What are we all watching?

I, for one, can't name a single new Hindi comfort watch. Why is a vivid vampire flick the best thing I can currently recommend?

- Deepanjana Pal

The other day, our family doctor put me on the spot. "Got any movie or show recommendations, preferably in Hindi?" he asked. This shouldn't be a challenge in the age of streaming, but I could only sit there and gawp. So far, 2025 has been trying for those of us expected to serve up menus of options to fans of Hindi entertainment.

Regional cinema has delivered satisfying watches such as Alappuzha Gymkhana (Malayalam), the story of young, aspiring boxing champions. Sharmila Tagore delivered a standout performance in Puratawn (Bengali for Ancient), about a mother, a daughter and an 80th birthday party.

Titles like these stand distinctly apart from the listings out of Bollywood.

Even if excess, spectacle and gloss are all your heart desires, there hasn't been much to choose from. Chhaava has been the biggest hit of the first quarter, but to recommend any of the Hindi films released so far this year is to risk one's credibility.