While discussing the topics:
Rajyasree: We have Juror #2, which is Clint Eastwood’s latest film. Which Abhinandan has not watched…Why? Because you thought I was talking about the judicial system?
Abhinandan: I haven’t even watched Juror #1.
Rajyasree: I’ll take that Nataraj pencil and put it through your eye.
Abhinandan: Juror #2 is not a sequel to Juror #1? Has Juror #1 got Govinda? (proceeds to dance to a made-up Govinda-esque track)
This and a whole lot of awful and awesome as Abhinandan Sekhri and Rajyasree Sen discuss the movies All We Imagine As Light and Juror #2, and the Golden Globe Awards.
PS: Abhinandan also recommends his top five favourite podcasts.
Have something to say? Write to us atnewslaundry.com/podcast-letters.
Timecodes
00:00 - Introductions and announcements
02:14 - Happy new year, with the same old A&R
05:55 - Headlines
08:27 - NL Sena
09:25 - Subscriber letter
10:19 - Topics
14:35 - Parinda
16:41 - All We Imagine As Light
26:33 - Subscriber letters
28:46 - Juror #2
38:47 - Subscriber letter
44:06 - Golden Globes
45:51 - Abhinandan’s top 5 podcast recommendations
References and recommendations
Demi Moore Wins Best Female Actor
Click here to download the Newslaundry app on Android. And here for iOS.
Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand.
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-: [00:00:00] This is a News Laundry Podcast. And you're listening to Awful and Awesome.
Rajyasree: Hello, hello. This is the Awful and Awesome Entertainment Wrap. Episode 377. This is Rajesh And it's a
Abhinandan: Happy New Year!
Rajyasree: Happy New Year! 2025!
Abhinandan: I hope 2025 is spectacular for you all. I hope it is your best yet. I hope you get everything you wish for as long as those things are good in some way or the other.
Generally for people by and large. So with that conditions, conditions apply. It should be
Rajyasree: that you get everything. Not like we wouldn't wish this for Mr. Adani, say, because we don't know what he's
Abhinandan: wishing for,
Rajyasree: wishing for it might be that there'll be no coral reefs left in India if he gets his wish. Or, you
Abhinandan: know, [00:01:00] the great thinker, the Atma of the world may think that news should just be kept quiet.
Finished once and for all. So there's a rider, the rider, but we hope you get everything noble that you ask for, you know, even if it's a little unhealthy, it's fine, but it should not be a, like a killer for, you know, humanity.
Rajyasree: We hope that for ourselves also.
Abhinandan: Yeah. So cheers. Cheers.
Rajyasree: I've had enough alcohol in the last seven days.
It's in me. The cheers is in me.
Abhinandan: So Rajshri had gone to Bengal to celebrate New Year's because apparently it is way more spectacular there than cause at least you can see each other.
Rajyasree: Yeah, that's right. And you aren't wearing 20 layers of clothes. That's a
Abhinandan: beauty.
Rajyasree: So I was in like cottons and there was sunshine and the AQI was a healthy 160.
In India, that's very good. So
Abhinandan: that is one reason you must join our campaign. News Laundry's launched a campaign. [00:02:00] It is very important. It is imperative. This is a QR code. Just. Scan the QR code and you'll know what all we are doing and what you can do. If you live anywhere in North India, anywhere in India, even Bombay is Akya is going through the fucking shit.
Rajyasree: It's really horrible.
Abhinandan: So do join. Don't think there's nothing you can do together. We can move mountains. Mountains. And I'm not joking. So do, uh, uh, do come on to that and, um, other stuff we will tell you as we go along. But Rajshri Sen, Happy New Year to you. What do you want out of 2025?
Rajyasree: I want
Abhinandan: You want to break the world record of 100 meters?
Rajyasree: I think I can't run. Just now I came running from Gurgaon, huh?
Abhinandan: Yeah,
Rajyasree: and my hair is not disturbed. Nothing, my lipstick still on. Well, don't make fun. I want you not to fat shame me in the new year. Okay, not new year. That will be too much. You might have a breakdown. For the first two weeks of the new year, you've already, you've [00:03:00] failed.
Today is the first 7th. So for the second week of the new year, you are not to fat shame me and you are to be totally nice to me.
Abhinandan: Done. And in case I call then And you don't answer. You can't say. I'd gone for my run and I was at the gym.
Rajyasree: See, again, their time has started now.
Abhinandan: Oh, it's already started. It's already started after the
Rajyasree: recording.
Such is the
Abhinandan: life.
Rajyasree: What are you
Abhinandan: hoping for? For 2025?
Rajyasree: Yes.
Abhinandan: Uh, I'm hoping for cleaner air.
Rajyasree: Yes.
Abhinandan: I'm hoping for more subscribers of News Laundry. You see, I have a very boring life. I have News Laundry and football. Now, it doesn't make sense for me to wish for better skills at the age of 50. Maybe you'll get So that is off.
Other than that, News Laundry is the only, like, thing of significance in my life. So News Laundry is more subscribers. More subscribers is not a
Rajyasree: difficult
Abhinandan: thing to do. So you can scan this QR code and contribute and pay to keep news [00:04:00] free because we don't take ads. Neither. And now that, right now, as we record this, Delhi election's been announced.
Now see it from tomorrow. Every channel, every newspaper will have so many ads from all the parties.
Rajyasree: Yeah.
Abhinandan: Uh, but you will not see Such
Rajyasree: beautiful pieces will stay out of everything. You will never see any on News
Abhinandan: Laundry. You know why? Because we don't take that fucking money. Uh, and uh, of course, there's some morons who don't understand what is a subscription model.
Hey! Arey, dekh maang raha hai, dekh maang raha hai. So don't give, you guys don't give, you must, you must pay your taxes so that the netas can use your money, make a chuti of you, use your money for whatever the fuck they want. We won't give it to the media. You're very smart. You guys are, you're winning.
You're killing it. It's just brilliant. In
Rajyasree: 2025, you should be even smarter. Keep up the smartness. Don't give too much smartness. All these smart
Abhinandan: people, you should. You know, uh, what do you call, apply for jobs that are open to, open to India. Yeah. Because all the geniuses are there. Must do that. They want more people like [00:05:00] you.
Rajyasree: Speaking of New Year's. Jacqueline Fernandez got something she didn't ask for. She got a vineyard. He gave her from A full vineyard? How many vineyards? You haven't been able to be nice to me for two minutes. I didn't realize. Vineyard? I can't see. Vineyard.
Abhinandan: So I'm saying one.
Rajyasree: Are you fucking a whore? Arey, I
Abhinandan: have a disability.
Don't, don't
Rajyasree: keep
Abhinandan: taking out the bloody. I
Rajyasree: have a disability. I'm throwing people. The bache
Abhinandan: jhol from
Rajyasree: your teacher chart for life. Again, now you're making fun of my community also. But he gave her a full vineyard.
Abhinandan: Very nice.
Rajyasree: Sitting in, I can pronounce every word correctly. Sitting in Tihar, no he's not in Tihar anymore, where is he?
I
Abhinandan: don't know. Only you keep track of Suresh Chauziga. I don't keep track. I keep track. So why is wine spelled with a W but vineyard is a V?
Rajyasree: Because it's a grapevine fool. It's not a grape vine. Like pouring wine out of the grape.
Abhinandan: [00:06:00] Grape wine or grape vine?
Rajyasree: I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna. Be mocked in 2025 for two weeks.
Abhinandan: Right, Rajshri Sen. We are going to try
Rajyasree: at least.
Abhinandan: So let's go. What are the headlines before we get to the amazing stuff that we'll be reviewing?
Rajyasree: Which we'll get to how much Abhinandan has watched of that.
Abhinandan: Right.
Rajyasree: But even then, the good news. is that Kangana Ranaut's Emergency is finally going to be released on Jan 17th.
The bad news is that because there's a BJP cabal which is against her, she has had to agree to 13 cuts
Abhinandan: in the film. That as reported on NDTV.
Rajyasree: Yeah.
Abhinandan: Maybe she didn't agree to any. Maybe she did not agree. We were with you throughout, Kangana.
Rajyasree: Yeah.
Abhinandan: We were supporting you throughout.
Rajyasree: And in fact, again, I want to say this, put this out, that if Kangana would be Kind enough to give us an interview for, for an awesome, we'll do the interview now, but she's not giving us, I'm asking, [00:07:00] I'm saying if she would give us an interview, then we'll do the interview, we'll do the interview, because we are not prejudiced and discriminate or anything, that's my point.
Abhinandan: In other headlines, the good news is that Punjabi singer and songwriter Diljit Dosanjh met the PM. Who called it a fantastic start of the new year. But the bad news is, I don't know if you saw the meeting, that the PM tried to convince him to give up music by subjecting him to an impromptu, out of sync tabla performance.
And what was
Both: Diljit doing? Had to keep a straight face through it.
Rajyasree: He must have thought the things I have to do to keep performing,
Abhinandan: such as the life.
Rajyasree: Yeah. Uh, the good news is that the Brad Pitt and an Angelina Judy marriage, the divorce has finally come through after eight years. The best news for her is that she is now $80 million richer. [00:08:00] Right. But I don't think there'd
Abhinandan: that much a difference in the net worths.
I mean, I don't, but she got
Rajyasree: 80
Abhinandan: million from him. He didn't get from, but let's say she would've got. Let's say she already had 500 million, what the fuck is 18 million gonna do?
Rajyasree: At this point, it's like, whatever she can get out of him to make his life a misery. How, why would
Abhinandan: it take so long, the divorce?
Rajyasree: Because they were carrying on arguing over property, this, that. Is that right? I don't know, yeah. They have children? Everyone, she has like that, she has United Nations of children, one from Africa, one from But none from
Abhinandan: Brad Pitt.
Rajyasree: Two twins from back. No, three are biological. All the children are with her.
So he gets nothing? She has, she has not allowed. He has George Clooney. Even I would choose George Clooney.
Abhinandan: And we have an NL Sena project, the Hindu Rashtra project, which we're going to be traveling to at least four states, if not more. Basant Kumar Pratigwal and Moul Pritam and producers who will accompany them will go to Madhya Uttarakhand to [00:09:00] investigate what are the forces, what is the organization and what is the support behind this Hindu Rashtra project that is playing out in three states.
Some very alarming ways across the country, which legacy media will never get you 'cause they'll stop getting the ads from the governments. So yeah, so the QR code is here. Contribute link in the show notes below. We track, by the way, how many subscriptions come in through Awful and awesome and I must ask, compared to other shows, it's very bad you guys just come here.
That's really bad because you know, have fun and go,
Rajyasree: no, then we will have to stop. They'll make me stop doing the show.
Abhinandan: Yeah,
Rajyasree: people might actually stop subscribing. No, no, even fewer you might get subscriptions.
Abhinandan: That's true. Just to make this happen. So, Rajshu, you can start with an email. And we also only entertain the emails of subscribers.
The others can leave their comments on Twitter or in the notes. We'll read them.
Rajyasree: Yeah, Shoorveer has written, Happy New Year Shoorveer. Shoorveer always writes to us. Just wanted to congratulate Rajshri for her comment when [00:10:00] Abhinandan started playing a Punjabi song in the last episode. She said it's like background music to being molested or shot.
I had to pause and replay that moment to appreciate. It's beauty. Beauty. P. S. I wrote an email to Hafta a few weeks ago that has not been read, wondering if I didn't send it to the proper channels. Uh, so they've double checked and it's not there. So will you please resend the letter?
Abhinandan: And in the subject line, just write Hafta Shoorveer.
Rajyasree: Yeah.
Abhinandan: And please send it from your subscription email.
Rajyasree: Yeah. That could also be a problem. Um, so what we have to discuss this time is All we imagine as light, which has been all over the news. Okay, I'm getting very confused.
Abhinandan: We were supposed to watch something called All we imagine as light?
Rajyasree: You know, Abhinandan, I'll just whack you.
I thought we were to talk about all that we imagine as, yeah,
Abhinandan: I've prepared for that. It's light,
Rajyasree: like I imagine that I'm [00:11:00] light. No, no, no, don't make a joke of
Abhinandan: it. But I thought we were supposed to come You prepare, you
Rajyasree: give me a 50 word. I thought
Abhinandan: we were supposed to, all that we imagine is light, because you know, light is the basic foundation of cinema.
So I had prepared a very thought through, you know, we are waiting to hear it, tell her. An incisive. And, uh, indeed, a very informed opinion on this subject, on this theme. And now you tell me it's a film, I don't know, I
Rajyasree: haven't watched it. You haven't watched? Ma'am, I have not watched. No, it's like that. Ma'am, I have not
-: watched.
Ma'am, I
Rajyasree: made some adjustment, ma'am. Ma'am, cow ate my laptop. This is like that. Ma'am, I have not watched. But this is like when I have to say this. It's a very cute story. Or at least I say it's very cute. Because when I was in school, my Bengali is not great. There was an essay. It's like an English. Which was Amar Priyo Protibeshi.
Okay. So I wrote a full essay, [00:12:00] which I got six on ten for. On my favorite sport is Amar Priyo. You got that part. Protibeshi. Even I did not get, even you did not get. On tennis. A sport I don't play, but I still
Abhinandan: wrote because
Rajyasree: swimming, I didn't know what to say, like you swim. So I wrote this and then my grandmother or mother was called in and was told that this is her.
So they were very happy that I had got six on ten. So the teacher said, no, this we've given for creativity and because it's a well written essay, but Amar Priyoprotiveshi means my favorite neighbor. But my two neighbors anyway, I don't know what I could have one was a petrol pump and one was a Ration shop, so I don't know what I would have written about that would
Abhinandan: have spoken about economics
Rajyasree: Good economics if I'm interviewing Abhijit Banerjee I can do this also.
In the
Abhinandan: 70s the oil shock was just behind us. Yeah [00:13:00] oil shock. They would have been
Rajyasree: So this also I said, ma'am, I did not understand only. And why are you telling us
Abhinandan: this?
Rajyasree: Because you did not understand the task. Do you get it?
Abhinandan: It's all connected. Too bad. I'll then watch it next time.
Rajyasree: No, we don't watch it.
Please don't watch it. So we have All We Imagine as Light, which is Par Kapadia's film. Uh, we have Jiro No. 2, which is Clint Eastwood's latest film, which Abhinandan has. And This is not what, why, why have you not watched this? Because you thought I was talking about the Judo system, just like that.
Abhinandan: You've watched Judo No.
2 and I haven't even watched Judo Part 1?
Rajyasree: I'll take that Nataj pencil and put it to your eye. I swear.
Abhinandan: You really deserve it. So, Jura No. 2 is not a sequel to Jura No. 1 is also there, but you'll watch that. That's called Govinda? That is Govinda. Jura No. 1. That is Govinda.
Rajyasree: Jura
Abhinandan: No. [00:14:00] 2 is the foreign version. Oh shit, okay.
I'll watch it next time. Then? Then?
Rajyasree: So we aren't discussing anything new next time. We are just going to
Both: watch it. Oh, there's nothing else? No!
Rajyasree: So, because I have such a high, uh, regard for what all Abhinandan will watch, one of the things we will discuss are Abhinandan's five top podcasts. I'll have something
Abhinandan: to say.
Rajyasree: Yeah. Because he only listens to a podcast.
Abhinandan: Yeah. Because then I can close my eyes.
Rajyasree: Today's men don't read books. They only listen to podcasts. That is the tragedy.
Abhinandan: Well, I do both, but, uh, yeah, anything where I can keep my eyes closed is a good thing.
Rajyasree: So shall we talk about what you have not talked about? So I'll have the
Abhinandan: rest of the podcast with my eyes closed.
So, uh, no, but I just want to say that, uh, if you want, I did watch a film this week.
Rajyasree: But now if you're going to name something that is We watched 15 years back, [00:15:00]
Abhinandan: five more like 35,
Rajyasree: uh, mother India.
Abhinandan: So I, no, I was, I just got this urge just a few days ago. I think it was Saturday night or something, uh, to watch Riner again.
Rajyasree: It's very good.
Abhinandan: So I, uh, went, it's on YouTube, so Google it. You had for a hundred Rupe on YouTube and you watch it.
Rajyasree: Oh, can watch it for free on Amazon Prem. It's also
Abhinandan: too bad. I spent a
Rajyasree: hundred bucks
Abhinandan: and I rewatched Parinda like full.
Rajyasree: Was it as good as
Abhinandan: it was as good
Rajyasree: because I've watched the first 20 minutes again and it was very good.
It was,
Abhinandan: it was as good and I was seeing the credits. So all the people like Sudhir Mishra,
Rajyasree: Bela,
Abhinandan: um, yeah. I forget then, um, the guy who made, um, Hamdil Jigesh Sanam. Sanjay Leela
Rajyasree: Bhansali.
Abhinandan: Assistant director. So many people in the credit roll. Vinay Pradhan. He was one of the four [00:16:00] cinematographers. But what a film, man.
The music was really bad. Also, they didn't
Rajyasree: get paid. They said we had no money, so we all acted for the, like, love of it. It was a very good film. Really good film.
Abhinandan: And, you know, the subtle thing, like, for example, the three guys who shoot, uh, Arupam Kher. Kishan's, Kishan is his name in the film, no? His best friend.
Uh, one's name is Anthony. One's name is Abdul, and one's name is Ram. These little touches, there was a certain, there was a certain, uh, secularism even in that space. Which you can
Rajyasree: forget about now.
Abhinandan: Today all, they'd be called Abdullah,
Rajyasree: Zubair, Yeah. So that there's no confusion and Khan, Khan, Khan. So that you're not confused at all.
So, uh, all we imagine as light is finally, I didn't go and watch [00:17:00] it in the theaters because it had very odd shows for a long time. And then anyway, I wasn't going to the theater, but it is streaming on Hotstar in case you want to watch it. And it is directed by. Someone from my alma mater, from Sapphire, uh, Payal Kapadia, and, uh, she's from my course in Sapphire, Social Communications Media.
But, anyway, uh, the film is, um,
Abhinandan: Which goes on to show not everybody turns out the same way.
Rajyasree: Everyone has it. Next one. Uh, so it stars Kani Kasruti, who you've seen in Girls Will Be Girls. It stars Divya Prabha and Chhaya Kadam is, you saw her in, um, what were those? Laapata Ladies, the tea stall owner. Who the girl, the bride, you've watched, La Patali, is.
Abhinandan: Yeah, but I would not remember who the tea stall owner is. Okay.
Rajyasree: No, she plays a very big role.
Abhinandan: Okay.
Rajyasree: Okay, [00:18:00] when you see her, you'll, uh, this thing. So, first of all, I just want to say, I think the, it's a film made in, as in, it's a multilingual film in the sense that there are dialogues in Hindi, Malayalam,
What is it
Abhinandan: like Bangal
Rajyasree: is a language. Yeah, please, Ali. Also, I've heard people say you are a Ali. Ali people. Okay. But, uh, , Hindi and Marati are the three languages. It's set in Bombay. So, but primarily it's Malu because the. Characters are Mallu nurses. Okay. Now the thing is on Hotstar, you can watch it with subtitles, English subtitles, but I'm a hundred percent sure because the Hindi part, also when I was reading the subtitles, the, if they are [00:19:00] saying five sentences, the person who's done the subtitle has put one sentence.
Concising. It reminds me of
Abhinandan: Lost in Translation.
Rajyasree: Yeah. So it is. So in, when they are speaking in Mallu, at one point I checked to see is my, uh, that subtitle thing not there because they were talking and talking and talking. Finally right at the end it said, yes, and we shall go there. I'm like, dude, they said many, many more things.
So the captioning was not the best, but the film. So I had read. Some reviews and all where people have said, Oh, it's very slow. And why does Kani Kasruti look so like she's constantly looking like preoccupied and upset. But when you live in Bombay, even if you aren't a nurse who is living hand to mouth in Bombay.
When I was in college in Bombay, it is, unless you are being bankrolled by very rich parents, [00:20:00] you just taking that local train in that heat and humidity, and then going to your PG where they are, you are sharing a room with three other people and you're getting shit food and all. Everyone looks a little pissed off with life in, uh, Bombay.
If you're not, till you start earning decently,
and
life becomes a little easier for you. But the story is, there are these two Mallu nurses who are roommates or flatmates because they have a, or maybe it's a one room with a kitchen and bathroom. And they are nurses in this hospital. One of them, Connie, is married, but her husband just met her during the arranged marriage thing and went off to Germany to work, and he used to call her earlier, but then he stopped calling her.
And she's a very good worker, as in, uh, a very good nurse, but emotionally, she's quite like hung up on this husband who she hopes will come back to her. And the other girl is a [00:21:00] younger nurse. Uh, she is having a relationship with a Muslim boy. And everyone's talking about it, that, you know, Oh, you know what she's doing and what would her family back home say and all.
And Chhaya Kadam is the cook at the hospital. And, uh, it's about their relationships and their, with each other. It's a slice of life. It's a slice of life. There's nothing much which happens. But, uh, It's about how they all find some sort of, and some sort of happiness, they find, but,
Abhinandan: and all that they imagine is life.
Rajyasree: Yes, all that they imagine is life.
Abhinandan: Why is it called all you imagine is life?
Rajyasree: Because
Abhinandan: Because in the hospital, the nurses, they have all these lights and everything.
Rajyasree: So, no, because they all, like, Kani thinks that her husband is the light of, like, you know, what will bring joy to your life. But is that [00:22:00] what is going to give you joy ultimately?
Is this girl who likes this? That's what I felt. This Muslim boy, she thinks he is What is going to bring her happiness in her life? But is that finally going to happen? But the last scene of the film, which is of these three women together in Ratnagiri. They are at this cafe. Cafe means like a chai store, which is a little better than a chai store.
Then say chai
Abhinandan: na, why saying cafe?
Rajyasree: I'll give you coffee, hot coffee, I'll put it on your head. And there's this girl who is, uh, running the stall or clearing it up and it's just very nicely done. Just that scene and they cut out from it. But, uh, Everyone acts very well, all that, but that slice, like you really get a feeling of being in Cloister, Bombay.
So it's like this show which Nicole Kidman did called Ex Pats in Hong Kong, which [00:23:00] showed The life of expats and the people who work in their homes and the dichotomy between, and when people live in Hong Kong, like the working classes living in Hong Kong live cheek by jowl and the way they'd shot that is a little similar, but she's done it with handheld cameras and all that.
And it's just, it's a little tedious in the beginning, but it's a beautiful, I have to say it's one of those really beautiful films, which is.
Abhinandan: I'll watch it now that I know it's a film and not a thought. There's no abstract thought. But yeah, you know, since you spoke about, why is it called all you imagine is light and light.
There's one of my favorite essays is a, is an essay called Winter Lights. It's by Roger Rosenblatt.
Rajyasree: Okay.
Abhinandan: And I won't read the full essay, but since we're talking about lights, and all we imagine is light, and that's not what you think is the light of your life, although I'm not sure you know what it's called, but you've tried.
It's good. You've tried a few flukes. It's good. Is it good? You must attempt flukes. [00:24:00] So I'll read you a few lines from this essay.
Rajyasree: Yes.
Abhinandan: This is a summer village mainly, and it is unusual to see lights in the houses after the fall has come and gone. But on this winter weekend, perhaps because of the new snow.
People have come back, and the windows of the houses beam. I am accustomed to walking the length of the street after dinner, in near total darkness, so it makes for a happy surprise. The sudden brightening, in the dead black cold of night, the windows seem to shiver with gold and amber, strong and beautiful, assertions of the light.
Then it has a few paragraphs about light, light, light, and he's played with the word light. And the last Not far from here a lighthouse rises over a channel, where the bay opens to the Atlantic. It's not a house really, more like a tall steel skeleton with a cyclops eye circling at the [00:25:00] top. It surveys the sea where 300 years ago, brave English seamen came to this area searching for a port.
Without lights on the shore, those sailors could not tell rocks and shallows from safe water. They had nothing to guide or protect them. Which illustrates the fact that for winter lights to do their thing, there must be darkness and much cold around. Without that, there would be very, without that there would be any old lights and not the remarkable kind that rescue men in danger.
Winter lights are heroes. But I hardly need to tell you of all people about that. I bring you greetings from the long ago and our first snow together. Our eyes watered and our lips turned blue. But you refused to go inside. You said that the snow was meant for us alone. And so we stayed out until it got dark and darker still.
And there was no light in the world but you. What a beautiful essay.
Rajyasree: You write like this?
Abhinandan: I write like [00:26:00] this all the time. This is the way I write. But it's not for public consumption. You, you write.
Rajyasree: Say, say, say, make fun of my writing.
Abhinandan: Roshogolla, Mannadej switch.
Rajyasree: Mannadej is Assamese, stupid. Not even Bengali. So, uh, but all we imagine as light was nominated for the best director motion picture and best non fiction. English language motion picture for the Golden Globes.
Abhinandan: Right.
Rajyasree: And did not win. But that's a different matter. But
Abhinandan: that's fine.
But, uh, yeah, I'm sure, uh, I, I, but what's the win? We'll talk about that a little later. We'll talk about that. About the Golden Globes. Yeah. But, uh, yeah, thank you for that, Rajshree, for that very incisive review.
Rajyasree: Neha has written, Neha Sinha, further to the discussion on Jinnah and how he became who he became.
I read a book some years ago, The Map and the Scissors by Amit Mazumdar. Have you read this? [00:27:00]
-: No.
Rajyasree: Excellent book on the backgrounds of Bapu and Jinnah, described as mirror image rivals and the evolution of events that led to partition. I haven't done any primary research on the facts in the book, but it was well written and certainly evoked empathy for all.
Thanks, Neha,
Abhinandan: I've made a note of this. I will try to find this. Clearly, you consume, uh, media with the sincerity of the humility of a learner, uh, because you don't do primary research on facts, which is why we listen to Awful and Awesome.
Rajyasree: Well, we do a lot of primary research, all the time. We
Abhinandan: have so many facts packed.
Rajyasree: Yeah. And you have to spot the incorrect one.
Abhinandan: It's a game. So, uh, and Rohit says, please watch the Marathi movie called, Atma pamphlet on Amazon Prime. I've previously recommended it, but you guys haven't watched and reviewed it. Really? I usually watch everything. Yeah,
Rajyasree: I'm shocked [00:28:00] that it is. Please watch it, especially Abhinandan.
Yeah, you watch. I won't watch now. Just because he's But,
Abhinandan: but, but
Rajyasree: First of all,
Abhinandan: with a word, you're biting your lip with your teeth. And when you say were, your teeth and lips will not
Rajyasree: be meeting. Secondly, even
Abhinandan: if your teeth and lip meet, you don't want to make them meet like one of them will bleed.
Rajyasree: Marathi films don't get their due usually.
We saw Caught, which was excellent. We saw another one.
Abhinandan: On that, I will disagree, Rohit. I mean, I agree that Marathi cinema and Malayalam cinema are the two finest. Bengali is not there. Whether it is Fandry, whether it is Sairat. Whether it is court, I think some of the finest films we've reviewed here are all Marathi films.
Yeah, so Mallu
Rajyasree: films I think get their due now. Even Marathi films get their due.
Abhinandan: I think Marathi films get their due for sure. Now they do. Amol
Rajyasree: Palekar used to make films in Marathi or he was just [00:29:00] Marathi.
Abhinandan: I don't know. So Jura 2, uh, first I'll tell you about Jura
Rajyasree: 1. Yeah. Jura
Abhinandan: 1, basically the plot is that there is, Is Mr.
Das. There's, no, no. At Jura 1, there is this village bumpkin called Raju, which is played by Govinda, and here's a sidekick, who's played by Shakti Kapoor, and they say we have to become jurors.
Rajyasree: And then
Abhinandan: there's a song, juror number one. Main juror number one. And then
Rajyasree: what does the judge say? Who is the judge?
Abhinandan: There's a judge. There's a jury.
Rajyasree: No, there's always a judge to when you say we have reached. Have I said who have you?
Abhinandan: You mind your own business.
Rajyasree: David Dower. Your
Abhinandan: business, mind your own business. David
Rajyasree: Dower and you have clearly watched through this thing. So, but juror number two, which. Was not released. By the way, it had a limited release by Warner Brothers and no one [00:30:00] knows why.
-: No one knows.
Rajyasree: No one knows including Clint Eastwood doesn't know because Guillermo del Toro, the director, he went and saw it somewhere and he said, I cannot understand why. This has not been released more widely. And the word on the street is that Warner, you know, at the Warner Brothers lot, when I was roaming around.
And Rajshree would know the word on the street because she's
Abhinandan: always, she's surfing the streets.
Rajyasree: So, the word on the street is that Warner Brothers thought that he would, The film would not get the kind of accolades that his other films had. So to protect Clint Eastwood, they did not Which of the
Abhinandan: Warner Brothers is this?
Neha, all this information is completely verified. No, no,
Rajyasree: this is, I will give you the, this thing. I've checked three different, uh Gossip sites. articles I've written on it from But which
Abhinandan: Warner Brother?
Rajyasree: Senior.
Abhinandan: The older one.
Rajyasree: Not the middle one. Middle one's opinion, they got it. Ram [00:31:00] Prakash or Lucky, Lakshman Prakash?
Lakshman Prakash. Shyam Prakash's opinion is not taken only nowadays. So, uh, Judo No. 2 is available. You can buy it.
Abhinandan: Amazon. On
Rajyasree: Amazon. On Lionsgate, I think it is. And, uh, it's definitely worth a watch. So, I feel he's a better Director and an actor, basically.
Abhinandan: What's the plot? That he's on a jury and it's, he's torn between, first of all, why is no a theater man and the jury,
Rajyasree: I think he's the director.
Oh, actually he's not in the Clint. His foot is the director, which is, he is about 93 now. Is he? Okay. That's uh, he's very old. Okay. It's stars. This guy y'all have seen called Nicholas Holt. He's acted in a lot of films anyway, and there's jury duty, which happens during duty. Nicholas Holt
Abhinandan: or Nicholas Holt.
Nick Nolte.
Rajyasree: No, why would I say Nick Nolte as Nicholas Nolt? Am I stupid or something? It's so funny, this young [00:32:00] guy.
Abhinandan: You asked me such questions, I said don't be mean to me. Make up your mind,
Rajyasree: madam. This guy, you've seen him?
Abhinandan: Oh yeah, yeah, he is, uh He
Rajyasree: acted in a film with Hugh Grant.
Abhinandan: He's played a few slimy roles.
Rajyasree: Also, and he's in
Abhinandan: Those marbles, yeah, he's
Rajyasree: some sidey,
Abhinandan: not sidey, he's the main villain in all of them, anyway then,
Rajyasree: so he wasn't about, about a boy, he's the one
Abhinandan: in Civil War who makes the,
Rajyasree: oh he's a baddie, who's
Abhinandan: the, who makes the, what's the team called? Goodies. Not the X Men. Not the goodies. The goodies are the baddies.
What do you call them? What do you call? The X Men. What do they call?
Rajyasree: Saviors men.
Abhinandan: Avengers. He makes the Avengers fight with each other.
Rajyasree: The team. They're like the football team. Man U. They're called Man U. So anyway, in America you have the jury system and anyone can be called. To be part of the jury, you have to go, you go and be selected unless you know of the case, you know the person [00:33:00] who is going on trial, or you have to give a reason that you can't, whatever, you have to give a really good reason for not, but that is one of your duties as a citizen.
And, uh, most people, You tend to be a little, because you don't get paid to be on the jury, you just have to give your time. And some if it's a prolonged case like say OJ Simpson and all, you're done for, you're there for 6 months, 9 months you're going in for jury duty. And, uh, the, so this guy gets called in for jury duty 9th month of pregnancy.
So she says try and get out of it basically. His wife basically says try and get out of it and his plan is also to get out of it. So when they are interviewing, as in you go in, the DA will be sitting there who is played by Tony Collette, who you've seen also, and the public prosecutor. will be there as well.
And, uh, the interview, you went on and he [00:34:00] tells the judge that I don't, could I be excused because my wife will go into delivery any day. And she's on, like, she's under home, you know, Rest and she's all alone. So the judge says, no, that's not good enough Reason's not shit reason. Yeah. And let, let's try and just better
Abhinandan: reason for not doing your duty.
Rajyasree: Yeah, like, like that . So you, the judge says that him, and then while he is listening, so it's basically a courtroom drama and a jury wants to
Abhinandan: get out of the
Rajyasree: No, because when he's listening to, so the case, so that's on the plot. No, the case is.
Abhinandan: So then why do you spend so much time telling us about
Rajyasree: this?
Because it's very important. The case is that one guy was at a bar with his girlfriend. They had an argument. at the bar. It was raining a lot outside. They'd both been drinking. Everyone in the bar saw them having a fight. And she stormed out and he stormed out behind her. And then they had this [00:35:00] sort of a slight scuffle kind of thing.
And he tells her, why don't you just bugger off your bitch. And she walks off in the rain.
-: And he
Rajyasree: goes and gets his car, goes in, then takes his car and he goes The next day she was found dead on the side, like off the road. So circumstantial
Abhinandan: evidence points to that. Yeah.
Rajyasree: And she had clearly been hit by a car.
Abhinandan: When you said they have fired this storm off, it's raining outside. Well, I thought the next scene would be cut to
Rajyasree: Tipper, tipper, varissa Varissa Yeah. Fuck, you're so bass right.
Abhinandan: Say, sing again.
Rajyasree: I can sing
Abhinandan: it properly. Tipper, tipper,
Rajyasree: varissa We don't.
Abhinandan: No, no, no. Your own family has said that I sing
Rajyasree: very well.
Okay. One, two.
Abhinandan: Wait, I'll say. Okay, doesn't matter. Then what happens? They don't break into song, but in fact they break into death. Haan.
Rajyasree: So while he's listening to this, he realizes he's the person who [00:36:00] banged into her and killed her on the road. So he can save
Abhinandan: this guy by saying it was me.
Rajyasree: But then he'll go to jail, he's having a baby.
But he's on the jury. But you can't say the juror, you can't say, ideally he should say it. Sir, he is innocent. So this guy has evidence against him in the sense that People saw that he was. It's circumstantial. Yeah, but his car was never dented or anything. And basically when they are narrating what happened and he realizes where that turn was when he was driving, he thought he hit a deer.
Abhinandan: Oh dear.
Rajyasree: Because, oh dear, there's a sign saying dear, this thing. But you also see how medical people and like how you can take evidence and say that. Medical
Abhinandan: people as in.
Rajyasree: No, forensic scientists are also medical people. Like, they'd say, [00:37:00] to fit in with this theory that this guy has, they said he went and bludgeoned her, the back of the head, then threw her off.
She got hit by the car and she fell and she fell on rocks and this thing, and she was found the next day by a jogger who was over there. But the entire film is about this dilemma. That should he, I need, his wife doesn't know that. Are you going to give
Abhinandan: up if it happens in the end? No, because I think
Rajyasree: people should, because I love Clint Eastwood.
Ever since I saw Bronco Billy. Have you watched Bronco Billy? It is such a cool film. I haven't even watched
Abhinandan: All You Imagine is Light. So
Rajyasree: Clint, Clint Eastwood used to play the quintessential macho, uh, like ladies man and. In today's world, he would have had 25 sexual harassment cases on him going by what passed off as cool and Clint Eastwood films.
I think any,
Abhinandan: any star of the 70s in USA world. Of those [00:38:00] characters which were
Rajyasree: there.
Abhinandan: And any star of the twenties in India should, if , yeah, the film law was done if the laws, the songs and all.
Rajyasree: But it is a very tight one hour, 40 minute film.
Abhinandan: I'll watch this. This sounds interesting. You must watch it because
Rajyasree: it is
Abhinandan: what, what's it on?
Rajyasree: It's on Amazon Prime. You have to buy it for 149 rupees. But I would strongly rec, like, you know, after a long time it was a film which was. So well thought out the dilemma, which the personal dilemma that is happening with him and how he tries to scupper the case, but that also works against him because then it goes Gets more and more prolonged.
Abhinandan: He can just say, khatam karo.
Rajyasree: Yeah, so his wife says, why are you, why is it carrying on? Very nice, very nice. What a plot. And Clint Eastwood is a dude, I have to say.
Abhinandan: So, on that note, we shall read, uh, oh, there are
Rajyasree: no emails. There are
Abhinandan: no. No, there [00:39:00] is one. Neha Pal. Nehal Pal.
Rajyasree: Neha Pal. Hi, Abhinandan and Rajshri.
My husband and I live in LA and are long time listeners, admirers, and now subscribers of News Laundry. We especially love the awful and awesome podcast. I wanted to thank you, Neha.
Abhinandan: Yeah, much, much appreciation going your way. For being a subscriber. Learn from Neha. And, yeah,
Rajyasree: subscribe, contribute, and I'll say now, I wanted to bring something to your attention because Rajeshree has mentioned in the past that she likes horror and you spoke of Heretic recently.
There's a hugely popular American found footage horror anthology series, series called V. A. It's first installment came out in 2012 and in 2024, it's, and in its seventh installment was released called VHS Beyond. A first ever Indian segment directed by an Indian director and shot in India has featured in it.
Another overall movie has been nominated for the Critics Choice Awards [00:40:00] in the category for Best Film Made for TV. My husband, Virat Pal, is the writer director of the Indian segment titled, Dream Girl, and I produced it.
Abhinandan: Oh,
Rajyasree: very good. I will watch. We'll watch it. But she's saying it might not be. We would love for you both to check it out if possible.
It has been released on the streaming platform Shudder in the US. It's not here. It's, uh, difficult to stream in India unless you have a VPN. Thought I would share it with you nonetheless. Here is the link to the IndieWire article. Uh, happy new year and only success to you and the uh, NL team. Thank you.
Thank you so much. Try and get it. I want to one of our
Abhinandan: subscribers is part of the anthology and has a
Rajyasree: nomination in the critics. Amazing.
Abhinandan: What does VHS stand for, Aishwarya?
Rajyasree: Video hot stuff. I don't know. What is it? What is it?
Abhinandan: Video home service. Anyway.
Rajyasree: I got part of it correct, no?
Abhinandan: Thanks. [00:41:00] You're brilliant.
You should be on Mastermind India. Now say my aunt was the first woman to win Mastermind India in India.
Rajyasree: My aunt and uncle were BBC Mastermind. What can I tell you? They were in the finals together. Think how torn we were as a family. We were like, our gene pool is so great. And here you are. And here I am.
Hosting Awful and Awesome. Doing Awful and Awesome.
Abhinandan: Tell me, I, uh, heard Demi Moore's speech.
Rajyasree: So I have
Abhinandan: two observations.
Rajyasree: What did you think of what she looks like as a 62 year old first?
Abhinandan: No, I think as you get older you should become heavier. She's gone the other I think, uh, you
Rajyasree: have gone, uh, you've become heavier as you've grown older.
Abhinandan: Did I say first of all, two things stop behaving like in Twitter troll. A, just because I have got one way doesn't mean that is a way to go.
Rajyasree: I'm just saying, I'm
Abhinandan: just saying also, because I have crooked teeth. Doesn't mean everyone should have crooked teeth. If your child has crooked teeth [00:42:00] and you can afford it, get braces.
Don't have crooked teeth at my age. Or like me, my
Rajyasree: father refused to pay for my braces.
Abhinandan: So one thing is that as you get older, you should get heavier. That's what I'm following. So I actually am same since I was 21. She's gone the other way. That's one. Uh, because I think with age, your body requires you to fill up a little bit rather than the other way around because you're, for a variety of reasons, your skin is not as elastic as it used to be when you were young and all.
So you should be putting on weight because you look nicer as a fuller older person. I also think it's
Rajyasree: healthier. But you live longer if
Abhinandan: you're thinner though. But the second thing is that, uh, so, um, I just find, you know, I, I'm what she said. This is what she said
Demi Moore: 30 years ago. I had a producer tell me that, um, I was a popcorn actress and, uh, [00:43:00] and at that time I made that mean that this wasn't something that I was allowed to have, that I could do movies that were successful, that made a lot of money, but that I couldn't be acknowledged.
And I bought in and I believed that. And that corroded me over time to the point where I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it But there's a context
Abhinandan: to it But yeah So, you know, it's I I get it because she was the sex symbol and then she was also the film She's
Rajyasree: been nominated for is about so she
Abhinandan: I mean she chose that film Those films, no one forced them, but she has had a phenomenal career.
I just find, uh, too many, not all, I think many speeches I've loved, but too many speeches are so self indulgent that I've had it so hard and I've had it so tough. I find it very hard to empathize with that person. When you've, when 45 years and your speech is, Oh poor me. [00:44:00] I'm sorry, I've checked out.
Rajyasree: Also, I have watched The Substance, which I think everyone should watch, which is just excellent.
The irony of The Substance, the bravery of her doing that role is fabulous because the film is about, uh, she's this, like Jane Fonda, she does those kind of videos. You know, the X Files, yeah, yeah. So she's like that, yeah. So she does these kind of videos, but the uh, production, the channel like that only.
The channel decides that she's too old. Even though she looks, just stop it, Nik. Even though she looks I have to also participate in
Abhinandan: the podcast.
Rajyasree: No, so she looks like this. They say she's too old, we must get her younger. But the show itself, one is, There's the death of the TV channel, because now these shows and all are no longer telecast on television.
Abhinandan: Yeah, Macaulay Culkin's brother got an award.
Rajyasree: Karen Culkin got, and he's excellent. For what? For Succession.
Both: No, he got [00:45:00] it for A
Rajyasree: Real Pain, the film he's done with Jesse Heisenberg. And, uh, a lot of, there was some great, uh, like wins and all that, but, uh, Nikki Glaser, the comedian, uh, hosted it, but she was quite kind to everyone.
And, uh, the speeches, there was nothing remarkable, which anyone really said, but it was just a very good looking bunch of people and Golden Globes is usually seen as a precursor to what will happen at the Oscars as like a predictor of what will happen. So that, but my part is that they chose to telecast it on Lionsgate.
They streamed the stream. No, instead of doing it on a TV channel.
Abhinandan: Okay. I don't
Rajyasree: think people watch TV now.
Abhinandan: We are watching our stuff on the laptop. So
Rajyasree: that's what I'm saying.
Abhinandan: That's the only reason I couldn't watch for the laptops.
Rajyasree: Oh, what happened to your laptop? Say, the cow.
Abhinandan: [00:46:00] Madam, cow shat on my
Rajyasree: laptop.
Shat also. You got cleaned. Half a
Both: laptop.
Rajyasree: Now you're going to give us, Abhinandan will now contribute. He's going to give us his top five podcast recommendations.
Abhinandan: So, it's kind of predictable, my top five podcast recommendations. I mean, if you talk about my all time favorite podcasts, Although this is what my podcast listening thing looks like.
It has one, two, three, four, five. That's about 20, 32 podcasts that I listen to regularly. But the ones, if I were to say my favorites, uh, would be Hot Money, two series.
Rajyasree: Which is on?
Abhinandan: It's an investigation. One is an investigation into the porn industry and the other's investigation into the drug industry.
Okay. Today's day and age. Mm. Uh, the second is. The first episode is my best, but the other two episodes are more perfect, which is on [00:47:00] landmark Supreme Court rulings of the U. S. Uh, then I'd say Real Dictators, and I'd say the rest is history. These are my top five, but the ones I listen to on a daily basis are BBC, NPR.
It's very difficult for me to say, but if you just want to listen to specific stories, these are the five. The others are daily listening podcasts. So yeah, Rajshri and Richa, your top five films or series of the year. By the way, did you know Severance 2 is out or someone gave me wrong information? No, no,
Rajyasree: it's going to be released.
Abhinandan: That means I met Rajshri part two. No,
Rajyasree: I, my information never incorrect.
Abhinandan: Never.
Rajyasree: I don't, I don't remember when my information has been incorrect.
-: I
Rajyasree: Watch a league of their own, which has Roy Keane on it. Roy Keane is my new favorite. You know who Roy Keane is?
-: Football player?
Rajyasree: Yeah. Roy Keane and Thierry Henry, uh, Henry are my two favorite people to watch.
-: Why have you watching them? For
Rajyasree: what? Because [00:48:00] they are just very, so I know so many things about football now. But
-: why are you watching them?
Rajyasree: Because they are part of these shows, which are like, Commentary shows on football and they're both very funny men.
Abhinandan: I find, I mean, Roy Keane is a little likeable now in the studio as a player.
I couldn't stand it. He was a horrible, horrible man. Such a nasty guy. And I wish Vieira had bashed his head in at some point.
Rajyasree: So they say that to him very often also on the thing. But, uh, Other than that, what are the shows? Although there is
Abhinandan: one misconception that he ended, uh, this guy is this Norwegian striker, his father's career.
Um, Helen's, he didn't end his career. He, it was very bad foul, but that was not why the career ended. But anyway. Hmm.
Rajyasree: But he's very nice as in his fun to listen to. Yeah, he's very funny
Abhinandan: guy.
Rajyasree: He's funny. And, uh, I think sometimes when very aggressive, uh, people become older, they become a little funny. And they become like a little [00:49:00] more, uh, mellow and that brings out the humorous side of them.
Abhinandan: So profound, Rajshri, just so profound.
Rajyasree: I'm very wise and I just think you all should watch it because he is very funny.
Abhinandan: All right.
Rajyasree: It's called, uh, The Overlap. Also, that's the other show that they have.
Abhinandan: Nice.
Rajyasree: But otherwise, I can't think of any. Okay, we'll think next time.
Abhinandan: But thank you, Rajshri Sen. Uh, we must remind, uh, viewers that please.
Scan this QR code, subscribe, pay to keep news free. It is very hard to make journalism work because on the one hand, in a country like India, Government and government proxy industrialists are completely condering media. On the other hand, you have completely unhinged lunatics like Elon Musk, who are tweaking the media in the most horrible ways.
So you can actually support the media, and that's the only way it'll survive. So while I've been saying all this, there's been this QR code. Scan it, [00:50:00] get involved, save media, be a part of the solution. Only you can.
Rajyasree: Thank you, Mr. Sikh.
Abhinandan: We must first thank our sound recordist, Naresh. A producer Priyali. Ashish also has been producing this show and you must thank each other.
Rajyasree: He's just
Abhinandan: standing there uselessly. Why are you not doing any work? Why is someone employed in News Laundry who has nothing to do but watching this shooting?
Rajyasree: I can see him doing work. He sits down and does some work then he gets up like
Abhinandan: that.
Rajyasree: He's actively involved in the podcast like Abhinandan is actively involved in the podcast.
-: I don't make fun.
Rajyasree: No. Would I make fun? You are my elder. Thank you, Mr. Sekhari.
Abhinandan: And it's a wrap.
-: For the smoothest news laundry experience, download the News Laundry app. It is the best way to listen to our paywall podcasts. And you'll also get access to all free News Laundry shows. [00:51:00] Keep us ad free and subscriber funded. Help us grow. Tell people who listen to you to pay to keep news free. Subscribe to News Laundry.
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