I picked the Malayalam movie Ithiri Neram randomly last weekend. I usually choose movies based purely on my mood. Because of that, I often ignore films or dramas that are trending or getting a lot of attention. Sometimes I simply may not be in the mood for that genre.
Ithiri Neram had been sitting in my watchlist for quite some time. After my North East trip, I suddenly felt like watching something slow-paced and centered on human interactions. I wanted a quiet Malayalam film that focuses more on emotions than plot twists. Ithiri Neram seemed perfect for that kind of weekend watch.
The story deals with a slightly controversial theme. It follows a married man who reconnects with his college flame. In a way, it reminded me of the Tamil movie 96, but almost in reverse.
Because the story revolves around a married man who still carries unresolved feelings for his ex, the film creates an unusual emotional conflict for the viewer. You enjoy the crackling chemistry (a type of chemistry that conveys a lot through eye contact) between the lead pair, yet at the same time you feel a sense of guilt. You cannot help but think about the wife, who has no idea what her husband really feels about their marriage. According to him, that “special feeling” is missing in the marriage. This aspect of the story also became a point of debate among viewers. Some felt that the movie glorified an extramarital emotional connection. But I don’t think movies always need to function as a vehicle for social messaging. Cinema is also a space to tell stories about human emotions, even the uncomfortable ones.
And the truth is, the idea that someone may still carry feelings for an old love is not unrealistic. It may not be something people openly admit, especially after marriage. But it is a very human experience that exists quietly in many lives.
The chemistry between the two leads is undeniable. Their conversations and silences pull you in emotionally. At times it feels like the film quietly pushes the audience into rooting for something that is not right.
Once you reach your 40s, you also start realizing something uncomfortable. Chemistry is rare. You may settle down with someone you deeply respect and care for. The relationship can be stable and supportive. Yet, like Anish in the film, you might sometimes feel that something extra is missing. That “extra” could be a kind of chemistry you once experienced in the past and have been searching for ever since.
Over time, many people choose stability over chemistry. And in many ways, that decision makes sense. Life cannot run on chemistry alone. Intense chemistry can also bring strong emotions that are hard to manage, and that intensity can sometimes destabilize relationships.
Roshan Mathew and Zarin Shihab deliver beautiful and natural performances. Their screen presence carries the emotional weight of the story very well. The comedy relief also works nicely and matches my kind of humor. I genuinely enjoyed those lighter moments.
The supporting cast adds good balance to the film. Performances by Nandu and Anand Manmadhan help keep the story light so that the emotional tension never becomes overwhelming.
If you enjoy slow movies that focus on relationships, nostalgia, and complicated emotions, Ithiri Neram might be worth adding to your watchlist.
Ithiri Neram is currently streaming on Prime Video.
For me, the best part of travel is rarely just the destination. It is almost always the people I meet along the way. Sometimes they are fellow Indians I happen to run into while traveling abroad. Other times, they are locals who live there. Either way, travel experiences often become more meaningful because of the people you unexpectedly connect with.
It always amazes me how you can visit a completely new place and instantly click with someone. Someone you had almost zero chance of meeting in your life. Someone you may never meet again. There is something both beautiful and bittersweet about that.
For a brief moment, you feel understood. You find a kind of ease in being yourself. It makes you wish there was someone like that back home. A friend with whom conversations flow naturally, and silence is comfortable. But when the trip ends, you leave with the quiet realization that a part of that connection belongs to that place and moment. And you need to regrettably acknowledge and accept that fact and move on.
Now that I am back in India after my trip to the North East, I realize something interesting. What stays with me is not the destination or the sightseeing. It is the people I connected with during my travels. The random conversations, the shared laughter, and the small moments that made the journey special.
Those encounters also reminded me of something important. Even in my 40s, making new friends is still very much possible. Travel has a funny way of proving that meaningful connections can happen at any stage of life.
Of course, we can stay connected online. Social media and messaging apps make it easy to keep in touch with people you meet while traveling. But it is never quite the same as meeting someone face to face. There is a kind of chemistry in real-life interactions that online conversations cannot fully capture. The smiles, the sparkle in someone’s eyes, the playful teasing, the expressions, and the shared energy of the moment.
That is one reason why travel feels both rejuvenating and humbling. It lifts you into a small dreamlike bubble for a while. You feel lighter, freer, and more open to people and experiences.
But eventually, every trip ends. You leave that bubble behind and return to everyday life. Routine, work, responsibilities, and schedules slowly start filling your days again. Your mind may not be fully ready for reality for a few days. Part of you is still wandering through those travel memories.
Life, however, has a gentle way of bringing you back to the familiar. Slowly, day by day, you settle back into your usual rhythm. The memories of the trip remain, but over time they soften. The details blur a little. The feelings become less intense.
So I’m thinking of making this a regular feature on the blog. I usually have slightly contrarian takes on most news stories anyway, so putting them together in a quick post feels like a good idea. Think of this as a simple roundup where I share my thoughts on a few current issues making headlines.
Here’s today’s quick take.
Iran–US/Israel War
The ongoing Iran–US–Israel conflict is dominating global news. From what I am seeing online, most Muslims and leftists appear to be supporting Iran in this war. The primary reason is Iran’s long-standing pro-Palestine position and its support for Palestinian causes and groups.
However, in my opinion, Iran is equally in the wrong for dragging Gulf countries into this conflict.
Iranian officials have said they are only targeting US bases in the region. But the reality seems very different. Civilian infrastructure is being hit, and innocent people have lost their lives. That cannot be justified.
At this point, it is important to acknowledge responsibility on both sides. The US and Israel are certainly to blame for starting the conflict, hitting a girl’s school, and causing massive damage and loss of civilian lives. At the same time, Iran also bears responsibility for expanding the war into countries in the GCC.
Several Gulf countries had already assured Iran that their land would not be used to attack Iran. Yet they are now facing retaliation simply because US bases exist on their soil.
Personally, this issue also feels close to home because I have relatives living in the GCC. It is extremely unsettling to see those countries becoming targets when they are not directly part of the conflict.
At the same time, expecting these countries to suddenly remove US military bases is not practical. Those bases exist largely as a security arrangement, especially considering long-standing tensions with Iran.
Instead of taking sides in this Iran–Israel–US conflict, the best outcome would simply be for all parties involved to step back and find a way to de-escalate the situation before it gets worse.
Monalisa’s Interfaith Marriage in Kerala
Another story that caught attention recently is the marriage of Monalisa Bhosle, the viral Kumbh Mela girl, who married her Muslim partner in Kerala.
On the surface, this is good news. Two people who liked each other decided to get married. Interfaith marriages should not automatically be seen negatively.
At the same time, it is natural to feel a little concerned about the girl’s situation. From what we know publicly, she did not receive much formal education and appears quite naive. The relationship reportedly developed online, and the couple had known each other for only around six months, when the girl was still a minor, before deciding to get married. The guy, as per reports, is 7-8 years older than her. That combination can make anyone a bit worried, regardless of religion.
Kerala already has a controversial reputation in some circles. Because of that, it felt unnecessary for state government officials to publicly participate in what was essentially a private wedding ceremony.
If, unfortunately, the marriage faces problems in the future (I hope not), the same incident could easily be used to criticize Kerala again.
A more mature approach by Kerala’s state government would have been to stay away from the public spotlight while offering quiet support if needed. Not every personal decision needs to be turned into a political or symbolic event.
Kavya Maran and Abrar Ahmed
The next topic is from the cricket world.
Kavya Maran’s decision to include Pakistani cricketer Abrar Ahmed in her Hundred League team, Sunrisers Leeds, has sparked debate among fans. Given the current political climate between India and Pakistan, reactions were bound to be strong.
But there is another angle to this story that people are not discussing enough.
In February 2026, reports suggested that league members were warned of strict action if there was any discrimination against Pakistani players.
So one possible explanation is that Kavya Maran was simply trying to follow league rules.
Other team owners may have quietly avoided selecting Pakistani players, but technically that could still be seen as discrimination if the league had issued such warnings.
I can somewhat relate to this situation on a psychological level. Many of us have experienced moments where we strictly follow rules, while others casually ignore them and face no consequences.
To be clear, this is not meant as a justification for selecting a Pakistani player. As an Indian, I stand with my country. But it may explain the thinking behind the decision.
Sometimes people are simply trying to stay within the rules, even when others around them are not.
I knew I would be watching Accused on Netflix the moment I saw the lead pair: Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Ranta. I have always liked both actors, so that alone was reason enough to hit the play button. But what really caught my attention was the theme of queer romance. In Indian cinema, stories about same-sex relationships are still relatively rare, which makes films like this especially interesting.
Over the past few years, India has slowly begun opening up to conversations about LGBTQ+ relationships. What once felt shocking to mainstream audiences is gradually becoming part of everyday discussion. That change did not happen overnight. It is the result of efforts from many sides: legal changes like the decriminalization of homosexuality in India, activists who have spent years spreading awareness, and filmmakers who are willing to tell stories about queer love on screen. Because of that collective push, movies exploring same-sex romance are finding space in Indian cinema.
I still remember when the Malayalam movie Kaathal: The Core was released. It remains one of the Malayalam films I feel proud of. I saw its impact firsthand at a family event we attended around that time. Some of my elderly relatives actually began discussing the theme of the film. It was clear they were still a bit uncomfortable talking about homosexuality, but the conversation itself was a big step. What surprised me most was that a few of them were able to acknowledge that homosexuality is real and not something a person can simply control or change. And the reason they were willing to even consider that perspective was simple: Mammootty was part of the film. Seeing an actor from their own generation portray such a character helped normalize the topic for them.
That moment reminded me of the real impact cinema can have. Movies are not just entertainment. Sometimes, they quietly open the door to conversations that people would otherwise avoid.
Getting back to the movie in question, Accused begins on a fast-paced note. The opening pulls you in immediately, and there is enough intrigue to keep you watching as the story unfolds. For a while, the film manages to hold that tension well. Unfortunately, the narrative loses some of its strength towards the end, and the impact is not quite as powerful as the beginning promised.
That said, the performances are a big highlight. Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Ranta are both wonderful to watch. Pratibha, in particular, looked great throughout the film. I even found myself noticing her earrings more than once. She has mostly been seen in village girl roles so far, so it was refreshing to see her play a modern, city girl in this Netflix film. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more stories featuring her.
Konkona, as expected, delivers a strong performance. Her character is aggressive, ambitious, and very clear about what she wants. She does not soften her words to make others comfortable, and that confidence makes her come across as a true “boss girl” personality. At the same time, the film also shows how women like her often end up being judged or disliked for the same qualities that would be admired in men.
Overall, Accused starts off as a gripping Netflix drama with an interesting queer romance angle and strong performances. Even though the ending feels a bit underwhelming, the film is still worth watching for its lead actors and the way it brings conversations about same-sex relationships in India to a wider audience.
I finally watched The Kerala Story 2 trailer because the noise around it became impossible to avoid. I had stayed away from watching it till then, hoping we would collectively ignore it.
The trailer begins with a call to “convert India into a Muslim nation.” That kind of rhetoric comes from extremist outfits like PFI, not from everyday Muslims. It’s in PFI’s “India 1947” doctrine, available online. But the moment a film shows Islamist extremists, people immediately react as if the entire Muslim community is being insulted. That jump is what frustrates me. The trailer is clearly about extremists, not ordinary people (also confirmed by the makers).
I keep seeing reels saying, “Where in Kerala is this? This is nothing like Kerala.” Exactly. It is not about the regular Muslims we meet every day. It is about fringe groups.
When the movies, Bombay or Empuraan, showed Hindu extremists attacking Muslims, no one claimed the film insulted all Hindus, and that it was an insult to Bombay and a generalization. When films show fringe Hindutva groups, we do not accuse the filmmakers of attacking every Hindu. So why is criticism of Islamist extremism treated as an attack on Muslims as a whole? This inability to separate ideology from community makes any honest conversation impossible. And political groups thrive on that confusion.
I thought the film would be ignored this time. I watched the trailer only to understand the hype. Otherwise, I would not have bothered. And once again, the makers got free publicity because controversy sells.
The director’s NDTV interview
In an NDTV interview, the director was asked why he named it after Kerala again even though the film covers incidents in multiple states. His answer was very simple. He said he got attention for the first film because of the name “Kerala.” So he used it again to get the same effect. It was a marketing strategy. And we fell for it.
He also mentioned that the film connects certain cases to networks like Chhangur Baba’s. According to him, these networks have a specific goal in mind. Again, he presented this as the reasoning behind the storyline, not as a statement on all Muslims.
The song and the real-life cases
The song O Maayi Ri, sung beautifully by Shreya Ghoshal, reminded me of the emotional interviews with the mothers of victims (some notable victims include Nimisha, Sonia Sebastian, and Merrin Jacob). They begged for their daughters to be brought back from ISIS camps in Afghanistan. The girls, as per officials, were too radicalized to be brought back home. No country easily brings back citizens who have a soft corner for a terror group. Many countries around the world refuse repatriation because of national security concerns.
And Kerala has had some troubling conversion-related cases too.
There is the case of Sona Eldhose, who was allegedly forced to go to Ponnanifor conversion.
There is also the story of Kamala Surayya, discussed in the book The Love Queen of Malabar. According to the book, she was encouraged to convert with the promise of marriage made by a mainstream political figure. Once she converted, he backed away. The book also mentions foreign funding from the Gulf that influenced the situation.
These cases do not define Kerala as a state, but they exist. They cannot be erased from the larger conversation.
Kerala’s habit of defending itself too quickly
What irritates me is how quickly Keralites jump into defensive mode. The moment someone brings up extremist incidents or conversion cases, people post “This is the real Kerala story” along with photos of communal harmony and Onam celebrations. Those moments are beautiful, but they do not cancel out the darker stories. Kerala can be progressive and safe while still having pockets of extremism. That duality is real. Acceptance does not mean defamation. In fact, acceptance is the first step toward accountability.
My issue with the beef discourse
Beef in Kerala has become a political symbol. I eat beef, but I am not here to prove that “I am a Hindu who eats beef. I’m so cool.” I am also not going to claim that Hindus who eat beef are not real Hindus. Those extremes mean nothing to me.
There are actual cases of people being forced to eat beef by partners or relatives. A basic online search shows plenty of such stories. So mocking that scene in the trailer becomes insensitive because coercion is not fictional for some people.
What makes the discourse more insensitive is the constant use of beef as a political prop in Kerala. Historically, beef has been used to hurt Hindu sentiments and harass certain groups. As someone who eats beef, I have never felt proud of it in a political sense. It is food. We can all eat what we like, but weaponising it feels disrespectful.
Even the MSF, the youth wing of the Muslim League, called out the SFI beef fests happening on campuses. They said it is insulting to those Hindus in Kerala who consider beef unholy. They added that they themselves would find it offensive if there were pork fests. Whether political or not, they made a fair point. Sensitivity should work both ways.
The political angle behind the controversy
This is something I have been observing closely. In my opinion, the controversy did not naturally explode. It was amplified politically. The first major reaction came from CM Pinarayi Vijayan on X. Once he reacted, his supporters followed, and the discussion spiralled from there.
I believe his response was a political strategy to position himself as the protector of secularism in Kerala. He had lost support earlier due to his association with Vellapally Natesan and also the Sabarimala gold case. His tweet seemed carefully framed as the Kerala election is near. He even highlighted that Kerala has not seen any communal riots in the last ten years, which also happens to be the period during which he served as Chief Minister.
Whether intentional or not, the film’s visibility multiplied because of this political reaction.
Why the title still annoys me
The title “Kerala Story Goes Beyond” suggests that Kerala is some central hub of Islamist extremism, which is simply not true. Kerala is safe. Hindus are safe. Fringe groups exist, but the narrative of “Hindu genocide” is false.
At the same time, filmmakers have always used region names to provoke reactions. Movies like Bombay did not lead anyone to generalise the entire city. Shows like Delhi Crime did not make people say Delhi is entirely unsafe.
But names like Kashmir or Kerala grab attention instantly. Filmmakers know this. It is part of the business. And audiences fall for it every single time.
Final thoughts
Kerala has many stories of harmony, culture, and peaceful coexistence. But Kerala also has some unsettling stories involving extremism, manipulation, and political strategy. Both realities can exist together. Loving a state does not mean denying the uncomfortable parts. Real progress and intellect come from honest acknowledgement.
I started watching the Turkish drama Yali Capkini (Golden Boy) on Amazon Prime (MX Player) for a very simple reason. The lead pair looked good. I honestly assumed I would drop it after a few episodes because good looks alone rarely keep me hooked. Chemistry matters. A solid storyline matters. Surprisingly, Yali Capkini seems to tick every box so far.
This is the first time I am watching a Turkish series, and it gave me a small window into how Turkish Muslims live. It feels very different from what we usually see in Indian society, where things tend to be more conservative. Turkish culture comes across as more liberal, and a lot of that credit goes to Atatürk’s reforms, which pushed women’s rights forward. The show reflects that beautifully. Women face no criticism for dressing modernly, can speak up for themselves, and aren’t afraid to assert their rights. At the same time, the drama also shows conservative families who believe women should stay home and raise children. One scene shows a father accusing his daughter of being a disbeliever just because she drew a Christmas tree. In Pakistani dramas, the word “kafir” gets thrown around easily, but from what I’ve seen here, it isn’t normalised in Turkish shows. In fact, later, you see characters happily celebrating Christmas trees and decor.
If you plan to watch Yali Capkini, keep a box of Baklava ready. There are so many references to the sweet that you will start craving it instantly. I highly recommend trying Swaadesi Baklava, which should be available in most local Indian stores and also online. In the show, coffee and Baklava feel like supporting characters. They show up during happy moments and sad ones. Just like how many of us enjoy a cup of chai on a rainy day, the characters in this drama keep turning to their coffee and Baklava at any time of the day.
Now, coming to the main characters. Ferit, played by Mert Ramazan Demir, has to be one of the most toxic characters I have ever seen in a drama or movie. Since Yali Capkini’s story is written by a psychiatrist, the male character’s behaviour feels layered and too realistic at times. He is the kind of partner who says “So what?” when you tell him he hurt you, yet he reacts strongly if you give him the same treatment. His emotional manipulation, hot and cold behaviour, and constant lying create a type of rage that builds up inside you. His words sting more than any physical act. Anyone who has ever dealt with a toxic partner would relate, and this applies to both women and men who have experienced suffocating or manipulative relationships. The way most female characters in the drama react to disrespect is infuriating, but it is still close to reality. We all know someone who tells women to “adjust” or “compromise” to keep the relationship going.
The female lead, Seyran, played by Afra Saraçoğlu, is stunning, with eyes that instantly remind you of Aishwarya Rai. She is fiery, refuses to accept injustice, and that naturally irritates Ferit and his family, who are used to submissive women. She is easily the best performer in the show and delivers every scene with perfection.
There are very less feel-good scenes here. The series feels like pure rage bait. Still, it keeps you hooked. I haven’t completed it yet because Season 1 alone has more than 100 episodes. Then there is Season 2 and 3. I am not sure I will finish everything if the constant toxicity gets too irritating, but for now, I still have the motivation to continue.
Yali Capkini is available in both Turkish and Hindi on Amazon and MX Player. The English subtitles aren’t perfect, and sometimes don’t make any sense, but I still recommend watching it with subtitles rather than switching to the Hindi dub. The Hindi audio uses overly respectful language even when characters talk to someone younger, and it takes away from the natural flow of the scenes. That was my only issue.
The Monkey Dilemma 
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