It was Leo Tolstoy who had famously said, “All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.” The Russian master seems to have described perfectly modern Bengali entertainment—films and shows that stream on OTT platforms such as Hoichoi, Klikk and Addatimes. There is one problem, however: Not all that streams is “great”.
When Anirban Bhattacharya’s directorial debut Mandaar released on Hoichoi last November, it was rightly lauded as “pathbreaking” and “stunning”. Set in a coastal town in Bengal, there was something compelling about his take on Macbeth. Though it followed the usual web show recipe—sex, violence, cuss words—its fish eat-fish world also exceeded these tropes. The same, sadly, cannot be said for other Bengali OTT thrillers.
This story is from the May 30, 2022 edition of India Today.
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This story is from the May 30, 2022 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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