Badman5

I rented this because I like Nandita Das and Rahul Bose and the synopsis on Netflix said it was an "opus" with a different take on Bollywood. What we got was shoddy acting, camera-work, cinematography, editing, directing, and not a single redeeming factor. Even the screen colors change randomly. The story begins and ends on a whim. The concept of narrative thread is apparently lost on the director and any similarities to "Run Lola Run", while intentional, do injustice to the classic in this horror freak-show. Rahul and Nandita would have been better utilized in a school play. I could have sworn that this movie was made by a four-person crew, two of whom were stoned. Bad movie. Bad bad movie. And I'm the kind of person who likes bad Indian movies.

This Indian comedy series came on Doordarshan in the late 80s, early 90s, when high-end production sets and the juggernaut of cable networks had yet to infiltrate the Indian public. Surprisingly, the series was incredibly funny and served up satire a la Jaspal Bhatti of the then social situations. Each week was a different plot and different characters, unlike the running TV serials of today and the 'Hum Panch' variety. Bhatti's veritable genius then is incomparable even in today's light. He wrote, directed and acted on the show along with his wife and several regular cohorts. The series always dealt with current issues with a subversive edge on comedy and surprisingly, very little buffoonery. A classic episode is the one dealing with renters and landlords. Must see Hindi TV.

An unconventional and surreal 'reaction to Bollywood' as the film calls itself, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai is an unconventionally comedic and serious movie with the main character who is a Ad writer in Bombay, with a cop girlfriend and a gangster best friend. The plot is decent, and so is the acting. The dialogues are quite amusing in a subtle and intelligent way, so rare for any bollywood flick. I expected to see an independent-style gangster production with profanity and more-than-needed violence, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. Could have been better, but a good rent if you're sick of the the regular overdramatic/romantic/too serious crap that comes out.