Mozez Singh’s Triumph

For Mozez Singh, truth was what he aimed for in his Netflix documentary, Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous. He delivers it in spades on the man who made Punjabi rap famous, while also plumbing the depths with Honey’s drug use and allegations of misogyny. Netflix came to Mozez after his work on the underbelly of Punjabi popdom in his 2015 film Zubaan. “Netflix liked the way I handled music in the film,” Mozez says. Honey opens up to Mozez, talking about his mental illness, his alcohol dependence, and his struggle to be relevant again. Mozez gets Honey’s parents and sister to open up without fear of judgement. The result is a searing close-up of a boy with dreams and a family that refuses to give up on him, in a documentary with heart and colourful language. Says Mozez, “It was the story of an iconic pop star who was the first of his kind in India and he had an incredible life story; the highs, the lows, trying to make a comeback. It’s been life-affirming to see him so closely over the last three years, especially his ability to never give up.”

Sahir Raza’s Med Drama

 

Hospital dramas are popular everywhere except in India. Except for Sanjivani in the early days of the satellite boom on Star Plus (2002) and Mumbai Diaries much later on Prime Video in 2021, doctors and their derring-do doesn’t seem to excite audiences or filmmakers. One reason may be that they’re not easy to make, without real doctors and a real hospital on board. Once Sahir Raza, the director, found both as well as the comfort from streaming platform JioCinema, he went full steam ahead with his new show Doctors. Managing a cast of many actors, split-second emergencies, and complicated surgeries with cutting-edge research is not easy, especially if you don’t have the correct balance. But Raza, the nephew of the late Safdar Hashmi, keeps the focus on emotions while getting the science right. Doctors on JioCinema finally gives Sharad Kelkar the lead role we didn’t know we needed and a relationship with his fellow doctor, the gifted Harleen Sethi. We could definitely be fans of this webseries.

Anand Tiwari’s Musical Instincts

Growing up in Matunga, Mumbai, Anand Tiwari was exposed to the Hindi cinema of the ’50s and ’60s, and its music. It was natural that he wanted to work with Hindustani classical music sometime. “But the idea was to always approach it from a place of respect and humility,” says Tiwari. In Season Two of Prime Video’s Bandish Bandits, which Tiwari and his co-creator Amritpal Singh Bindra wrote, the focus is on a music school. In Season One, they had done extensive work with singer Shankar Mahadevan, and learnt to “write a story in music and music in the story”, as Tiwari says. “The idea was to make Hindustani classical music accessible to all,” he adds. “I am so happy that the series has sparked conversations on ragas and gharanas,” says Tiwari.

Anand TiwariBollywoodcinemaMozez SinghSahir Raza