Our Favourite Double Roles In Indian Cinema

Dear Reader, It's been an exciting week for us. We got to meet the Russo brothers — Anthony and Joseph — who were in Mumbai this week to promote their latest release, the spy thriller The Gray Man. The two have helmed some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest blockbusters, including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but their first post-Marvel film, Cherry, was met with decidedly less enthusiastic reactions. Where does The Gray Man fit on this scale? Read Anupama Chopra's review to find out. The other nugget of pop-culture goodness that dropped this week is Meme Boys on SonyLIV. It's a series about a group of engineers who band together to win, of all things, a meme contest. The premise sounds like great fun to us, but if you're still unconvinced, let Sruthi Ganapathy Raman's review help you make up your mind. The theme of wacky premises continues in Rk/Rkay, in which a filmmaker past his prime sets out to direct – and star in – his new film, only to discover that his hero has escaped the footage and disappeared from the film altogether. Wondering where to even begin interpreting that? Check out Anupama and Rahul Desai's reviews for added context. REVIEWS In The Gray Man, It's Chris Evans Vs Ryan Gosling By Anupama Chopra Meme Boys Is An Engaging Laugh-Riot That Stops Short Of Brilliance By Sruthi Ganapathy Raman RK/Rkay is a Whimsical, Funny Take on a Director Making a Film By Anupama Chopra Rk/Rkay is a Delightfully Meta Caper on the Egotism of Storytelling By Rahul Desai When it comes to heroes in Indian movies, two for the price of one is a great deal. Think about it — in Shamshera, Ranbir Kapoor plays both father and son (you can read Anupama's review here!). In RK/Rkay, filmmaker and actor Rajat Kapoor plays two versions of one man. Both of this week's Hindi-language releases feature double roles, which prompted us to think about some of our favourite uses of the trope in cinema. From Shammi Kapoor in China Town (1962) to Gulshan Devaiah in Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (2019), we put together a decade-spanning list. Another trope we've been thinking about is that of bad dads in comic book-based properties. Thanos, Odin, Omni Man, Ego, Bloodsport's father, White Dragon — they're all undoubtedly awful fathers. The Boys, on Amazon Prime Video, is satire of superhero shows but avoids playing this trope for laughs. Instead, season 3 uses it to deliver the show's bleakest message yet: if we're not careful, we'll grow up to be the sum of the worst parts of our parents. It's a frightening idea and Gayle Sequeira digs deeper into how it's depicted. Onto more lighthearted topics. This week, Deepanjana Pal wrote about her initial reluctance to check out Extraordinary Attorney Woo, about a brilliant lawyer on the autism spectrum, and how, just two weeks later, she found herself hooked onto the Netflix series. This is the first instalment of her column Wild Card, in which you can expect to hear her opinions on everything from K-Dramas to obscure, arty movies. We can't wait. Stay safe, and have a great weekend! PICKS OF THE WEEK From China Town to Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota: Double Roles We Love By Team FC The Boys Has A Terrifying Take On Father-Son Relationships By Gayle Sequeira Wild Card: The Unexpected Charm of Extraordinary Attorney Woo By Deepanjana Pal Copyright © 2022, Film Companion LLP, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: info@filmcompanion.in Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list filmcompanion.in