Quick Picks: Writer & Journalist Rumnique Nannar

This week we feature the current favorites and obsessions of Rumnique Nannar, communications coordinator at the Wilderness Committee and a writer, whose work has appeared in Buzzfeed India, Jugni Style, Bitch Magazine, and Empire. When she’s not binging on new Indian web-series or re-watching shows she’s seen way too much, you can find her talking up her passion for Bollywood, films, and music on Twitter.

1. Parekh & Singh’s Ocean

I recently discovered this Kolkata dream-pop duo after reading a profile of them in The Guardian, where they were heralded as “the pop princes at the forefront of India’s new wave…with not a sitar or tabla in sight.” I was curious about their sound, since I do tend to love brown artists that like to sample Bollywood or integrate some South Asian instrumentation from M.I.A to Anik Khan. Their album, Ocean, has been on repeat on my Spotify list all this week, as it’s incredibly hummable and uplifting. Their video for “I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll” has a Wes Anderson vibe to it, as the two wander around a mansion in bright blue and mustard suits. Ocean is definitely an album to check out if you want to be transported away with lilting melodies and vivid lyrics.

2. Koffee with Karan Season 5

Move over Kardashian-Jenner clan, my Sunday nights are usually spent watching Bollywood celebs act evasive, drop innuendo frequently, and feign diplomacy when talking about others. Karan Johar’s latest season is ridiculous and riotous with Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor roasting the host over his nosiness, or Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput talking up the advantages of an arranged marriage. It’s completely fluffy, but a much-needed cheer-up to end the week.

koffee.karan

3. Om Puri

I’m still thinking about the loss of Om Puri, a stunning actor who paved the way for crossover talent in a huge way. I think of the small nuances like his broad Lancashire-Pakistani accent in East is East, his charming chemistry with Helen Mirren in The Hundred-Foot Journey, or his pained recitation of Mahabharat poem in Ardh Satya. Om Puri was indelible and leaves behind an amazing body of work that straddles all genres of cinema.

4. All the Indian Web-Series

There’s been a huge proliferation of Indian web-series available online, which offers a realistic and fresh alternative to the saas-bahu dramas you find on Zee TV or Star World. Leading the way are TVF who’ve done shows like Permanent Roommates about the trials and tribulations of a couple adjusting to a live-in relationship, or Tripling, where three distant siblings go on a road trip and reconnect. Even big production houses like Yashraj are joining the brigade. My particular favorite is Ladies Room, where two best friends get into wild situations and debrief their lives in the women’s washroom. I’m really enjoying wherever this television revolution is going.

The Aerogram