What are Deepika Padukone and Cate Blanchett binge watching during lockdown?
Find out which movies left your favourite celebrities sleepless and those that made them squeal with joy
Don’t you sometimes wonder what the world’s celebrated experts might do on a regular day during lockdown? Which book does your favourite author curl up with when it rains outside? What’s that one comfort meal your favourite chef turns to on a gloomy day? Does your favourite actor also text his BFF asking her for movie recommendations?
Before you hit the bottom of the streaming barrel, we stalked some trusted names in the film business for TV and movie recommendations (scrolling through their Instagram is what fuels the train headed to procrastination station). These actors aren’t just certified cinema buffs, but are also kind enough to share their movie recommendations with all their fans.
Scroll down to find out what Deepika Padukone, Jameela Jamil, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Grant, Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Shweta Tripathi have been streaming during this lockdown.
TV show and movie recommendations by your favourite stars
Deepika Padukone
DP Recommends is one of the highlights on Padukone’s Instagram page, comprising movies the actor feels are worthy of featuring in your weekly date nights.
Her current pick is Beautiful Boy, which stars Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell, and is based on the memoirs of father and son David and Nic Sheff. David struggles to connect with his bright, promising son, whose life is unravelling thanks to his meth habit. The film is a window into the lives of families who battle addiction together, a tale of recovery, relapses, and relying on family when the going gets tough.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video
Cate Blanchett
Blanchett’s watchlist is the best way to replenish our stock of that one essential ingredient that everyone seems to be running short of at the moment – hope.
“How vital it is to live with hope, and how difficult it is to live with uncertainty,” says the actor in an interview with IMDB, adding that in times of adversity, it’s important to reconnect with the kindness within and our sense of resilience by leaning from the experiences of others.
The film that tops her list of movie recommendations is Capernaum (2018), the story of a 12-year-old Lebanese boy who finds himself living on the streets and decides to sue his negligent parents for birthing him into a life of misery. The moving story shows this little survivor battle hardships, act as foster parent to an orphan boy, and finally find his way to a courtroom to seek justice. It will, without a doubt, make you walk away feeling inspired, hopeful, and hopefully a tad bit more compassionate.
Other films on her list are Shoplifters (2018), News from Home (1977), The Other Side of Hope (2017), Babel (2006), and The Joy Luck Club (1993).
Watch Capernaum on Netflix
Jameela Jamil
News flash: You and actor-activist Jameela Jamil might have more in common than you think.
She too misses her girlfriends, whom she can’t see thanks to the lockdown, and much like us is turning to virtual girl gangs to fill the void – “I watch Sex and the City re-runs and my boyfriend goes and plays video games. We all need alone time with the girls. I can’t be with my girlfriends right now so those are my girlfriends,” she says in an interview with USA Today.
Apart from re-runs , Jamil’s latest streaming discovery is a series called Feel Good. The show is a queer drama which takes us into stand-up comic Mae Martin newfound romance, which is as messy as it is passionate, and also gives us a peephole into the challenges of sobriety.
Watch Feel Good on Netflix
Hugh Grant
For me, an ideal watch party could very well mean staring into Grant’s pristine blue eyes for hours. If you have some superhuman ability to look past his dreamy gaze, then opt for this instead.
“The film I really can’t get over, and I’m emotionally scarred for life by, is Midsommar. I didn’t know! I didn’t know! I was just sifting through some of those films that come on DVDs for voting for Oscars and things. And I thought ‘Oh, my wife Anna will enjoy this one, it’s Swedish.’ It looked like people frolicking around in the sunshine. But both of us can’t get over it now. We can’t sleep, our children have to comfort us at night because we have so many nightmares. Oh my God, you have to see it, it’s unforgettable,” raves the Notting Hill star.
Midsommar (2019) is about an idyllic summer break gone wrong. A couple along with their friends head to a Swedish village to partake in the midsummer festival held there, but soon they realise that they are amongst a pagan cult and they don’t know how to escape.
Now all we need to do is wait for it to make a debut on Indian streaming platforms, and then maybe share nightmares with the man who keeps us up at night.
Shriya Pilgaonkar
Actor Shriya Pilgaonkar’s watchlist is an interesting mix to say the least– from animated Studio Ghibli films to revisiting works of Guru Dutt with her actor father Sachin Pilgaonkar, her lockdown seems like the ideal cinematic joyride.
A classic that both Shriya and Sachin love is Lawrence of Arabia (1962).
In this classic, the protagonist T.E. Lawrence, a British lieutenant, embarks on a journey to Arabia in search of a prince, and also to serve as a liaison between the Arabs and the British during their fight against the Turks. At some point, Lawrence rebels against his superior and sets off on an adventure across the vast desert. It’s this thrilling journey that the film traces beautifully, making it one of the most loved classics.
Watch Lawrence of Arabia on YouTube
Shweta Tripathi
Shweta Tripathi’s TV show and movie recommendations are as diverse and versatile as the actor herself – a comedy show that seems to be dominating screens of all sizes across the country, one that brings together supernatural forces and the thrill of murder mysteries, and a heartwarming story of companionship that leaves you with a powerful message.
Tripathi’s first pick is Schitt’s Creek, featuring the Rose family whose life seems to be coming apart at the seams. The millionaires lose their champagne-hued riches, except for a town in the boondocks they’d once purchased as a joke – Schitt’s Creek. After living a life of opulence and comfort, they have to pick themselves up and begin afresh amongst people who really couldn’t care less about fine china or fresh couture.
Watch on Netflix
Okja (2017) tells the tale of a beautiful bond between a young girl and her giant pet, named Okja. Watch as the girl takes on powerful corporate forces to save her best friend. The film beautifully throws light on the strife between animal activists and corporate giants that has existed for decades, and still continues to persist.
Watch on Netflix