Sheetal
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Heeramandi is making headlines for its expensive sets which took about seven months to create and about 300 beautiful costumes created by designers Rimple and Harpreet Narula. Without doubt, SLB is the master of this genre, but there are many others who are pretty good in recreating the eras that gone by to narrate their stories. Take a lookhellip;
Jubilee (IMDb rating: 8.3/10)
Director Vikramaditya Motwane’s Jubilee is about Indian cinema that belonged to the pre-Independence era. The period drama stars Aparshakti Khurana and Wamiqa Gabbi. Motwane shares a personal connection with that period as his grandfather Harnam Motwane produced a black and white film, titled Andolan, starring Kishore Kumar.
Guns amp; Gulaabs ( 7.7/10)
Starring Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, Adarsh Gourav and Gulshan Devaiah, the series by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK is set in the fictional town of Gulaabganj of the 90s. With lead actors sporting the 90’s haircut, especially Gulshan Devaiah with his long mullet hair, passes off as young Sanjay Dutt from his Sajan era. There are many elements that evoke nostalgia — Rajkummar Rao chasing his love interest who rides a moped, school children singing the hit song Waiting for a Girl Like You and people sipping Coca Cola from a glass bottle!
The Railway Men ( 8.5/10)
Based on the Bhopal Gas tragedy in 1984, this limited series brings back the memories of an unfortunate event in India’s history while saluting the unnamed heroes who saved thousands of lives. The Netflix original stars Kay Kay Menon, R Madhavan, Babil Khan and Divyenndu. It marked the directorial debut of Shiv Rawail, who has recreated that era and the place well.
Rocket Boys ( 8.9/10)
This web series captures the time when India became a nuclear nation, thanks to scientists Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai. This period series keeps the viewers hooked with two seasons. Actor Jim Sarbh was also nominated in the Best Performance by an Actor category at the International Emmy Awards for playing Homi J Bhabha in the series.
Scam 2003: The Telgi Story (7.9/10)
Hansal Mehta offered a gem when he first made the web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story. The series became an instant grosser on streaming service. Last year, Mehta released a sequel based on Abdul Karim Telgi’s rise from a fruit seller to the kingpin of the stamp paper scam. The timeline goes from 1990s when he first discovered a way to sell fake stamps to the peak period in late 1990s to when it all came down with multiple court cases from 2001-2007.
Trial by Fire ( 7.7/10)
This series takes the viewers back to the 1997 Uphaar tragedy as it narrates the ordeal of parents who fight for justice after losing their children. Set in the era when single screen theates ruled, it s a story of loss, resilience and hope. The series is a must-watch because of Rajshri Deshpande and Abhay Deol’s perrmace.
Khakee: The Bihar Chapter
( 8.2/10)
Set in Bihar in the mid-2000s, Khakee is adapted from IPS officer Amit Lodha’s book, The Bihar Diaries. It seeks to decode the landscape in which it is set. It is the true account of how Bihar’s most dangerous criminal was arrested. It takes place between 2000 and 2006. The series chronicles Lodha’s (Karan Tacker) postings across Bihar and also Chandan Mahto’s (Avinash Tiwary) climb from a truck driver to the most feared mobster. It captures the environment of Bihar in those times pretty well.
Similarly, Maharani is another story that travels back in time to bring back the memory of class divide that infiltrated deep in the veins of Bihar politics.
Sultan of Delhi ( 5.5/10)
With Sultan of Delhi, director Milan Luthria moves back in time to tell gangster story that is set in 1960s Delhi. It is adapted from author Arnab Ray’s book Sultan Of Delhi: Ascension.