Battlefields of the Mind

RANNEETI: BALAKOT & BEYOND| Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Lara Dutta Director: Santosh Singh | Hindi | JioCinema

YEH KURSI NAHIN, 130 crore Bharatiyon ka vishwas hai (This is not merely a chair but the trust of 130 crore Indians),” says the actor playing the Prime Minister in Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond. “This is not a peacetime mission, this is war,” says Ashish Vidyarthi, in a late career resurgence as the National Security Adviser. “Kitne Pakistan hai? Ek aman chahta hai to doosra jung (How many Pakistans are there? One wants peace, the other wants war),” remarks the RAW agent demoted to a pen pusher, Kashyap Sinha, played by Jimmy Shergill. Ranneeti is clearly about jung, with ISI represented by a suave Ashutosh Rana, Of late, Mumbai cinema and web series have been exploring the Pulwama attack and the Balakot strike in great detail, from Fighter to Article 370 and now Ranneeti. Its agenda is clear. Make heroes of the men and women behind and in front of the covert and overt wars India has to fight. It does so in spades, with some amount of self awareness. The RAW agent relegated to the desk is a camphor-smelling and khichdi-eating nervous wreck who has to clear film scripts and prevent the actors from hamming. The spin wizard is an extra constitutional authority in the war room dressed in swish sarees and has a posh accent. There are sundry spies and counter spies and several Pakistani generals and spy masters addressing each other as “Janaab”. We are told repeatedly that modern warfare is all about the mind. And as much as wars have to be won on the battlefield, they have to be fought in the digital world. It could have been more cerebral and less celebratory but then it wouldn’t have got made.

Why watch it? You know how it will end, but the aerial dog fights and hand-to-hand fights are worth watching

All the News That’s Fit to Air

THE BROKEN NEWS SEASON 2| Cast: Jaideep Ahlawat, Sonali Bendre, Shriya Pilgaonkar Director: Vinay Waikul | Hindi | Zee5

I DON’T WATCH THE tu tu main main on TV anymore.” The TV anchors who star in the show are repeatedly told this by those they interview. If that is not enough, the one anchor who still believes in truth and impartiality gives a speech about being remembered for her journalism long after she is dead. Death of journalism, death of journalists, electoral bonds, lithium deposits, deepfakes. The second season of The Broken News doesn’t spare any contemporary headlines as two rival news channels, with two rival ideologies, go head-to-head with each other to capture the minds and hearts of the audience. We know which side the writer’s sympathies lie but he doesn’t let it colour his characterisation. The newsroom dynamics are fairly accurate as is the desire of both bosses to get back to the field for reporting. Both have understudies whom they groom and growl at in equal measure.

Why watch it? Gives you a snacking menu of the reality of news channels

entertainmentJaideep AhlawatJimmy ShergillLara DuttaRanneeti: Balakot & Beyondstreaming businessThe Broken News Season 2