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Foreword

Web series on streaming platforms have warranted a far more emotional investment both for actors in the cast and from the viewers who would try and get involved in the characters. Their sequels, however, are rarely as engrossing as the original first season of episodic developments. And for the same reason, I, for one, am a tad sceptical about watching successive seasons with as much enthusiasm as I am for the preceding ones. Unless it is ‘Made In Heaven’.

Made in Heaven Season 2

This series is a compelling watch and though there isn’t anything spectacularly novel about its storyline, the production values, immaculate writing and superb acting by the entire cast makes it riveting. It represents what present-day India is all about. Conservative on the one hand and modern in many ways with progressive mindsets of traditional people who face conflicting ideas to deal with at every step.

In good news for fans, Season 2 of ‘Made In Heaven’ is returning with a bevy of beautiful brides, including Mrunal Thakur, Radhika Apte and Shibani Dandekar who look stunning in glittering bridal attire. The show is set against the backdrop of Indian weddings and the trials and triumphs that these weddings bring with them.

Prime Video teased exclusive pictures of the brides, who also include Sarah Jane-Dias, Naina Sareen, Elnaaz Norouzi, Kallirroi Tziafeta, Zayn Marie Khan, and Sheena Khalid in glamorous bridal attires from the show.

Prime Video said on Instagram ‘We’re all set to welcome the brides and attend the Made In Heaven weddings, again. #MadeInHeavenOnPrime S2, Aug 10!”

While Mrunal is looking dazzling in a red lehenga, and adorned with a pretty gold necklace with henna design on her hands, Radhika is a smiling Maharashtrian bride, with garland and gold jewellery.

Shibani looks feisty as she arrives on...

It’s a truism that satire is the sharpest way of critiquing society’s problems. Make an audience laugh as well as think, and you’ve hit your mark. The trick is knowing how deep to dig while finding that perfect balance of sly humor with unforced, sharp-eyed commentary.

Prateek Vats’ unpretentious debut “Eeb Allay Ooo!” largely gets the equation right, using the amusing antics of a guy hired to shoo away New Delhi’s pesky monkeys to address the capital’s toxic power dynamics. It could however have gone a bit further by using boisterous scenes showing National Day celebrations not just as a soft-pedaled push against the Modi government’s polarizing nationalist rhetoric but a more pointed jab at the ruling party’s poisonous propaganda. Instead, Shubham’s generally praiseworthy script errs on the side of caution, focusing on the protagonist’s personal exasperation and wrapping it up with an ambiguous final scene.

Matteo Garrone’s “Pinocchio,” starring Roberto Benigni, will have its international premiere at the 70th Berlin Film Festival the event announced Tuesday as new artistic director Carlo Chatrian unveiled the first titles for his debut edition.

“Pinocchio” will play as part of the Berlinale Special Gala section, which replaces the Out of Competition category.

Chatrian, who co-heads the Berlinale with executive director Mariette Rissenbeek, said: “Garrone succeeds in re-telling the well-known story with his very own world of images. Although he is faithful to Carlo Collodi’s ideas, he has nevertheless created a very personal Pinocchio that is much more cheerful than we’ve experienced before.”

The first films selected for the Panorama, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, Generation and Forum Expanded sections were also announced (links attached).

Among other titles, Michael Stütz, the new head of the Panorama section, has picked films by Faraz Shariat (“No Hard Feelings”), Uisenma Borchu (“Black...