Pakistani Zombies, Dharma Romance and the Cost of Adulting

[00:00:15] Hi, this is Asim. This is Sujoy. This is Amrita. And you're listening to Khandaan, a Bollywood Podcast about the three main Khans of the Hindi film industry. Amir, Salman and Shahrukh. Hi, you're listening to Khandaan, a Bollywood Podcast regular feed. Thank you so much for your support over the years. We now have a Patreon channel with bonus content and exclusive merch for those of you who would like to support us.

[00:00:39] Every dollar goes towards creating more and better content. Visit us at patreon.com slash Khandaan Podcast. I have to remind myself that it's on my phone before I get in. Like the thing, what's annoying about Twitter, it's still the best place to get news. I guess. Every news is there to enrage you. Yeah. So it's really, it's tough. It's really the quickest way to get news.

[00:01:07] Like every bloody opinion maker, every journalist is still on there. But can I tell you like my last three months of being a completely disconnected Dumbo was amazing. Like I, it cured my, like I was, I had that TMJ thing where I was like clenching my jaw, cured it. Like all I needed to be was off Twitter for three months and like, I don't have that anymore. I, my skin is clear.

[00:01:35] Like I wake up like energized in the morning. You're sleeping better. My God, I'm sleeping like a baby through the night. It's amazing. Through the world burning and I'm just sleeping. I'm like, I have no idea what is happening. Like I didn't even know when the war broke out with like Iran. And like one of my friends was just like, oh, like, you know, like with the war. And I was like, what war? Like I had no idea. I had no idea.

[00:02:05] And now I'm like, I now understand why so many people choose to be like completely like, you know, like idiots. I'm like, aha. I was that idiot for three months. And I love it. I was like, I love it. Like my God. Like I was telling somebody that my biggest issue is that when I wake up in the morning, my brain wake ups with me. And then for like three months, it was like my brain didn't wake up with me. And I was like, wow, this is the secret.

[00:02:35] Yeah. Like. It's amazing. Go ahead. This reminds me of Cypher eating the steak and say ignorance is bliss in Matrix. When he's like, just pluck me back in. I want to be famous. Make me a celebrity eating rare steak. Ignorance is bliss. No, what it reminds me of is you don't watch the boys, do you Amrita? So there's this in the boys, there's a character, Sister Sage, who is the smartest woman in the world.

[00:03:05] And she puts a pencil in her brain just to dumb herself down to appreciate it because she like otherwise just cannot take the stupidity of the world. And it kind of reminds you of that. That's like jamming something in your eye to just survive. Genuinely, I get it. I absolutely get it. Yeah. Shall we start? Yeah. Oh, by the way, Sujoy.

[00:03:33] What is your beauty in your beauty? Sujoy is like glowing. Is it? I don't know. Apparently, you need to get your body parts removed. That's what makes you do like. I guess. No gallbladder of all the shine. It's London's hard water.

[00:03:57] He's gotten used to his skin is now like I need the, you know, hard calcium on my face. Yeah. Just take a shower a day. That's it. Let's get into it. Hi and welcome. Yeah. Say hello. Hello. Hi and welcome to a new episode of Khandaan- A Bollywood Podcast. I think people know now. I think people know now, right? Like is the intro getting old? Like I don't know. I'm Asim Burney. I'm joined with my lovely co-host Amrita.

[00:04:27] Hey Amrita. I used to join. Hey everybody. And the intro never gets old. That's it? That's all I'm getting? Like make me do the intro and then not even reply? Hello Asim. That wasn't even like an effort. That was like Ghar Ki Murgi Dal Bar A Bar kind of intro. It's like oh here they are again. Like hey why? In my mind I was already how do I edit this? That's what I get the, this is the weight of responsibility. That's what was happening. Just keep it in.

[00:04:57] Just keep it in. Yeah. We're doing again a catch up episode of all of the stuff that we've been watching. We watched quite a few things. You both watched Chand Mera Dil. I couldn't find a screening. Drisham 3 you watched Sujoy. And then we both watched Zombied or Zombie Eid. Pakistan's first zombie movie. Which we were going to be talking about. We have a few more other topics.

[00:05:26] I don't know if you're going to be doing it for this episode. Or keeping it for next episode. I did finish Dhurander 2. Sujoy, you were going to say something about that? And Dhurander 2 finished you. So like I promised, a few people on Patreon said, you know, we want to hear your thoughts. Like I told Amrita, I'm not getting insulted for free.

[00:05:52] So we're going to be doing a Dhurander 2 episode maybe next week. Next weekend. And it's going to be only Patreon. So that part will be Patreon. So we will have to sign up for that. If you absolutely want to hear my thoughts about Dhurander 2. Amrita will not be, you know, partaking in watching the movie at least. I know that. And honestly, Amrita, don't do it. Like do not do it.

[00:06:18] I love it when you recommend things that completely align with what I'm going to do anyway. So I can promise you that it's not going to happen. Yeah. Yeah. So let's get into it a little bit. You guys watched Chand Mera Dil How was it? I'm too old for this shit, you know. Like that's basically what it is. It wasn't a bad movie. I don't think it is a bad movie.

[00:06:43] I think there was like a lot of chatter online, especially with Ananya dancing, which was so stupid because Usha J has been doing the exact same thing. Like the Bharatanatyam fusion stuff. She's been doing it for like 10 years at this point. She's like literally teaching in Paris right now. And the way that Reddit was responding to it, it was like, oh my God, the North Indians are coming for our sacred South Indian culture.

[00:07:12] They're going to ruin everything. And I'm just like, just relax. And then you see who the choreographers were for that particular bit. And they're both South Indian. They're like these South Indian girls. And I'm just like, what is your problem? But yeah, it's dumb. That's what the issue with the movie and the people for which this movie has been made is that they're all stupid.

[00:07:41] And I have no patience left in me anymore. I have reached that age of auntie dumb where I'm like, what the hell is wrong with you people? Yeah. Do you want spoilers? Because I will tell spoilers. I want to just have two thoughts about what you said. One, I feel Ananya has proven her mettle now beyond this Ananya sucks nepotism debate. I feel she's delivered.

[00:08:09] I don't feel like that conversation about Ananya is bad or a terrible act. I don't think that's valid anymore. So I don't understand. I think people are running out of criticism for Ananya because she's consistently performing in her movies. And that's why they just try to find a reason to hate on her. And that's why this whole dance thing happened, I believe. Yeah. I also watched that movie and it was fine. And her performance is great.

[00:08:39] Very, very much respectable. And like her dance was okay. Like if we are talking about context, she's dancing in an engineering college, you know, dance like alumni function. And for an engineering college, that's ace. Everybody would go nuts if somebody had an engineering college alumni, you know, function dance like that. It's true. Yeah.

[00:09:06] The second thing that I was going to say about the Usha J of it all, I'm kind of tired of this Bharat Natyam mixed with hip hop dancing thing. I'm just, I feel it's like I'm so done with it. Like I just feel it's like... That's hilarious because you have like actually seen it for so long that you are sick and tired of watching it. Yeah, I really am. Like all these kids are like, my God, what is this horror?

[00:09:36] We've never seen it before. Like they're like so far behind the culture. Like they have no idea what it is. So that's funny. We're both two extremities of the horseshoe basically. Like one day we will come together and become a circle. Yeah, I'm just like, I see it so long. I've been seeing it for so long. I'm just kind of like tired. Like we saw it in black and white back in the day, like with Mike and Alex. Like it's been going on for a long time.

[00:10:04] And like, especially with Usha J and then a lot of TikTok stuff. I just don't like let the things be their own thing. I just, it's just my opinion. I don't, I don't appreciate it. But yeah, it's... I appreciate the heck out of it. I watch it every single year on all the reality TV shows because they love a fusion. Like all the choreographers love a fusion when they bring in different styles together and, you know, the influences. And I enjoy the heck out of it.

[00:10:33] And, you know, when art, different arts from different places in the universe or the world collide and create something new. That's always a thing of joy, I believe. So, yeah, I enjoy it. It's just that these kids just want a reason to hang on to and hate. It's just that. But also because I'm in India right now, I'm getting like different like perspectives on it, which I like.

[00:11:02] I was so taken aback because somebody told me the reason why a lot of people are angry is because it's not because she is doing the fusion dance, which is not true, by the way. Like they, I definitely saw like post after post on Reddit where people were like super angry that she was doing a fusion. And then that she was doing a fusion and then that, you know, that she was a North Indian doing the fusion. They're like all these different steps.

[00:11:26] But the one thing that really took me aback and I was so uncomfortable as well is when somebody said the reason why people are angry is because she is doing this with an idol of Natraj at the back. And you can't do hip hop with like Natraj on the stage. And I was like, but he's a lot of dance. Like that's just dance, like all dance.

[00:11:56] Like what is so specifically like non-kosher about this particular thing that makes it like, you know, an affront to Natraj. Like I don't get it, but like, it's like every day this country just unlocks another level of religiosity that I'm just like, I have no idea what this means.

[00:12:18] Because I like, like in India, like everyone, like I've seen people like do that thing with the stage, you know, where they like, you know, like touch the stage to their, to their forehead when they go on to like perform. And I've seen like hip hop dancers do it. I've seen like, you know, like everybody, like ballet dancers, like everybody does it, you know. So this idea that only some kinds of dance are okay, that really took me aback.

[00:12:48] But anyway, do you want to hear about the movie? I do, I do. Also want to hear what, how Laksh did basically as a rom-com-y kind of hero. Like he's a little mad, honestly, like, I'm sorry, but he's a little bit of a personality vacuum, isn't he? Like, I mean, he's fine. Like, you know, he's okay. Like, I don't, I didn't hate his performance or anything. But again, I don't know. Sujoy, did you enjoy the man-childness of it all?

[00:13:16] I sort of had a disconnect because the first half is in the whole engineering college and the second half is about them adulting and all those issues. The first half was too, like, unrealistic for me because I have lived that engineering college experience.

[00:13:31] So, yeah, but like apart from the whole fictional angle, because it's a dharma production, it has to be somewhat, even if it's trying to be realistic, Hyderabad college, it's still entering that Archie's territory. It has to be perfectly lit and everybody has to wear, you know, twinning clothes, etc.

[00:13:53] But having said that, I quite enjoyed the first half, the drama and the romance bit because that's kind of our fodder, right? We enjoy Bollywood romance. So I missed that. And I somewhat got that chemistry between the two leads. But I think this is obviously stemming out of the success of Sayara, I would say. And they are trying to emulate that.

[00:14:17] And it misses some of those Mohitsurisms in it, I would say, because it's trying to reach the emotional highs of a breakup and the longing and the misunderstanding, the arguments, the pain of love and all of that, that you typically see in a Mohitsuri movie. And it somehow tries to reach for it, but falls short.

[00:14:43] And you can see it in the writing, in the direction and in the performances as well. And like Lakshia is a great action star. And Kill is one of my favorite action movies that have come out of Bollywood in a very, very long time. But he's not a great crier on screen. And that's where it fails for me. Like the crying scenes have to hit for me. He's not soft boy.

[00:15:11] No, the drama just doesn't deliver. Yeah. I kind of get, though, that he didn't want to go down the action route. Otherwise, you get stuck like Tiger Shroff and Vidya Jama, right? Like you cannot build like an Akshay Kumar kind of career anymore where everybody just gets slotted. So I understand that he very quickly wanted to pivot.

[00:15:37] And I think, I don't think Bads of Bollywood was necessarily action. There was some moments on it, but I wouldn't, you know, it was already breaking kind of that role he was set in. So I understand he took on this role. But I read somewhere that this was basically Sayara and they had to rewrite it. Is that accurate or not at all? No idea. No, it's not. It's not Sayara. I'm thinking of Ashiki, the next Ashiki. That's the one that was very, yeah. Yeah. No, this isn't Sayara.

[00:16:07] This is like two kids. It's like young love. And then young love, you know, breaking us under on the rocks of like adulthood and adulting. But this is what I mean. Like, you know, I'm too old for this because it's like, so they, and this is spoilers. So you can like fast forward a little bit if you don't like spoilers and you plan to watch this movie.

[00:16:33] But basically, they're having like this, you know, this incredible love affair and like the entire college is invested in it the way that, you know, that used to be cute back in the 80s and 90s where like the entire college is like, oh my God, like we like are so into this. But in 2026, it just feels weird when like the entire college is just like, what is wrong with these creepy kids?

[00:17:02] It's so funny because in our college, the people that were together already, they were the biggest losers. We were like, what is going on with these people? Like, are you insane? Are you going to marry the person that you're going out in college? Like, are you crazy? So we were like complete opposite. So like engineering college batches are like great, more than 450 people in one year of college, right? So it's very, very difficult for just two people to be the main characters.

[00:17:32] So that's the whole thing. Like the entire college is the cheerleader for these two people, even the principal included. So that's where the, like I had to suspend all reality checks, like just check it out of the door. So yeah. And then they end up pregnant because they're also idiots. And then they decide to keep the baby. And then understandably, everybody around them is horrified.

[00:18:00] But they're just like, no, no, no. Like you must have this baby. And then they have the baby. And honestly, like I kept waiting the entire second half for something terrible to happen to that baby. Because I was like, oh, like that's, you know, like this is clearly a plot device, right? So this is how the story wants to go to like, you know, these two people being torn asunder by something terrible that happened to their baby.

[00:18:26] Because up until then, it's like, I will do anything for you. And you will do anything for me. And then we'll be like this one unit. And then it just sort of like very artificially becomes like, you know, about the fact that the two of them don't really understand what it means to be an adult. And they find out that they're not like fun adults, you know, they're not like traveling the world and like doing fun things.

[00:18:52] They're just working and taking care of the baby and cooking and cleaning. And, you know, it's just, it's just drudgery. Adulting is hard, basically. Yeah. And it was just so stupid. Like, I really thought that somebody was going to get hurt, like throughout the movie.

[00:19:17] Because beginning of the movie, they make a big disclaimer about, oh, be aware that there are scenes in this movie where people are driving without helmets. And we don't condone that. And then they do a lot of that whilst they are talking to each other and not looking at the road. And I was like, abhi kuch hoga, abhi kuch hoga. Nothing happens. And then they propose, I think they propose on the, on a real train station. And they kiss on the, on the platform. They fall down. Yeah.

[00:19:46] They fall down kissing and the train goes by. And I was like, what the hell is going to happen now? Are they going to, you know, maim themselves or something? And nothing happens. Yeah. And I'm like, okay. There's a, there's a sequence where Laksh is taking the baby out on like a day out. And he's just sort of like showing the baby like a good time. And I was like dreading it because I was just like, oh my God, he's going to like kill the baby. You're like, that's how they're going to, going to break up. And then like nothing happened.

[00:20:15] And I was just like, oh, well. Every time they handled the baby, I was on panic mode. Like they had an actual Michael Jackson moment when he's just holding the baby on the balcony. And I was like, what the hell is going to happen? There are like multiple shots of Lakshya just like holding that baby on the edge of a balcony. And I'm just like, what the hell are you doing? Bring that baby in. Especially because it's very clear that Lakshya is holding a baby for the first time.

[00:20:44] So he's just like, oh my God, it's the baby. And I'm just like, it's going to go drop right over that. Like stop it. Yeah, I didn't enjoy that. I think if that baby angle and like, you know, young people struggling with getting pregnant appeals, I would suggest Margot's Got Money Trouble on Apple TV with Elle Fanning. I talked about it in one of our Patreon videos, but I'm assuming, oh no, I haven't posted it yet.

[00:21:12] But I love that show. It's like eight episodes. It's with Nick Offerman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidna. It's really, really good. And it talks about these kind of struggles. But you have to be like open. I mean, you guys are, but like speaking to the audience towards sexuality because she becomes an Only Fans model. So there's elements that might not be comfortable family watching, but the show is amazing.

[00:21:38] So if that thread of Chan Mera Dil is something that interests you, I would recommend Margot's Got Money Trouble on Apple TV. So, you watched Risham 3. Yes, I did. So we are back into the world of George Kuti. I think, how should I say this?

[00:22:00] As a thriller, which the first two movies are excellent thrillers, this is the weakest one, I would say. And it kind of is like spending some time with these characters back into that world. But as of like a character study drama, I think this delivers. So it depends upon your appetite for either of those things.

[00:22:27] If you're going expecting like another thriller, which will deliver on, you know, twists and turns. There are some, but it's not as strong as the previous two. This is more about where do we go from here? And where is George Kuti now? What is his struggles daily?

[00:22:49] And like the return of some characters of, you know, it's kind of a deconstruction of the hero worship. Like he got away with murder and then he got away with, you know, manipulating the forensic results and got away with everything that followed even. But then he, the hangover of that sin still lives within him.

[00:23:17] So this outdoor like prison that he's built himself to keep his, him and his family safe. What that actually means, how much they have to pay for it basically at the cost of their mental sanity. And they have to go like, they want to get their first daughter married and what that entrails and everything. So there are some supporting characters from the previous movies that come back and all of that.

[00:23:43] So I quite enjoyed it, but it's as a movie, like in the series, it's the weakest one, I would say. But even then I quite, there is a lot to, you know, digest. It talks about the cost of all that George Couttie has done. And there is a promise of a fourth one at the end, which I would be very, very interested to watch.

[00:24:12] Obviously, I really enjoy Mohan Lal performing this. What I realize is that the Ajay Devgan remake is also releasing this year. So I would be interested how the Bollywood version of this would be played. Because I don't think if this is adapted in the same way, people would be happy. Because I think the second, like I don't, like all of them have been muddled in my brain a little bit now. Because there's literally like four and then more, even more versions of it.

[00:24:42] I've just seen four of them. But I know that they adapted the Hindi version of Drisham to more than, like the first one was like straight remake, right? But if I, is it correct that the second one was adapted to like the Hindi audiences a little bit more? Or was it also like a straight remake? Do you remember? I can't. I remember the second one, the Mohan Lal one was a streaming release.

[00:25:11] So we all watched it straight out when it was released. Because it came out during the pandemic. So they didn't have a... I can't remember if I've watched the Ajay Devgan sequel. Yeah, with Akshay Khanna and like Tabu came back. Ah, you must have seen it. But yeah, I don't know. Okay. Okay. Interesting. Are you interested, Amrita? Where do you stand on the Drisham series?

[00:25:39] Yeah, I'll watch it on the... I'll watch it on a platform, like wherever it's being released. You know? Right. I think that's what I'm going to do. Okay. Yeah, I was hoping to go watch this one, but just like life came in the middle and just didn't get a chance. I think there is... I don't know what's happening with releases here. But they have now released something called the cut release. So I don't know if they have...

[00:26:04] Like after the first week of release, they are now on Cineworld and Odeon and stuff. They are screening Drisham 3, the cut release. So I don't know if people raised any issues about the editing. The clean cut release, it's called even, I think. I have no idea what... What does that mean? I have no idea. It's literally the first time I'm seeing this ever happen. So it's really weird. No, it's cut version.

[00:26:34] It's not clean cut. It's cut version. So I don't know what that even means. So I guess they have gone back and edited it? I don't know. Odd. Odd. Yes, so... We should catch it on streaming? Or should we watch the Hindi version first, Sujoy? Or would you recommend? How do we go about it? I mean, the main thing that this version doesn't have is Tabbu in a police officer uniform. Yeah. But then...

[00:27:04] This one does not feature her character at all. Ah, okay. But I think Tabbu just shows up for every Ajay Devgan movie. So she will be there for the Hindi version. So... Hmm. Okay. So streaming? We're at for streaming for this one? I guess you've missed the theatrical window. So do watch the... When it drops on streaming. Yeah. And I guess we will be catching Ajay Devgan in his one.

[00:27:32] He's waiting for that one, I would say, more than us. Yeah. I mean, as soon as the script drops, I think he starts just remaking his version, right? I wonder who the director is going to be if it's not himself this time. I don't know. A movie I watched, I got a chance to watch is... I don't know if you guys had heard of this. The Coit, A Love Story. No. What is that?

[00:27:58] It stars Adhvi Seish, an actor that I didn't know. Mrunal Thakur, an actor I really enjoy. And Anurag Kashyap as the villain. And I think... Is it a... I think... I don't know if it's a Telugu movie or a Tamil movie. I'm not 100% sure, actually. And I'm confusing myself. But I watched... I remember this because I saw Bhardwaj Rangan's review like way back when this was in theaters.

[00:28:28] And he was really positive about this movie. So, you know, you make like a mental check of people that you appreciate their thoughts on cinema. It's like, yeah, I should check it out. And then it dropped on streaming. And... Is this the movie with Mrunal Thakur? Yes. It's the movie. Yes, Mrunal Thakur. Yes, yes, yes, yes. So, it was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi. It was Telugu, yeah. I saw the Telugu version. I didn't even know that it was a Hindi version. Otherwise, I would have switched it.

[00:28:58] But it's a decent movie. Like, I quite enjoyed it, to be honest. Like, I didn't know much except that review that I'd watched ages ago and I'd kind of forgotten. And I honestly went for Mrunal because what I think is funny, is interesting, is obviously there used to be this idea of, you know, big in Japan, right? Like, oh, we flocked in Hollywood. But if you go to Japan, we can be a success, right?

[00:29:27] And I feel that dynamic was somewhere between Bollywood and the South. Like, you know, if you don't make it in Bollywood, you can go down to the South and get, like, a career. And I think that's not the case anymore, right? Like, I would say it's flipped around. Especially with the kind of storytelling, quality of storytelling in Bollywood. And I think Mrunal Tapper is one of those actresses where it becomes the most apparent. Where Bollywood just doesn't know what to do with her.

[00:29:55] Every movie she's been in has been pretty bad. And they haven't been able to use her. Whereas in Telugu cinema, she's had Sita... What's it? Yeah, Sita Ramam. Yeah. Sita Ramam. Haven't seen it, but I heard great things about it. Hey Nana, which I absolutely adore that movie. And now Dacoit, where every scene she is in... And it's not about just the role.

[00:30:23] Bollywood cannot shoot her decently. Like, they don't know how to dress her. They don't know how to shoot her. Here, she is just luminescent. She looks beautiful, amazing. And she's like, her hair is disheffled. She's wearing like, you know, like just regular kurtes. And, you know, she's not dancing in front of Buckingham Palace with a short dress on. But she just looks amazing.

[00:30:47] And it's quite a nice movie about these two people that kind of fall in love. And then they split up. The guy ends up going into jail on false charges. When he comes back, he wants to take revenge on Muran Al's character. Because she's the one that put him in jail. And basically they plan heists, robberies, bank robberies. But it has this thread about intercaste love in there.

[00:31:18] There's this thread about... It's short in COVID. Like, it's supposed to be in COVID. Like, how hospitals in India were just abusing their power. And just, you know, siphoning off money from regular people. And, you know, these kind of things on it. And a few times you think it's going to one place. And it actually doesn't take you there. Which is very surprising. The negative is... I think it's just that...

[00:31:49] Telugu sometimes hero worshipping of the main lead. Which... It's just... It's jarring. It doesn't work with the whole story. Because the focus should really have been on the female character. But I'm not sure that the movie making allows it that way. But I... Like, this is a really... I really like this movie. Like, I was really surprised going in with low expectations. And I... It's not like...

[00:32:17] I'm not going to put this, like, top 10 of my year or anything like that. But, like, just movies we used to make and enjoy that were, like... Time pass. Had a good time. Had, you know, a good lead. A good story. Some thrills. Some love. Some challenges. And, you know... That was the Koi to Love story. And I don't know. It's on Prime streaming. So, if you are looking for something on a Sunday or a weekend watch at home... This is a good time for a couple of hours, honestly. So, yeah.

[00:32:48] I'm putting it back on people's radar. If you haven't thought of the Koi to Love story. But, yeah. But, Amrita, what do you think of my theory about Murraraal? Like... Because... Like, I'm seeing her on the... Hai jawani to ish khona hai toh, right? And I was like, what are they doing with her? Like, I don't understand. Yeah. She's not an ingenue. Like, she's... Like, she's older. And she's...

[00:33:18] Amazonian. Compared to a lot of, you know... The petite men who are leading men. In Bollywood. And I think, like... Genuinely, they don't know what to do with... Women who aren't, like, size zero. And are, like, 16 years old. So... Yeah. I see... I see your point. I'm not, like, a huge Murraraal fan. So, I don't really think about it too much.

[00:33:47] But I can see your point. Because I'm seeing she's been in... Dhamaka. Jersey. Selfie. Gumra. Love Stories 2. Pipa. Well, the most... The more interesting conversation is that she's basically an A-list. Like a... Like an A-minus list, maybe. But, like, an A-list actor in Telugu. Yeah.

[00:34:15] But she is 100% like a lower B, upper C-list actress in Bollywood. And why would she put herself through that? Yeah. That's the thing that I wonder, right? Like, that's... Like, why do you still want that when what you have is much better in a way? Yeah. And I also don't think doing these press tours in Bollywood media helps anybody. Like, it really ends up hurting you in one way or the other. Yeah.

[00:34:45] Unless you're just pulling a... You know, like a very media-trained kind of promotional tour, which she's not able to do, maybe. I don't know. Yeah. But she lands up putting her foot in her mouth quite a bit of time. And then that ends up hurting her. So, I don't understand the moves that they're doing. I don't know what Bollywood wants to do with her. I don't know what she wants to do with Bollywood. Because her work in Telugu cinema has been stellar, in my opinion. So, maybe the paycheck is just better. I don't know. I can't imagine, though.

[00:35:15] I can't imagine, like, being third-run heroine is better paid in Bollywood than, like, the top billing in Telugu. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what the salaries are. Final thing. We watched Zombied or Zombie Eid. I don't exactly know how to pronounce it. Sujoy, how was it feeling? How did you feel supporting Pakistani cinema? Like, our economy has improved vastly. You know, like, school can go. You know, we have more running water again.

[00:35:45] Just because you bought the ticket. Okay. It's a cinema unlimited ticket, but sure. I hope it is support genre cinema, irrespective of the country of origin, to be honest. And I was there to watch Pakistan's first zombie movie. And going into the screening, Asim had already warned, like, it's getting bashed right, left, right and center.

[00:36:12] Like, full Desi crab mentality, right? Crabs in a bucket. Like, you know, just pulling everybody down. It was so hardcore on Pakistani media. Just hating on this movie. And I basically dragged Sujoy and Razia from Bodyward Classic Collection to watch this movie. So, I was, like, myself worried. I was like, what have I done here? It's going to be really bad. But, yeah. Go ahead. Sorry. Yeah. So, I was mentally prepared to at least enjoy the ride.

[00:36:41] And if anything, just laugh at the movie. But I was quite pleasantly surprised that it wasn't half bad. It had all the tropes of the genre. They baked in a love story angle there so that we root for them to survive through the zombie apocalypse. It doesn't necessarily go to apocalyptic levels because they sort of contain it within a particular gym.

[00:37:05] And the story, just the hero and the villain trying to be Mr. Pakistan or whatever. The stakes are so low. It's hilarious that they want to be these muscle guys. And that's the peak of their imagination. And the peak of their ambition. It's so hilarious. And then they have the root cause of the zombie is this imported steroid. Which I'm thinking like, This is also a Ritik Roshan.

[00:37:35] And I'm like, This is a conspiracy. Yeah. They did add a Ritik Roshan take steroids joke in there. Which I thought was, It's a joke I made. So, it's fine. And it was quite hilarious that some, In some scenes, The dialogues are obviously more funny when they talk in Urdu for me. Because Urdu is such a lyrical language. And when they say, Lalat hai,

[00:38:05] Or just abe, It's a lot more hilarious in Urdu. But the one big point that I will give this movie, Is when the zombies start dancing to music. Or reacting to music rather. So, when that happened, I was like, Pakistani zombie dance bhi kata hai. So, that was hilarious. Other than that, Yeah.

[00:38:34] It's all the tropes of a zombie movie. It's quite enjoyable. And I just don't get the immense amount of hate that it's getting online. Everybody's like, This is the worst thing ever. I'm like, Come on guys. What's something else if you don't like this? And move on. Why do you have to pile on all the hate? Yeah. There's better things to do. It's been really interesting. So, this is starring Fahad Mustafa and Mehves Hayat. I think it's first time director Nabil Qureshi was making this movie.

[00:39:03] And it's literally the first zombie movie. And I think it's, I like that they stayed within the genre. And horror is a genre that can lead to smaller budgets and creating big noise. We're seeing this literally now with Obsession and Backrooms being made for tiny budgets. And making, you know, Like historic box office. And beating even Disney movies. You know, Marvel. Disney movies. Sorry. Star Wars movies that have come out the same weekend.

[00:39:32] And I just honestly just wanted to go to, Like a lot of times Pakistani movies will show. But they will show in an area that I don't want to go to or at an evening. Very late screenings. Or like midday screenings on a weekday. Yeah. And this was literally next to my house. I was like, Let's go. I want to see it. And I got worried. But I was really, Really pleasantly surprised. Like I thought it was with the small budget.

[00:39:58] And they're really pushing against the budget to certain points where it really feels like a Velo Sound Studio kind of situation. Where like the gym is just like CGI. Like they're driving on a highway that's like completely CGI generated. And it doesn't even look real. But I think it almost adds to this aspect that this is elevated from reality. Like this is not the real world in any way, shape or form. And I think it kind of adds to that level of storytelling.

[00:40:28] I thought the action scenes, the zombie attack that happens, especially the first one. I thought it was really gruesome and well made. Like it was really well done. Like it gets really gory. And then there's just also this Pakistani humor, which obviously I can appreciate because it's like 50% of my DNA. But the thing is with Pakistani movies, obviously they don't have the budget. But also they don't have the talent pool, right?

[00:40:58] That Indian kind of industry has. Yeah, they don't have that. So there's a lot of actors in there that are really not professional actors. Like you can see it. And there was especially like a few girls and aunties where I was like, why are they even in this? And in the end credits of Rita, there's a section that says Nepo actors. Which I just thought that is like just the most Pakistani thing to do. Which I was like, yeah, it's probably somebody's niece and somebody's cousin.

[00:41:28] And like, you know, she's in there. Like, what are you going to do about it? Like it's Nepo actors. The regional head of Mountain Dew's Chacha Ka Beta or something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, so there's a few sections where they have like really overt product placement of Mountain Dew and I think BYD and a car company and stuff like that. But honestly, it's still done better than a few Varun movies I saw recently where they were like literally had like, you know, pizza boxes and stuff like that. So also Mehmet Sheyat is beautiful.

[00:41:57] Like I think she's like, I had not seen much of her work, but I saw her in Marvel, like Miss Marvel, I think. And then now and I was like, wow. And there's a really nice song in it too. I know a lot of people are saying it's misplaced, but I think it's very like Pakistani pop kind of situation, like a Summer Jafri kind of song, I think. So that I really appreciate it. I think two things that I didn't like as much is A, the sound design is terrible. Like, I don't know if they're dubbing it. It just feels out of sync a lot of times.

[00:42:25] Like, especially when there's a lot of crowd people talking, it just doesn't work at all. They really need a better editor. Like for a zombie movie, it needs to be fast paced. And the sequences are like, what are they even doing? Like they escape from the gym and they end up in a garage and they want to escape with the car. And the hero bangs the car in the front, bangs it in the back and then just leaves the car and just goes. I was like, why was that scene necessary?

[00:42:54] It was the product placement of the car. That was the only reason. I was like, this is insane. And yeah, so editing definitely needs a bit of thing and it might need a bit more elevation in terms of like the bigger set pieces. But again, they're constrained against their budget. I did like the references and they know they're not doing something original. So they're adding a bit of references. So at the end, so there's definitely zombie movies. But there's also Die Hard because they're stuck in one building.

[00:43:24] The helicopter comes and the way the jump happens at the last, how they escape. But the funniest reference was at the end, they just have this Pakistani redone version of Thriller. Because obviously Thriller is a reference to zombies. To zombies. So that is the kind of humor that I can really appreciate. And like if you get a chance to watch Zombie Eid or Zombied, it's a fun time.

[00:43:51] Like I had a great time watching this, especially because I was like, you know, it's Sujoy and Razia. Amrita, if you were here, you would have also enjoyed it. But it's not going to be in your stars, unfortunately, to be able to watch it. It's not waiting for Wallachai. Yeah. China got to watch it first. China got to watch it, you know. Well, did they? Did they release it in China? Yeah, yeah, yeah. They released it in China. But like it didn't do well. Just because it's like marketing was really, really bad.

[00:44:21] Again, these are the things like they have, even if they make a good product, they're stopped in so many other ways, unfortunately. Like they don't have a distribution model. They don't have like access to PR and press and things like that. So it's a lot of things that even if you end up making a good product, there's so many avenues that they just haven't, you know, been able to explore yet, which is a shame. So, but yeah, I thought this was a really good fun time. And I really had fun with Zombie.

[00:44:54] Maybe. But yeah, maybe, you know, Amrita, next time you're in London, we can, you know. Maybe there'll be like a Ramadan special or something. And be like, you know. Also by the whole movie is done on Chandrat. So it's the day like, that's just awesome. I just thought that was hilarious. There was also like one joke that was quite funny. It was, so the zombie attack happens in the gym. And they're like calling the cops saying, you know, zombies are attacking. Obviously the cops don't even know what zombies are.

[00:45:23] Zumba, zombie. And he's like, you know, give me the phone. He's like, sir, there's a party going on. There's drugs and actors. Please come. And then he puts it. He's like, we'll come in two minutes. Yeah. Again, divided by borders, but you know, united by the same level of corruption. So yeah, that was Zombie Eid. Yeah. Check it out if you can.

[00:45:52] It was a fun time. You know what this reminds me of? Like 20 years ago, there was this other Pakistani filmmaker. And I often wonder about like him and like what happened to him and if he's ever made anything since then. But he made a horror movie. It was like, it was billed as like Pakistan's first horror film. And it was called Burka Man. And I remember it came out while I was living in New York. And I didn't get to see it because I didn't want to watch horror.

[00:46:23] And I always like, he got like a write-up in the New York Times. Like I remember like he just really made a play for it, you know? And I always wonder, like, I don't know if anyone else remembers Burka Man. But apparently it was born out of his own. He was like, when he was growing up. Ziba Khana? Is that directed by Omar Ali Khan, the 2007 Pakistani horror and slasher film? Yeah. That's what it is.

[00:46:54] He said it was like... Better known as Burka Man, yeah. Yeah. Because he said that he was always scared of like people in burkas when he was growing up. Because he was like, what are they hiding? It was like, there's something hiding under it. And it was like such a very specific reference. Like I've never forgotten. Like, you know, that write-up that I read. So, anyway. The reality of burkas is like, the only person in my family that ever wore a burka was my nani.

[00:47:23] And my nani was like a very self-spoken woman, you know. Like, she didn't talk a lot. She was very quiet. But she would allow me to have the burka so I could become Batman, basically. I was just like tired. Just like run through the house like a mad person. That's the advantage of being like the firstborn of a very large family. They just allow you to do anything. I remember in her house, like I don't know why this is coming back.

[00:47:51] But like, you know, you had like these action figures and like Heeman and stuff like that. And again, this is my cinematic brain as a six-year-old. I had this idea where I was going to hang like, you know, Phaasi Ka Panda on Heeman. But I hang it on the fan. And then I make the fan run. And nani just allowed me to do this. Insane. Insane situation. So, that's what happens with burka. That's the reality. Nothing else. You know.

[00:48:23] As some cousins listening to this and going like, you. You got everything. No, no. They know I was the favorite. There's no doubt or no discovery here to be had like this. Everybody knows. Yeah, I was Raja Beta. Before the term Raja Beta existed. Okay, guys. I think this is it for this episode. Where can people find you online, Amrita? Oh, now on Twitter. Yes.

[00:48:52] I am back on Twitter. It is the worst. And I have had nothing to say. Like, you know, even though I've been back for like a week. And yeah. Yeah. If you must get in touch with me, then Twitter. But if you'd actually like to talk to me, then like the Patreon is still the best way to do it. Because you can join for as little as a dollar. And we do all sorts of fun stuff there.

[00:49:20] So a little less over the past couple of months. Because I think like we've all been like super busy. But now things are pretty much back to normal. So I think it's fun times at the Khandan Patreon again. Sujoy? You can find me on Instagram at 93K. Where I'm still posting photos and stuff. And I'm doom scrolling on Reddit. And you won't find me there. Yeah. But that's it. And you can follow all our video content.

[00:49:49] Check us out on YouTube at Khandan Podcast. There should be a new London session episode dropping. I think it's about Priyanka Chopra. So check that one out. I don't know if that will go up before or this will go up before. But I'll link either ways. I've also been dropping my Letterboxd videos on Patreon. And I've also done an extra one about the TV shows I've been watching. So that's also a video exclusive for Patreon.

[00:50:17] And you get early access and everything else. And I think, yeah, I already mentioned the Dharundar episode. That will be going up on there too. So catch us on Patreon. Drop us an email at youpodcastingatgmail.com. And thank you for listening. And I'll see you next time.