RD RECOMMENDS

DUNE: PART 2 in theatres (1 March)

- Aditya Mani Jha

The much-awaited sequel to Denis Villeneuve's Dune, based on Frank Herbert's iconic science-fiction novel series of the same name, stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Christopher Walken. The first novel in the series has been adapted across two parts, of which this film is the second. The narrative follows Paul (Chalamet), a young man of the noble house of Atreides, stuck in a high-stakes war over the desert planet of Arrakis a prime target across the galaxy because it contains 'spice, a psychotropic substance used to bestow enhanced awareness, strength and vitality upon users. Dune, the novel, is considered a landmark work of science fiction because of its depiction of how ecological and political concerns are necessarily intertwined. The 'spice' story arc and the scarcity of water on Arrakis were both intended as a metaphor for oil and the large-scale battles fought across history to control oil fields.

LAAPATA LADIES

in theatres (1 March) 

Kiran Rao, director of the hauntingly beautiful Dhobi Ghat (2011) returns with her first film in over a decade. Laapata Ladies is based on a delicious premise-two sets of newlyweds are travelling by train during the nighttime. Visibility isn't great, and the following morning, one of the grooms (played by Sparsh Shrivastava from Netflix's Jamtara) realizes that the brides-both of whom were resolutely ghoonghat-cladhave been inadvertently swapped. Needless to say, comedic hijinks ensue, especially when an eccentric cop (Ravi Kishan) discovers the mishap. Fans of Rituparno Ghosh will remember the late Bengali filmmaker's masterful Noukadubi (2011), another tale of newlyweds, illfated travel and mistaken identity. Laapata Ladies, though, is a much funnier movie, even when it's talking about deadly serious themes.

3 BODY PROBLEM

on Netflix (21 March)