Happy Wednesday! Very happy Wednesday for me, because I have a friend visiting! She flew all the way just to see me, and I took days off work, and now there is a “heat dome” over Chicago so we are FORCED to stay inside and watch movies. Oh no, I hate doing that (sarcasm).
I’ll start!
Reading: I’m almost done with book 4 of Ponniyin Selvan! Nandhini (Aish’s character) is awesome, but I still like Kundavai (Trisha) slightly better. And the young prince Arulmozhi is way WAY more interesting in the book than in the movie. And Prakash Raj (sorry, not even gonna bother remembering his character’s name) is way more “shades of grey”. The whole novel for sure calls into question “divine right to rule”. The characters most suited for ruling either a) really don’t want it and would prefer to be explorers, or b) are women and therefore not allowed to rule even though they really should.
Watching: Speaking of PS, my friend and I watched PS1 together but she still hasn’t seen PS2, so obviously that is on the agenda for today. And also, Red, White and Royal Blue! FINALLY I have someone to watch it with and scream at the screen with me! Along those same teenage screaming urges, I’m also thinking maybe Ms Marvel? With two days of dangerous heat, we would have time to finish the whole thing, and it is such a perfect teenage girly show. There’s also Made in Heaven, but I am still too nervous about it. I want happy things! I want the son of the President falling in love with the British Prince!
Thinking: I’m trying to come up with heat friendly activities. So far, I’ve thought of “driving around my neighborhood admiring the cute little houses and yards”, “going to a bookstore”, and possibly “going to a movie”. There’s also a very good chance we will just stay inside for two days and order delivery. Oh dear, those poor delivery people! Now I feel guilty. We should do pickup.
Listening: I don’t know why, but for some reason at random when I turn on my car, it automatically starts playing this song from my ipod. And other times, it starts playing the radio, and other times it is Silent. Is my car haunted? If so, the bonus is I was reminded how good this song is.
Okay, question for you! A vital question about which I have heard STRONG arguments on both sides: If you are hot, is it better to have a hot drink (both spice and temperature), or a cool drink (both flavor and temperature)?
Same question, food. Hot and spicy or cool salad?
dontcallitbollywood 
I guess it depends on whether you are OK with sweating. Personally, I really wouldn’t try to drink anything ice cold in extreme heat. Too much for me. And I kind of believe the idea that your body might then think it needs to heat up.
Room temperature water would be my choice. And the salad would probably be fine, too. Though I can’t resist an ice cream either. Very consistent, right?
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Cold drink outside, warm food inside in the air-conditioning!
Watching: I think your movie plans with your friend sound perfect. I watched the first episode of Made in Heaven S2 and I was immediately back in love with the show. I don’t know why there are so many mixed reviews. I just want to live in this world and be friends with Karan and Tara and Jazz. The videographer can go away, do not like him at all. It’s all about the soapy escapism with a little social messaging thrown in that makes the show so perfect. And the clothes, OMG. Sabyasachi guest stars in the first episode and he’s actually really good on-screen and the clothes are as usual spectacular. Sobhita Dhulipala’s clothes and styling are so amazing. I literally think she is the most beautiful woman in show business anywhere in the world right now. She didn’t get much to do in PS1 but I hope she gets more scenes in PS2…I still need to watch it myself. I’ve been disappointed that she hasn’t had more big Hindi film offers, but I also see from her choices that she might not want that. She’s in an upcoming Netflix film directed by Dev Patel and that definitely could be good.
Reading: I started reading the Penguin classics edition of Layli and Majnun by Nezami Ganjavi. At work, we recently purchased a 1838 Persian manuscript of the epic with illustrations and I thought it was finally time to read the thing! I’m sure I’ll want to watch that recent film modern adaptation after I finish it, so I can get all of the references, but I think it’s hard to find on streaming…maybe just on Eros or something?
Also reading Kamila Knows Best by Farrah Heron, a romance novel adaptation of Emma/Clueless to an Indo-Canadian Muslim community. Very fun with references to Bollywood actors and movies. So I’m reading two very different Muslim romances at the moment!
Thinking: Are Arjun and Malaika no longer together? Who will be the next major star to have their first kid? (I know this is just none of my business and I’m terrible!). When will we know about KJo’s next film project (and Farah Khan’s for that matter!) and when will the new season of KWK come out? Who will stop the box office bulldozer of a film, Gadar 2? No interest in ever seeing either of those films. Will Jawan be able to reach the same box office numbers and how will this play in the narrative? I do believe that either way, Hindi cinema is having a surprisingly strong recovery this year and that makes me happy. All of the talk about how nostalgia is back in vogue is interesting to me, too.
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I was hoping somebody else is watching MIH 2. I think I liked this season less than the first but it was still a very engaging watch. Fully agree about its appeal. Do share how you feel after you finish.
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For me, cooler than room temperature but not icy-cold drinks. I don’t like cold meals so hot, but not spicy, meals.
Seems like a long time since I’ve commented on a Wednesday Watching post. Been watching classics and new movies, a few series (including Made in Heaven, anyone else watch it?). But what made me the happiest recently is this screwball comedy called The Divorce of Lady X with Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier. Have you seen it? It came up randomly on youtube and was such a delight that I watched it twice and now I so want you to write the fanfic!
He is a divorce lawyer and garden-variety misogynist who has his dalliances but thinks the worst of women. He checks into a hotel due to a thick fog which also traps all the party guests at the hotel which doesn’t have enough rooms. She barges into his room and pretty much charms and finagles her way into his bed and makes him sleep on the floor despite all his protests. He mistakenly thinks she’s married reinforcing his views on women, yet he falls for her, but she leaves before he can ask her out the next morning. When he gets a client wanting a divorce, his description makes him think it’s her and that he is the corespondent. He keeps learning what he thinks are scandalous things about her (multiple marriages! multiple lovers!) but decides he loves her anyway and wants to marry her after getting her the divorce. She plays along with the mistaken identity because she wants to teach him a lesson for his misogyny.
Young Laurence Olivier was a total dish and I was surprised to see him do this Cary Grant role quite well, complete with physical comedy! I had to recast it and it’s a perfect young Shahrukh-Juhi vehicle but also Ranveer-Deepika because I’m dying to see them in something urban and modern.
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Yes!!! This was one of my favorite movies growing up! It has that great joke about her wanting to borrow his book, so he has to rip it in half. And then rip off the end because she always reads the ending first.
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Yay! I was wincing through those rips honestly. The end was abrupt I felt, I was expecting more comedy from the reveal but they hurried through it.
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Cute song, but the beginning kiss looked painful.
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Heat activities: 1. Water games in the yard (slip and slides are fun for adults, but kinda painful. I found the least pain when I start rolling on a giant exercise ball and then topple over onto the slip and slide.) 2. Airconditioned places, like museums and sometimes movie theaters, but not in my town, my town’s theater is HOT. 3. Boating/intertubing – your city is next to an ocean called a lake, go to a box store and buy an inflatable kayak or something, OR buy intertubes and flippers and see how far you get. 4. Eating. Find the best popsicles in all of Chicago. OR make your own fancy ones. I discovered chopping up grapes and freezing them with yogurt make delicious popsicles, but my kids didn’t like it so I only did it once.
Reading: I just finished A Hero Born, the first in the Legends of the Condor Heroes. A famouse Wuxia novel from the 50s. It is kinda like a novel of superheroes except the superheroes actually learn their skills and they aren’t necessarily good or evil. The 14 year old would really love the book but he won’t read it because the recommendation came from me.
Watching: The kids and I are watching the Netflix movie the Monkey King because we read the book this summer. The most recent translation is quite good. I love the Monkey King. There rest of the world also loves the Monkey King because I see him popping up everywhere. Ancient tales that never get old are the best! I saw the Royal Blue Movie yesterday, Taylor Zakhar Perez is AMAZING. He is so good I almost want to see his other work but the Kissing Booth movies look really bad. I saw 1.5 episodes of Made in Heaven, and there was a menage a trois and the kids saw it and then I got to explain that sex is good but they AND the character would be happier if it was sex with someone they loved. And gee, since that I haven’t turned the show back on.
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Well, thanks for selling me on the new MiH season I guess.
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Yesterday we went to a series of interesting ethnic grocery stores (definitely a good call, they have to be kept super cold and it’s very fun browsing around and finding interesting foods) and also drove through some super pretty neighborhoods on the way. Today, possibly go see a movie?
Oh dear, this does not make me want to watch MIH2. what if a child wonders into my living room????
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YAAAAAY Red White and Royal Blue!!! I watched it twice in one week, please let us know what you think when you do see, and we can cast it Indian, although I think filmikudhi and I did already this around the time of the movie announcement.
Speaking of, sorry for being annoying, but filmikudhiiiiiii, have you watched it yeeeeet? 😊
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Hello!! I hope you had an amazing birthday weekend!!!
Now, pardon by tween but OMGGGG I LOVED the central romance!!! They followed the book pretty closely. I thought it would be a lot more G-rated for some reason and it certainly was NOT! There were a few scenes that definitely made me blush. Also, I think the casting was spot on!
Now, my ONLY complaint, one of the things I loved about the book was all the side characters and how well they were fleshed out! I was a little sad they didn’t do that in the movie. It made me wish this was a series instead of a movie. For example, I want more Nora and Pez, I definitely want more Bea and her history, and I can’t believe there was no June or Raphael Luna! So if I were to redo it, I would absolutely make it into a 8-10 episode series. Plus that means we get more time with all the characters.
Okay, those are my initial thoughts. How about you???
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I feel like we’re both so biased because we love the book, but I also adored the movie! Alex and Henry were cast so well, I absolutely loved both of their performances. And the romance and physical intimacy!! I remembered the book was steamy but I had no idea the movie was going to be THAT steamy! Paris??? Oh my god, that scene made me insane. So many times they kept kissing and kissing and I was like are they still going??? Not that I was complaining, it was just so unexpected but I was so happy.
My main complaint is that it felt surface level in comparison to the book. We got to learn so much more about each of their characters, and their emails were so important and so deep, they felt really glossed over. Definitely agree it would have been better as a series, but I’m still so glad we got some kind of adaptation and that it’s doing so well and people are enjoying it!
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Pingback: Wednesday Watching: What Are You Reading and Watching and Thinking and Listening to as I Am Under a Heat Dome? - News Hour 24/7
No word on Made in Heaven S.2 in Japan, so I’m still dying to see it.
I started watching Lust Stories 2 and I watched the first one (with Neena Gupta), and that was kind of dumb and then I watched Konkona’s and had to stop watching to think about it for awhile. It is so good–about the relationship between maid and employer, and the interdependence and intimacy that comes from it. I hope someone else will watch it so I can talk about it. It’s only 30 minutes!
Also watched Badhai Do and of course I loved it. I can’t believe how good Rajkummar is. He’s so funny in the funny parts and then when he breaks down after coming out to his family, and all the emotions going across his face! I literally laughed and cried. On a (slightly) less important note, he’s also kind of ripped for this movie, but in a natural, non-steroidal way.
Thinking: It is now T- one week to my trip to the big city to see Pathaan! Pathaan next Friday, first day first show if I can figure out when that is!
I live in a very hot, humid climate, and I do cold drinks all the way, except hot coffee in the morning which is necessary so I know it’s really coffee and will wake up.
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I LOVED the Konkona Lust Story vignette. It was also particularly nice to see the amazing actress who played the maid in Sir playing the employer. I also really liked how the relationship between the maid and her husband was done. They weren’t in her employers house because of kinkiness, rather it was the only place they could have sex! It was the only place there was privacy, and then there wasn’t. And it is also interesting with the idea of exhibisionism, because essentialy ALL actors are exhibisionists, no one goes into acting if they don’t like to be watched. It naturally gives people pleasure to know they are entertaining, but if you add sex to that it becomes dirty. Hmmm, maybe I should rething my opinions of porn.
Konkona’s was the best Lust Story by far, though the last one isn’t bad. I thought the first one was the worst.
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I liked the framing that was done–where you first think it’s Tillotama’s story and then the POV shifts to Amruta, and she is equally important. And Amruta washing Tillotama’s lacy bra to show that some kinds of intimacy between the employer and maid aren’t even noticed. Also, the fact that Amruta’s husband is the only person who doesn’t know what’s going on–he has less power than both of the women. I loved the way the way the lonely woman in a beautiful house is contrasted with the loved woman in a chawl–in a non-obvious, non-judgmental way– and how the mirror keeps reminding you of that.
Also I just loved that apartment. I think that’s the movie/tv apartment I want to live in.
The first one was just so pointless. Ha ha, older woman who was married for 50 years knows what sex is.
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Konkona’s was the only one I watched because of the reviews and agree with both of you. It was funny, shocking and thought-provoking all within the short time and I loved the use of the mirror to signify so many things about the characters and also us as viewers. Really wish she would direct (and act) more!
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OMG I’m over the moon seeing this! Please tell me this is real-
https://variety.com/2023/tv/asia/fawad-khan-pakistan-netflix-jo-bachay-hain-sang-samait-lo-1235701929/
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Fawad! Mahira! Sanam! Hamza! I don’t even care about the story, I’ll just stare at them. But I tried to see if I can get the book somehow and looks like it’s only available in Urdu. I hope this actually materializes.
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AHHHHHH I NEED THIS TO HAPPEN NOW!!!! I can’t remember if it is wishful thinking or I am having some dejavu moment, but I feel like I remember Fawad briefly mentioning someone about a series with Mahira someone back.
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Right? For me, this came out of nowhere. From what I recall from one of his interviews, he was talking about a film with Mahira where she was supposed to be blind. I don’t think he was talking about this but then I don’t know what’s happening with that film. His and Sanam’s series called Barzakh has already been to some festival but I don’t know when it’s going to be broadcast. If all of these are actually happening, we’ll be getting a lot of Fawad!
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You are right. I’m probably confusing his series with Sanam and his movie with Mahira with this announcement! His movie with Mahira is called Neelofer and it’s his home production. I’m just not sure when we will get to see it.
I also desperately want The Legend of Maula Jatt to stream already!!!
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They really need to put Maula Jatt somewhere, then you’ll see why I’m so excited to see Hamza’s name here along with the others. This is like Pakistani Avengers for me!
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I want to watch LoMJ so badly! I have just watched the many many interviews and clips multiple times and am already crushing on Hamza. I mean Fawad with always be my OG favorite, but Hamza is definitely very very attractive!
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Am I insane for being kind of excited for Dream Girl 2? It looks very LGBT. I really need to rewatch Aunty no. 1 first though.
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Watching: I am watching Awara currently which I am wholeheartedly loving. How did I never find out that Raj Kapoor is so talented? Like the look and the shots are just so scenic. The way the scenes are framed, this movie is a damn masterpiece. Also I hate Prithviraj Kapoor because he is an asshole(in the movie) but he reallly looks good. No wonder Shashi was Shashi. Barring all the silly attributes, Awara is genuinely so engaging and well made that I am taking back all the snarky comments I have ever made about Raj Kapoor. Also the whole commentary on what it is to be good is so brilliant and ahead of its time.I am also watching Punch Drunk Love which is ok but not really what I want right now. I heard someone say this was one of the best movies I’ve ever watched and I just can’t feel that way about Punch drunk Love. I also wanted to watch Mostly Martha but I could not find it anywhere 😦
Reading: I’m reading Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan which would be such a perfect Indian web series. Like all the stories are so realistic and would be perfect to explore family dynamics, relationships and children. Also the way the characters interact and the familial bonds. Ugh why does no one do book adaptations in India.
Listening: I am listening to man kyon behka re behka from utsav which I always mean to watch but never get to.
Thinking: I am thinking about Zindagi Gulzar Hai and how Fahad Khan’s character is really very unique in cinema. On the starting, he seems like a typical misogynist but then you realise he is not that otherwise he would’ve never been attracted to Sanam Saeed. The whole analysis of the family dynamics reminds me a lot of my own neighbours whose child is 8 but I never see them spending time with the child. This makes me think what will the child feel when he is older and sees the relationships around him. The thing is the parents can spend time with him but just choose not to and prefer to indulge in themselves. They are not bad but I do wonder what effect this will have on the child.
I think in heat drinks should be cold but food hot. I have gone to my grandmothers house too many times where they give me hot water in the tropical climate. It is just genuinely terrible. But ideally something which is cold but spicy.
Question for you: Have you seen Nagamandala with Prakash Raj? It is genuinely a wonderful film which has a similar plot to Paheli but has a slightly different approach. It’s a Karnataka folk legend which was adapted into a play by Girish Karnad that got made into a film. Genuinely one of Prakash Raj’s best work.
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I finished Awaara and it was really good but I do feel their should’ve been a little less focus on Nargis+Raj and more on the dynamics between Raj+Prithviraj+KN Singh. Or just generally on Raj Kapoor and Prithviraj’s dynamics. The whole argument was brilliant and we could see Prithviraj being presented as human (even though he is genuinely so AWFUL). Like there’s this wonderful scene where Nargis is defending Raj Kapoor saying that the heart doesn’t know the law and Prithviraj has this brief moment to which he smiles (and you know he’s thinking about all his past mistakes and his love for Leela Chitnis) to which he agrees to that statement. The problem these moments are just too less for me, I needed Raj Kapoor and Prithviraj to be a bit more at odds with each other’s worldview for the reveal to be a complete shock. But this such a minor flaw as the film unpacks these issues so well and I also watched the film in its original aspect ratio and my god are the shots stunning. Like every single scene is so beautifully framed and Raj Kapoor is such a genius. Like he is so brilliant. Especially that dream sequence. Watching this movie really brings to me the reason why I love Indian Film(beyond the fact that I’m Indian) so much and the real brilliance of Indian Film.
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Yes! Every time I watch a Raj Kapoor movie, I am stunned at the sheer beauty of it.
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I saw tamil film Maaveeran, and it was cool. Fresh but at the same time familiar. I have a crush on Sivakarthikeyan now. Worth watching.
And after years of searching I finally found and watched North & South (BBC series). I loved the book but I didn’t like the series. It was too dark and rushed. The romantic scenes were awesome and beautiful but it was too little to make the series good.
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The end of North and South, the last 10 minutes, is one of the all time best romantic scenes, I think.
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Just finished watching Satyaprem Ki Katha. It just released worldwide on Prime. I thought the social messaging was very well done for the cultural context and the audience. Kiara was very good in it and I wasn’t repelled by Karthik Aryan which is always good. I’ve liked him in Lukka Chuppi and actually thought he was better than Sara Ali Khan (or at least his character was better written and the double role gave him more to do) in Love Aaj Kal 2.
So I recommend watching this one for all the romance fans out there. I thought the gentle tone of the story was pitch perfect.
A couple of songs (and dance sequences) were great, but the Pasoori rip-off and some of the score melodies which were also “borrowed” really took me out of the narrative a couple of times. It was also at least a half hour too long. Still I would definitely recommend the film.
This could end up really being a great year for romance releases…So far RARKPK, Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, and now Satyaprem Ki Katha have all worked pretty well for me. I know I’ll like Zara Hatke Zara Bachke when I see it someday, too. We won’t mention Bawaal though.
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I thought I was the only person with an almost dislike of Karthik Aryan.
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I’ve also had the same reaction to him.
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I’m in the middle of Satyaprem.. and my son is watching with me. He likes the movie but is like: “why they cast this actor?” ” I disliked him from the very first scene”, and “He looks like an idiot”. And I swear I didn’t tell him about my dislike for Karthik
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That’s hilarious! Yes, I always have that reaction to him the second he comes on screen, even in interviews. Something I read recently said that his dialogue delivery is always really off and I think that’s what makes him seem like such an idiot! Knowing that the second half would change his character for the better, I stuck with Satyaprem Ki Katha and by the end he was OK, but still not even close to being an actor I seek out. Lukka Chuppi is probably my favorite of his movies. I also do want to rewatch Love Aaj Kal to see if I do remember it better than when I saw it for the first time. I feel like I didn’t give that one enough of a chance because I was so bummed that Sara Ali Khan’s performance was getting so much hate. That being said I watched two seconds of Karthik in Shehzada and was immediately out, despite really wanting to follow Kriti’s roles.
What did you think of the whole movie?
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I liked the movie, but it wasn’t as I thought it would be. I thought it will be a 100% romantic, old style film, and it wasn’t. Still it was good, funny and with an important message. I super happy this movie was made and that it earned money . If only the ending was a little less forced and preachy.
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I thought it was a majority opinion here? He’s very nothing. I did come around on him in one thing I saw him in but cannot remember what that was.
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I always feel like the actors I dislike are loved by everyone else and so rarely voice my displeasure. And Margaret loves the Love Aaj Kal movie so much… l’ve seen him in movies I like (and I liked Love Aaj Kal), but I’ve always felt I would still like the the movie if he weren’t in it.
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Well, it’s not tactful to say much I guess. To be honest I never think about him, really.
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Just finished watching Friday Night Plan on Netflix. I would recommend it if you’re in the mood for a sweet but forgettable teen comedy about a sibling relationship. Clearly influenced by American teen culture and films like Ferris Bueller, it had the potential to be a lot cruder but instead was a very “proper” kind of film. Both leads were great, but Babil Khan is the epitome of raw talent and while it is uncanny at times how his mannerisms and speaking rhythms mirror his father’s, I do think he has his own presence. I always thought Irrfan Khan was super sexy, but Babil has his best features and is still more traditionally handsome. I also liked him in Qala in a very different role. Yet another instance where I could care less about nepotism. Can’t wait to follow his career wherever it goes.
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