising PTV’s decision to air the series, the actor in his latest social media post has praised the series and called it a “classic masterpiece”. He also thanked the creators, cast and technicians for making this “epic”.

    Read more – Diriliş: Ertuğrul’: The debate rages on

    When someone questioned if he took a u-turn, Shaan said that he watched the series on Netflix.

    To put things into perspective, it can be understood that Shaan is not against the series but is in fact against PTV’s decision to air the series as evident from the tweets below. The actor asserted that he is not against the drama but doesn’t understand why PTV charges a hefty amount to show foreign products.

    Shaan had also appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to support the entertainment industry and stop cultural imports like these. It is pertinent to mention here that Shaan was also very critical of Bollywood films being released in Pakistan and had always voiced his dissent against them.

    Meanwhile, in response to another user’s question on whether he will make a series like Ertuğrul, Shaan said that it costs a lot to make one.

    Diriliş: Ertuğrul is being aired on PTV on the recommendation of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Set in 13th century Anatolia and based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending in the country ever since its first episode aired on the first of Ramzan. According to PTV, 133.38 million people have watched the drama series from April 25- May 14. PTV’s YouTube channel has also registered an exponential rise in its viewership with 5.65 million subscribers and episodes trending every day on the social media platform.

    Read more – Yasir Hussain vs Turkish dramas: the debate heats up

    In an exclusive interview with The Current, Senator Faisal Javed Khan had revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.

  • Trending on Netflix Pakistan: ‘Malang’, ‘The Lovebirds’

    Trending on Netflix Pakistan: ‘Malang’, ‘The Lovebirds’

    Despite a blanket ban on Indian films in Pakistan, our love affair with Bollywood films continues. Because every time a new Bolly film releases on Netflix, it instantly starts trending. And I don’t understand that because as of late, Bollywood films have become trashy, for lack of a better word. I can’t remember the last time I saw a decent Bollywood film and thought to myself, ‘Oh this was nice’.

    Read more – ‘Extraction’ & ‘Love Aaj Kal’ are trending on Netflix Pakistan but not worth the watch

    Nevertheless, this weekend, the top film on Netflix Pakistan is Aditya Roy Kapur and Disha Patani’s Malang – a story about love and revenge. Advait Thakur (Kapur) and Sara (Patani) are two free-spirited (read: aimless) souls who meet in Goa and instantly hit it off. They spend their days enjoying the beachside and their nights attending rave parties featuring a lot of drugs. From ecstasy to cocaine, the film has it all. When I initially saw the scenes involving drugs, I found them to be a bit strange because audiences across the world are calling filmmakers to be more careful about the message they give out to the world. However, the makers of Malang really don’t give a s*** about that because there are no warnings or disclaimers either.

    Soon enough Disha gets pregnant, bringing an unexpected twist into the couple’s life. While Advait runs away, Sara chooses to stay in Goa and raise her child. However, Advait soon realises his mistake and comes back to Goa only to discover that a police officer Micheal (Kunal Khemu) is attempting to rape Sara, thinking she is someone else. After a lot of bloodshed and marr dhaar (fighting) – which also seems to be a central theme in the film – Advait is sent to jail while Sara is killed. The rest of the film follows Advait get revenge from the police officers who covered up their colleague’s crime and assisted Micheal in Sara’s murder.

    Meanwhile, Anil Kapoor plays a crazy cop Agashte with a tragic past who only knows how to serve justice by killing criminals in encounters. Think the Bollywood version of Rao Anwar. Despite a solid performance, Kapoor’s character is poorly written and there is not much he can do with it except laugh creepily in an attempt to provide comic relief.

    To be very honest, a lot of the scenes in Malang reminded me of Siddharth Malhotra and Shraddha Kapoor’s Ek Villian. The plot was not original and the film had nothing new to offer in terms of content. But to ensure that his audiences leave the cinema halls satisfied and forget about the nonsense the rest of the film was, the film’s makers added a twist in the end to give that shock and thriller factor.

    Malang has been directed by Mohit Suri of Aashiqui 2 fame, which means that the music of the film is definitely satisfactory. The songs are soulful and melodious and you will catch yourself humming them long after the film ends. In case you missed it, our very own Asim Azhar composed one of the songs Humraah, though it does not feature in his voice in the film.

    Read more – Asim Azhar releases his Bollywood song ‘Humraah’

    The only good thing the film had to offer was lots of eye candy and spectacular views of the beach. Aditya Roy Kapur has toned his abs to perfect and missed no opportunity to show them off. Add to that an incredibly good-looking face and that is probably what will get you through the almost three-hour-long film.

    The Lovebirds

    Similarly, The Lovebirds, starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani has nothing new to offer in terms of an original plot or storyline. However, it will keep you entertained throughout its 90-minute run-time.

    Jibran (Nanjiani) and Leilani (Rae) are a couple, who are on the brink of a breakup when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. The two spend the night dodging the police and trying to find evidence to prove their innocence. Along the way they get into hilarious messes, which can get a little lame and cliched, but Rae and Nanjiani’s comic timing, charm and chemistry more than makeup for that. This is the first time I’ve seen either of their work and I thoroughly enjoyed their performance.

    The film is a light, mindless comedy, something you can watch with your family or on Netflix Party with your friends. It’s easy, doesn’t require much thinking and offers that break from reality we so need in these testing times. If you’ve enjoyed watching comic capers like Date Night or Game Night, chances are that you will enjoy this film as well. You might even catch yourself laughing out loud at some points.

  • Netflix censors images of meat for Indian audiences

    Netflix censors images of meat for Indian audiences

    Netflix has started censoring meat for its Indian audiences. Netflix users took to social media to highlight how meat is being censored in Vikings on Netflix India.

    People started debating on the issue on Twitter. Some people even turned this into a Hindu-Muslim debate.

    Netflix India did issue a formal explanation when the debate heated up. Netflix is just trying to be respectful towards the Hindu religious sentiments of not eating meat.

    However, it is unclear that this censorship was voluntary or demanded by the Indian government. This wouldn’t be the first time India went heavy-handed with censorships demands.

    Previously there have been demands for the streaming platform’s original series Sacred Games and Leila to be censored for hurting political sentiments.

  • ‘Extraction’ & ‘Love Aaj Kal’ are trending on Netflix Pakistan but not worth the watch

    ‘Extraction’ & ‘Love Aaj Kal’ are trending on Netflix Pakistan but not worth the watch

    To make decision-making easier for their users, Netflix has recently started sharing a list of ‘Top 10’ movies or seasons which are trending in different countries. According to a blog post from the company, the Top 10 row will be updated every day with “the most popular titles within a subscriber’s country, and the position of the row will also change depending on how relevant the shows and movies in the list are to their interests.”

    As of Friday (May 1) night, the top three things trending on Netflix are Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Love Aaj Kal and Extraction, while the two films are also the top two in the Movie Category. While we all know that Diriliş: Ertuğrul is a hit among Pakistani audiences, Extraction and Love Aaj Kal are new additions to the streaming service.

    Read more – R-rated ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ number 1 on Netflix Pakistan

    Like any other Pakistani who grew up on Bollywood films, I couldn’t resist watching Love Aaj Kal. I mean Imtiaz Ali, Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aryan — bring it on. As for Extraction, because for the most part, my job does require me to keep up with the latest trends, I decided to step out of my usual romantic comedies/dramas zone and watch something different and see whether it was worth the Netflix hype.

    Let’s start with Extraction. The Chris Hemsworth action-thriller has been creating a buzz since he went to India for its shoot. A day before its release, Hemsworth on social media had said that “making this film was one of the most exhausting but rewarding experiences I’ve ever had on a set.”

    He further said: “We set out to make the most insane, intense action film and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved.” Unfortunately, the film only made me insane with the amount of bloodshed it had it in. To be honest, I’m generally not a big fan of action films but I do enjoy them from time to time. The two-hour-long film, which I finished in three sittings, was just a Bollywood film on steroids given that a lot of actors [for example Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi] in the film were from India.

    The film is focused around Tyler Rake (played by Hemsworth), a black-market mercenary and former Australian Special Air Service Regiment soldier with a troubled past. From Rake’s first scene in the film, one can tell that he is the sort of person who likes to challenge and see death in the eye. Except for a few glimpses from his past, Rake’s character isn’t adequately developed. Anyways, Rake is hired by a fellow mercenary Nik Khan (Golshifteh Farahani) to rescue Ovi Mahajan Jr. (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the son of India’s biggest drug lord (Pankaj Tripathi), from Dhaka, Bangladesh who has been abducted by Bangladesh’s biggest drug lord, Amir Asif (Priyanshu Painyuli).

    The film is just one, long and bloody action sequence. There are limited dialogues and the characters just run through the narrow streets of Dhaka as they try to escape Bangladesh’s most notorious drug lord. They jump from building to building, kill countless people on the way and lockdown an entire city. The ending is as abrupt as the beginning – there is no character development or plot development. So unless you want to see only action, I’d advice you to skip the film altogether.

    Now onto Love Aaj Kal. If I had to sum up the film in one word, or two, I’d say half-baked. The story, the characters, the plot, everything about the film is half-baked. The film follows the same premise as Imtiaz Ali’s first Love Aaj Kal, which had two love stories running side by side.

    Zoe (Sara Ali Khan) is a free-spirited but ambitious girl who wants to make a career. She is bold, speaks her mind and does what she feels like, which sometimes gets a bit over the top. Veer, on the other hand, is a sensitive guy who looks at life differently than Zoe. The two meet in a club and while Zoe just wants to have a one-night stand, Veer decides that it’s not right because Zoe is “special”. How he decided that within an hour is beyond my understanding. Zoe gets annoyed with this and leaves his house and goes back to her life. Except Veer starts stalking her, not in the 90s way by singing songs and all, but by getting a spot at the co-working space where she sits. Soon the two grow closer and get into a relationship but Zoe’s mother who wants her daughter to become independent first urges her to not give up on her career for marriage. This confuses Zoe who then breaks up with Veer. The breakup scene was so ridiculously cringed that you cannot help but wonder how Imtiaz Ali even came up with it. What follows afterwards is a typical Bollywood story of how two people who are meant to be together will find their way back to each other. In between all this, Raghuvendra “Raghu” Singh, who is the owner of the cafe where Zoe works, narrates his 20-year-old love story to Zoe to help her understand her own feelings and make her decisions.

    What I did not like about the film was first Zoe’s character. It was highly irritating and Sara’s acting was also terrible. Especially the scenes in which she was drunk or crying. In fact, her own dialogue basically sums up her acting: “Tum mujhe tang karnay lagay ho“.

    It appears that all the attention was paid to Zoe and Raj’s character because Veer’s character was highly underdeveloped. We don’t understand his profession, neither do we understand why he spends his days just buzzing around Sara – does he not have his own life. And to top it all, his insecurities deriving from his parent’s relationship are summed up in a rap song, which is more confusing than explanatory.

    While the plot did have its heart in the right place, the film was not engaging enough. It lacked the humour [like in Jab We Met] or simplicity [Highway] which Imtiaz usually beautifully weaves into his films. Sorry, Imtiaz, I really did try my best to like the movie but it just wasn’t happening.