Staying in
Films & Series Killer Soup (Series)
In this black comedy,
Konkona Sensharma plays Swathi Shetty, an incompetent chef who wants to open a restaurant one day. Manoj Bajpayee plays Prabhakar, her suspicious and unsupportive husband. Matters come to a head when Swathi devises a plan to kill Prabhakar and replace him with her lover.
The show premieres on January 11.
Hindi, Netflix
The Delinquents (Film)
This oddly philosophical heist film sees a shy bank clerk steal a large amount of cash from the vault. He has taken just enough to ensure he will never have to work again. Argentina’s entry to the Oscars this year, The Delinquents builds on the themes of greed and freedom to ask if these two very disparate emotions can ever coexist.
Spanish, MUBI
Dry Day (Film)
Directed by Saurabh Shukla, this satirical dramedy sees the alcoholic wastrel Gannu (Jitendra Kumar) clean up his act to become a municipal councillor. When a reformed Gannu tries to ban alcohol, his paths cross with Dauji (Annu Kapoor), a wily politician who pulls several strings in Jagodhar, a north Indian town Shukla invented for his film. Hindi, Amazon Prime Video
Podcast Think Twice: Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson died in 2009, but his complicated legacy has proven too knotty to resolve. Hosted by the journalists Leon Neyfakh and Jay Smooth, this 10-part series explores Jackson’s life and impact. It asks how the singer continues to have global influence despite the disturbing child abuse allegations against him.
Apple, Spotify, Google
The Martin Chronicles
Martin Amis’ death in May 2023 was a body blow for his many fans. This literary podcast gives the author the attention he deserves. In each of the show’s episodes, Dan Kois (Slate), Parul Sehgal (The New Yorker), and Jason Zinoman (New York Times) discuss a different Amis novel. Their breakdown of The Rachel Papers is riveting. Apple, Spotify
Audiobook Prophet Song
Paul Lynch’s hypnotic novel Prophet Song recently won the Booker Prize. Narrated by the actor Gerry O’brien, the audio version of this book allows for an immersion that feels immediate. Set in a Dublin that is controlled by a totalitarian regime, the novel’s chilling descriptions of political “disappearings” and secret police all hit home. Audible
Music Now and Then
Ever since its release in November, the single “Now and Then” has been celebrated as “the last Beatles song”. John Lennon had first recorded a five-minute piano demo of this psychedelic soft rock ballad in 1977. Paul Mccartney and Ringo Starr recently completed the track with overdubs and guitar tracks by George Harrisson. Apple