Alex

Netflix's Leila is a work of fiction which will soon become a reality of India if we don't stop with the Andhbhakti. Deepa Mehta has been known for making films on controversial subjects and as always she is spot on with the portrayal of 2047's India in the web series. although I believe she is a bit too weak at calculation, because at the pace we're moving, we won't have to wait till 2047 for it. it's coming! The water crisis depicted in the series is also a frightening but a real challenge that India may have to face in the very near future if we don't mend our ways (please save water, it's a request). most of us didn't even know there has also been a novel with the very name that this series is based on. since not all of us have a thing for reading novels, Deepa Mehta took the pain of making a web series on it as web series is the latest trend in town. Little did she know, she herself is living in today's Aryavart. Anyways, Leila is an ugly truth we can not deny or turn our pretty face from, unless you're one of those who caused it. it's a tiny but a brave and laudable step taken in the right direction and I believe given the current conditions, a lot of these need to be made and reach audience on a much larger scale. I'd say, if you REALLY love your nation, watch it. if you don't have access to Netflix, subscribe to it or simply buy the novel and do read it. trust me, it's worth every single penny.

the web series is good, although a tad bit stretched making it sloppy and only 40% of it is true. other than that it's nothing but a failed attempt at cleaning the dirty image of Delhi Police. anyone who has been through Police business knows how the police works. the father of the real victim refused to watch the screening or the series. the top cop at that time said "only about 50-60% of the film is true, rest is fictionalized." well that says all I guess.

it starts off as a solid murder mystery with all the perfect ingredients, but somewhere down the line loses its original plot and ends up more like the biopic of a gangster who was left to rot in jail. Performance wise, Meeta Vashishth, Pankaj Tripathi, Jackie Shroff and somewhat layak(idk his real name) too impress. most people say that Pankaj Tripathi's performace was the best. well, I beg to differ, I think Meeta Vashishth steals the show single handedly. as soon as her character leaves, the web series slows down and become less intersting(not entirely dull though) plot wise, it's just another murder mystery that we're used to of watching in Indian cinema. the guy meets girl, they both get drunk, the girl dies, guy wakes up to her dead body, then he flees, ends up in police station and they put him behind bars...nothing new per se. the lack of experience in making a good web series especially a crime thriller in director's work shows here and there that makes it more and more badly remade version of an already hit show in the UK. they may have successfully borrowed the name off a West's show, but they fail to live upto it standards..true story! it's not like what you have seen on CSI or NCIS from Hollywood.. it's purely an Indian version of Manhattan clam chowder. it is a clam chowder, just Indian style with all the tadkas and masala.. you can't just experiment with everything. there are quite a few things that seem unnecessarily shoved down your throat like, the parallel story of the male protagonist's sister's marriage gone bad. the Eczema, 2 girls using the controversy to their benefit etc. although Eczema helps Pankaj Tripathi stand out from the crowd(literally). the "language" used in the show is almost family friendly. if you live in a MODERN city like Delhi, Chandigarh or Mumbai, the language shouldn't be much of a problem. there are BC, MC, BSDK etc a couple of times, nothing unnecessary though. the court hearing featuring Meeta Vashishth is worth every single penny. that is the most interesting part of the whole series and you'd love it. if you pay attention, you'd be easily able to tell who did what by the end of 7th episode. which implies that the director fails to keep the mystery intact until the very end. there's no nudity in it which makes it watchable for almost every age group. but if you're a fan of Games Of Thrones or Narcos, you're in for a disappointment. it's India and we have a long way to reach to that point where we can comfortably watch and show nudity on TV.

nothing but a failed attempt at creating the good ol' Harry Potter magic. clearly shows how JK Rowling ran out of work as soon as a fluke Harry Potter ended. so she decided to write sheer bullcrap just so ends could meet. well that's all it was, a fluke. because if JK Rowling were really that great of a writer, how come the world only knows her for the HP Series and nothing else? anyways, it's not at all what the whole HP series was all about. more like a rip off instead. however, if you're a die hard HP fans and just wanna watch the movie because it has a little bit of connection with the HP magic world. please watch this movie. other than that, don't expect anything.