With unending rains battering the in Chennai and throwing lives in disarray, feel-good content become a requirement to escape the gloom. For the privileged few, monsoon provides the perfect opportunity to curl up and watch a movie. Silverscreen India has picked seven films that are filled with warmth and nostalgia to get you through a glum day. Even if you have watched some of them before, these films are like soup for the soul and are the perfect watch for this season.
The Pursuit of Happyness (Netflix)
Based on the life of stockbroker and motivational speaker Chris Gardner, this biographical drama stars Will Smith and Jaden Smith in the lead. After his partner leaves him, Chris, (Will Smith) a broke salesman, is left alone to take care of their five-year-old son. He works as an unpaid intern at a brokerage firm. When they are evicted from their apartment, they end up on the streets. As they continue to face many hardships, Chris tries to overcome poverty and homelessness to provide for his son.
The Pursuit of Happyness is a heartfelt story about a father who never gives up in the face of adversity to look after his young son.
Mamma Mia! (Netflix)
A young bride, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) decides to use her upcoming wedding as the perfect opportunity to determine who her father is. She invites three men to the event (one of whom she suspects is her father), leaving her mother (Meryl Streep) shocked and nervous.
Set on a fictional Greek island, Mamma Mia! is a live-action musical that features all of the musical group ABBA’s greatest hits. With an ensemble cast and veteran actors like Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep attempting to sing these songs, there is never a dull moment in the film.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Amazon Prime Video)
The first installment in this iconic movie franchise is frequently (re)watched during this season- and rightly so. An eleven-year-old orphan discovers that he is not only a wizard but is also at the center of a great prophecy. He soon joins the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where there are Halloween decorations, Quidditch matches, and gigantic trolls in the bathroom.
Harry’s ups and downs during his first year coupled with his new friendships and experiences, make the film a befitting introduction to the wizarding world.
Dear Zindagi (Netflix)
Starring Alia Bhatt in the lead, this 2016 film is about a twenty-something cinematographer Kaira. After facing relationship and career setbacks, she decides to move to Goa to live with her estranged parents. In a bid to overcome her insomnia and unhappiness, she starts going to therapy and her psychologist Dr. Jehangir (Shah Rukh Khan) helps her gain a fresh perspective on life leading her to reconnect and forge healthy relationships with those around her.
Pa Paandi (Netflix)
Directed by Dhanush, this film follows an ex-stuntman Paandi (Rajkiran) who lives with his son and daughter-in-law. Amidst growing tensions and his yearn for freedom, he embarks on a road trip where he decides to search for his first love Poonthendral (Revathi). The film, which is ultimately a journey of self-discovery, goes back and forth between the past and present highlighting parental relationships, struggles of aging, and the importance of love.
Happy Days (Amazon Prime Video)
Credits: Amazon Prime Video
In this coming-of-age film directed by Sekhar Kammula, eight youngsters join an engineering college in Hyderabad and quickly become friends. With distinct personalities and ambitions, they encounter a variety of struggles including ragging and academics during their four-year degree. The movie is full of heart as it documents the trials and tribulations of realistic characters who turn to each other to get through their college life. With a memorable soundtrack and genuine performances, Happy Days is a relatable and enjoyable depiction of the college experience.
Ustad Hotel (Disney+Hotstar)
Faizal (Dulquer Salman) is at a loss when his father takes away his passport after discovering that he studied culinary arts instead of hotel management. He then travels to Kozhikode where his grandfather owns a hotel and joins him in running the place. However, when a big hotel wants to buy their land, Faizal has to figure out a way to retain his ancestral hotel.
Ustad Hotel is a heartwarming story about the relationship between a grandson and his grandfather and director Anjali Menon fills the film with food references and sequences of the characters renovating the hotel.
