Watch & Chill: Unpaused
If you are looking for a slice-of-life watch that talks about life, moving on, second chances, finding hope even in the darkest moments this anthology is a brilliant offering. Thread together by some absolutely amazing storytellers — Avinash Arun, Nitya Mehra, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Nikkhil Advani and Raj & DK, Unpaused brings stories of people and their lives during Covid-19. These stories are a reminder to restore our faith in humanity. While every story is interesting, Glitch featuring Gulshan Devaiah and Saiyami Kher is dystopian and unique. You also can't help but extol Richa Chadha’s performance in The Apartment. RAT-A-TAT starring Rinku Rajguru and Lillete Dubey and Chand Mubarak featuring Shardul Bharadwaj and Ratna Pathak Shah are my personal favourite that instantly makes a place in your heart.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Podcast: The Musafir Stories
For wanderlust lovers, beware The Musafir Stories gives you some serious travel urges. The podcast documents Indian travel tales by bringing an avid traveller who narrates some of the most memorable adventurous stories they have experienced and lived during their expedition. Each episode transports you to a new part of the country letting you mentally tour over the melting pot of India’s diverse heritage, culture, tradition, society, lifestyle, religion and more.
Where to Listen: JioSaavn, Spotify, Audible and Apple
Playlist: Strawberries & Cigarettes from Love, Simon by Troye Sivan
This beautiful track from the movie, Love, Simon (about a closet gay teenager) by actor-singer Troye Sivan is an all-mood song — you can listen to it while sipping on cold coffee on a hot summer day or hot chocolate on a rainy day or while soaking in the flavours of your favourite hooch on a winter night. Everything is just right about the song — the soulful music and the beats that match perfectly with the lyrics setting the mood from the get-go. It will remind you of your first love or crush — don't mistake this for a love song, rather it’s a heartbreak song where the singer is reminiscing about his ex-boyfriend. Sivan, who came out of the closet as gay, has based many of his songs on LGBTQIA+ themes.
Bookshelf: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer is set in post-World War II, 1946, Juliet Ashton finds herself battling terrible writer's block. With the hopes of finding a ‘cure’ for her problem, she roams around looking for inspiration. And, then, one day the inspiration strikes when she receives a letter from a stranger called Dawsey Adams of Guernsey, who had come across her name in a second-hand book. Through their letters, she learns about the interesting Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. A few letters later, she lands in Guernsey with the hopes of finding interesting material for her new book. But little does she know that the island and its people are going to change her life forever. It's a heart-warming read that takes you on an emotional roller-coaster ride — there's heartbreak, blossoming love with the literary club acting as a glue that binds everyone together. The book has been made into a movie with the same title and you can watch it on Netflix.
