From 'Mr. Robot' to 'O.J. Simpson': English Entertainment in India is More Exciting Than Ever Before

A few days ago, the most prestigious awards for primetime American television, the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, were announced. As I watched the live telecast of the ceremony (from 4:30am to 8:30am IST!), I realised that not only almost all the shows that won Emmys (at the main ceremony, not the Creative Arts ceremony) but also a large majority of the nominated shows, had been or were being aired on Indian television. 

Channels like Star World Premiere HD, Colors Infinity, Comedy Central, AXN, Zee Cafe & Star World already gave a taste of the Emmy-winning/nominated shows to Indian audiences over the past several months. Big winners at this year's Emmys like Game of Thrones, Veep, American Crime Story: The People vs O. J. Simpson (Star World Premiere HD); Mr. Robot (Colors Infinity); Orphan Black, Sherlock, The Voice (AXN); Saturday Night Live (Comedy Central); & Downton Abbey (Star World) had already premiered on Indian English entertainment channels. Other nominated shows like House of Cards, The Big Bang Theory (Zee Café); Better Call Saul, Fargo (Colors Infinity); Silicon Valley, The Night Manager, The Americans (Star World Premiere HD); Key & Peele, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Comedy Central), Modern Family, UnReal, Empire, Homeland (Star World) have also been served to Indian audiences. This made me think: isn't this the best time to be watching English entertainment in India? I personally feel that with the highest number of HD channels than ever before, instant premieres & gradually diluting censorship, the English entertainment genre on Indian television has never been as competitive and exciting as it is now!

A couple of days from now, the famed 'Fall TV Season' starts in the US - with fresh seasons of running shows and a bunch of new shows on each entertainment network. This used to be a time when most English entertainment enthusiasts in India downloaded torrents of their favourite new episodes & watched simultaneously with their US telecasts. However, they were in for a shock when a couple of months ago, the popular (though copyright-infringing) torrent website 'Kickass' was shutdown (the homepage of the site now has intimidating photos of badges of US law enforcement agencies!). However, a quick survey of the English entertainment channels in India now offers some consolation for those who hate playing the waiting game when it comes to their favourite English entertainment. I am talking about the 'instant premieres' phenomenon that started only a few years ago and is now being offered across channels in this competitive genre.

In September 2013, the Star Group in India launched a new English entertainment channel 'Star World Premiere HD' with the tagline 'You See It First' dedicated to telecasting the freshest content from the US to Indian audiences. This was a time when shows like Homeland, Castle, The Blacklist inter alia were gaining popularity. Soon, Zee Café also began airing the latest episodes of its most popular offering The Big Bang Theory just a few days after its US telecast with the tagline 'Along With The U.S.' Next, we had AXN also delivering latest episodes to its viewers with the tagline 'Fresh From The U.S.' In July 2015, Colors Infinity arrived and began delivering the quickest ever premieres of US shows in India (within half an hour of their US telecast) with the tagline 'Instant Premieres'. Recently, Comedy Central also announced its offering of premieres from the US with the tagline 'Watch with the World'. Check out your favourite channel's listings to know which of your favourite shows are returning with fresh episodes & which new show catches your eye. Here's a quick look:

Star World : How To Get Away With Murder, Season 3; The Blacklist, Season 4; Empire, Season 3; Quantico, Season 2; Pitch (New).

Colors Infinity : Mr. Robot, Season 2; Blindspot, Season 2; Tyrant, Season 3; Arrow, Season 5; Notorious (New), Timeless (New).

Comedy Central : Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Season 4; Dr. Ken, Season 2; Suits, Season 6; The Graham Norton Show, Season 20.

Star World Premiere HD : Westworld, Quarry, This Is Us, Better Things (All New); American Horror Story, Season 6.

Zee Cafe : The Big Bang Theory, Season 10; Secrets & Lies, Season 2; Supergirl, Season 2; Lethal Weapon (New); Gotham, Season 3.

AXN : Elementary, Season 5; Ray Donovan, Season 4; Supernatural, Season 12; Bull (New); MacGyver (New).

English entertainment channels in India are now acquiring global content like never before. In July 2014, AXN India signed a multi-year deal with CBS Studios, USA for airing their shows in India. When Netflix arrived in India earlier this year, it couldn't offer its flagship show House of Cards to viewers because Zee Café had already acquired the show's India rights in 2013! Star World received a major boost when HBO, before exiting the Indian market last year, gave it access to its huge content library in a major deal. Despite the fact that English entertainment viewership is still substantially low compared to Hindi & regional entertainment, the constant efforts these channels are making to bring the best content to the discerning viewer in India is quite commendable.

The only problem at this stage seems to be the perennial one: censorship. Different channels implement different levels of the mandatory self-censorship. In my experience, FX & Star World appear to be on the stricter side whereas Comedy Central is much more liberal. Channels have now begun using the 11pm slot to air content with minimum censorship. Zee Café has labeled the 11pm slot 'UnCut' and airs episodes of The Big Bang Theory. Moreover with the option of torrents as good as gone, wouldn't we rather watch the mildly censored episodes than miss out completely?

From just 1 HD channel in 2011, the English entertainment genre in India now boasts of 7 HD channels and zero SD-only channels. Each channel now has an accompanying HD feed. It's perhaps the most promising space right now on TV. Hop on and enjoy English drama, comedy and talk-shows like never before in India!

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Telly Sutra : 'Changeling' (2008)

USA, 2008.
Genres: Period Drama, Crime & Mystery.
Cast: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Colm Feore, Michael Kelly, Jason Butler Harner, et al.

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Director: Clint Eastwood
One-Line Synopsis: In 1920s Los Angeles, a single mother tries her best to track down her missing 7-year old son.

Some movies inspire. Some characters deserve a standing ovation. Some stories give us a bright glimpse of the human spirit. Some narratives make us ashamed of the human race. Changeling has all these...and more.


Here is my quick, spoiler-free guide to whether you should watch 'Changeling' or not.


Watch it if:

• You want to watch a heart-wrenching & gritty tale of a lone fight against systemic injustice.

• You like character-centric dramas with mystery and crime to add to it.

• You like period dramas or stories from before the onset of the digital age.

• You like cop/police dramas.

• You absolutely hate corrupt public officials.

• You are a feminist or believe in the philosophy of feminism.

• You're a fan of Angelina Jolie and would like to see her in a de-glamourised role, for a change.

• You're a fan of Clint Eastwood.

(Though I highly recommend this one) Don't go for it if:

• You don't like crime dramas or period dramas.

• You're looking for a movie that cheers you up/makes you laugh.

• You don't like long movies. (2 hours, 21 minutes.)

• You only want to see Angelina Jolie when she is gun-toting, raiding tombs or beating the sh*t out of bad guys.

The Worldy Monk Rating : 9.3/10

Watch it!!!


Airs:

30th July, 2016 (Tomorrow) at 11:30 pm on MN+ HD
1st August, 2016 (Monday) at 06:50 am on MN+ HD
4th August, 2016 (Thursday)at 11:30 am on MN+ HD

Telly Sutra #2: 'The 7:39'

'We're not bad people'. David Nicholls' tale of an extra-marital affair goes well beyond the cliché & is beautifully told- without judgement and with gripping emotions.

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW!

The 7:39
TV Movie, BBC, UK 2014.
Airs in India on Romedy NOW.

Starring: David Morrissey, Sheridan Smith, Olivia Colman, Sean Maguire.
Writer: David Nicholls
Director: John Alexander.

Synopsis: Carl (married, father of two) & Sally (engaged), leading equally monotonous and uneventful lives, meet on the 7:39 train to London Waterloo and take a liking to each other.

'The 7:39' opens with bed-side alarms, oral hygiene exercises, sifting through wardrobes- the usual daily grind. But, the movie goes beyond the usual extra-marital affair cliché in many ways. Carl (David Morrissey) and Sally (Sheridan Smith) leave their respective suburban homes to get to work in London by catching the 7:39 train. Their first chance encounter (not a love-at-first-sight romance) happens over a coarse argument for a seat in the crowded train. The next day, Carl, mindful of his mistake, apologises for his rude behaviour and they introduce themselves. Soon, the smiles, controlled laughs and etiquette-laced conversations begin and they agree to catch a common train on their way back too.

What follows is an engrossing tale full of emotional highs and lows; you are bound to utter a variety of exclamations at quite a few things- the promises and choices of the characters, the gradual build up to what's expected of the characters, et al. So good is John Alexander's direction & his tight focus on the two characters that the the viewer is almost vicariously involved in both Carl & Stella's situations and can feel for their choices and decisions. David Nicholls' writing is neither far-fetched nor long-drawn. The movie's pace matches the pace of Carl & Stella's relationship beautifully- the wait till the next meeting, the briskness of the journey on the train when Carl & Stella are together- are all extremely well done. Carl and Stella's conversations are sweet, dignified and infatuating. Morrissey and Smith's chemistry is mesmerising and is the life of the movie. There is a very high probability that you'll fall in love with the duo and not want their rendezvous to end. Carl and Stella's relationship is so rapturous that you'll dread it coming to end as much as the characters themselves.

David Morrissey as Carl, the married, father-of-two, frustrated employee of a property management company is brilliant. He does full justice to Nicholls' writing which paints Carl in many hues. The beautiful Sheridan Smith does an equally good job with the character of the engaged, gym-trainer Sally Thorn- she is mischievous, fun-loving & brave and brooding at the same time. Olivia Colman (as Carl's wife Maggie) is at her usual best as the simple, undemanding suburban wife (in Carl's words his 'soulmate'). Sean Maguire plays the health-conscious, nagging and over-protective fiancé of Sally very well. He helps bring to fore the character's lack of emotional warmth very effectively.

The background score and cinematography complement the overall feel of the movie very well. It has some amazingly picturesque locations to boast of too. The idea of using full-size watermarks on screen for alarm times and text message conversations deserves special mention- it was a very creative idea & enhances the story-telling experience.

All in all, a must watch!

The Worldly Monk Rating 9.5/10.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Airs:
Thu, 9th June 2016 at 9.30 am on Romedy NOW.
Fri, 10th June 2016 at 1:55 pm on Romedy NOW.

Telly Sutra #1 'Boyhood'

USA, 2014.
Director: Richard Linklater
*ing: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke.


Watch it if:

🎬 You enjoy slow-paced, relationship dramas.

🎬You want to relive the sorrows and joys of your childhood.

🎬You want to experience a piece of cinematic history.


Don't watch it if:

🚫 You like fast-paced, loud, high-octane films.

🚫 You want to watch a film that cheers you up or makes you laugh.

🚫 For some reason you dislike recalling your childhood.


'The Worldly Monk' rating: 9/10.


Airs Wednesday, 22nd June, 2016 at 11:50pm (IST) on Star Movies Select HD.