SBS on Demand’s specially curated Diwali/Deepavali hub has an exciting collection of films and shows celebrating renewal, resilience and spreading joy across cultures to ring in the festive season.
From stirring romances and laugh-out-loud comedies to visionary classics, these titles reflect the spirit of the Festival of Lights: coming together, cherishing the year gone by and welcoming brighter beginnings. Explore the collection below and find your next favourite watch.
The Lunchbox
I don’t remember the last time a public figure’s untimely demise felt so deeply personal, as if you had lost a member of your own family. It’s been more than five years since Irrfan Khan passed away, but it still feels like yesterday. One of the finest actors of his generation, revisiting his films knowing he’s no longer around to spread the magic of his craft, makes them even more special. As Saajan Fernandes in Ritesh Batra’s debut feature The Lunchbox (2013), Irrfan gives one of his most memorable performances. The film subverts the mistaken identity trope of a classic ‘meet cute’ rom-com, where the two protagonists fall for each other without ever realising the real identity of who they’ve fallen for. However, the enduring timelessness of this film lies in its more substantive exploration of middle-aged loneliness and how each of us craves intimacy in an increasingly fractured world.
The Lunchbox is streaming at SBS On Demand.
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The Lunchbox
comedy • romance • 2013
comedy • romance • 2013
Four Years Later
The familiar idea of an Indian arranged marriage becomes a catalyst to explore deeper and at times uncomfortable truths about migrant experiences from South Asian backgrounds in creator Mithila Gupta’s SBS Original series Four Years Later. Newlyweds Sri (Shahana Goswami) and Yash (Akshay Ajit Singh) get married in India, but soon need to navigate the complexities of a long-distance relationship when Yash leaves for Australia to complete his medical traineeship. As unpacked in an interview with Mithila, the show takes some unconventional directions that pleasantly surprised me, including having an open and honest discussion about the impact of mental health, a subject that’s still considered off-limits and taboo in South Asian households. While conventional Bollywood romances end with the wedding of the protagonists, signifying a ‘happily ever after’, this show begins where that fairytale ends, posing the tantalising dilemma: what if marriage is actually the first step in getting to know your partner better?
All episodes of Four Years Later are streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Four Years Later
series • drama • Hindi
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series • drama • Hindi
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DIVE DEEPER WITH 'FOUR YEARS LATER'
"A lot of vulnerability": talking to the stars of 'Four Years Later'
The Sound of Dreaming
I was blown away by the beautiful short film The Sound of Dreaming (2022) by Kalani Gacon, which turned out to be an unexpected gem from this year’s Diwali Collection. With traces of Wong Kar Wai and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the short follows Sonam (Reema Midhun Magar) and Bikash (Saroj Shrestha), who are haunted by the same recurring dream. Bikash undertakes lucid dreaming to find Sonam, with whom he finds an unexplained connection. As the famous line from Wong Kar Wai’s 2004 film 2046 goes, “Love is all a matter of timing.” Even in their lucid dreams, Sonam and Bikash come agonisingly close to meeting each other, but miss out due to one reason or another. Kalani is an exciting and original voice, and I am thrilled to see that their new project, ‘Home Before Night,’ has received development funding from Screen Australia.
The Sound of Dreaming is streaming at SBS on Demand.
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The Sound of Dreaming
drama • 2022
drama • 2022
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
Maverick filmmaker Dibaker Banerjee burst onto the scene in the mid-2000s with Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), which remains one of the best debut features for a Hindi film director to date. He then backed it up with an equally impressive sophomore feature Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008). Following the escapades of the charming master thief Lucky Singh (a career-best turn by Abhay Deol), the film is a darkly comic social commentary about how class structures and the doomed aspirations of upward social mobility play out in an urban Indian setting. With films like Ahista Ahista (2006) and this one, Abhay Deol emerged as the face of the urban Indian youth who is down on his luck, but is trying to get ahead in life and make a name for himself. As someone who grew up in Delhi, I can confidently say that if there was a quintessential cinematic love letter to the city, it’s this one.
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
comedy • 2008
comedy • 2008
Village Rockstars
India’s official selection for the 91st Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category, Village Rockstars (2017), shares a similar DNA with films such as Academy Award winner Sean Baker’s The Florida Project (also released in 2017). Trailblazing one-woman army Rima Das, who directed, wrote, edited, shot and co-produced the film, turns her gaze inward to her native village, Chhaygaon in Assam, telling the story of a young girl who dreams of playing the electric guitar and forming a rock band with a group of boys. This ‘slice of life’ premise serves as the backdrop for Das to explore deeper tensions, including gender dynamics and the challenges faced by the Assamese community in the wake of natural disasters. The performance of Bhanita Das as Dhunnu, the lead protagonist, is, dare I say, one of the best child performances in an Indian film.
Village Rockstars is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Village Rockstars
drama • 2017
drama • 2017
Late Bloomer
A semi-autobiographical take on the life of popular content creator and YouTuber Jus Reign, Late Bloomer is a hilarious comedy-of-errors following the life of Jasmeet Dutta, a Sikh millennial comedian in Canada who feels like a perennial misfit. Keeping the funny aside, what really moved me about this show is the honest self-assessment about how first-generation migrants feel like outsiders in both worlds: their own culture, as well as the culture they are expected to embrace, and the self-loathing that can accompany the pressure of having to constantly live up to external standards. I was taken in by the undertone of pathos this show carries, calling out the fact that this feeling of being an imposter is not something that leaves you easily, no matter how much of a ‘model minority’ you might become. Be prepared to carry a box of tissues, as there will likely be tears (from both laughter and crying).
Late Bloomer is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Late Bloomer
series • comedy
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series • comedy
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Pookkaalam
It’s no secret at this point that Malayalam films have been setting the benchmark for Indian cinema for some time now, and Pookkaalam (2023) is just further proof of this unspoken truth. Directed by Ganesh Raj, the film revolves around a nonagenarian couple, where the husband (a stellar performance by Vijayaraghavan, enhanced by great makeup) discovers that his wife (K.P.A.C. Leela) may have had an affair and kept it hidden from him throughout their marriage. To further complicate matters, this bombshell drops on the day their granddaughter is to be engaged. From this dramatic setup, director Raj mines a heartfelt and slightly comedic family drama that probes the age-old question: are we better off not knowing the truth behind some secrets?
Pookkaalam is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Pookkaalam
family • comedy • 2023
family • comedy • 2023
Cherishing the Past
This year, I was delighted to come across a selection of older classics that are required viewing to understand the history of Indian cinema, paying homage to some master filmmakers who have paved the way for where Indian cinema is today.
A River Called Titas
This year marks the centenary of the birth of the great Indian director Ritwik Ghatak. Ghatak, along with Mrinal Sen and Satyajit Ray, form the ‘Holy Trinity’ of Indian cinema. Their combined contributions to shaping the aesthetics and form of filmmaking have left an indelible imprint on where Indian cinema stands today. That’s why it pains me somewhat to see that while Ray’s work is more widely known in Western circles, Ghatak and Sen’s output isn’t recognised to the same degree. Which brings me to A River Called Titas (1973). In his entire career, Ghatak directed eight feature films, passing away at the age of 50 in 1976, marking this as one of his major late-career works. Based on the novella by Adwaita Mallabarman, the film is set against the backdrop of the Partition, following the trials and tribulations of a young wife who is kidnapped on the very next day of her marriage. Preceding Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975), Ghatak employed the ‘hyperlink’ style to great effect here, making this essential viewing if you want to understand the progression of Indian cinema.
A River Called Titas is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
A River Called Titas
drama • 1973
drama • 1973
Sholay: Flames of the Sun
I can’t believe it’s been 50 years since the release of Sholay (1975), which for many remains a benchmark in commercial, mainstream Hindi cinema. It defined the grammar of the commercial ‘masala’ film for everything that followed, fusing action, comedy, romance and mythic scale into a single template that many have failed to replicate since. It’s astonishing to recall how close this film came to being dismissed at its release. The producers even toyed with an alternate ending for the film. Newly restored in 4K, the film played with its alternate ending at the recent Toronto International Film Festival this year. The revelation of the film was Amjad Khan’s Gabbar Singh, an amoral and unpredictable villain who redrew the boundaries of screen menace and entered everyday language.
Sholay: Flames of the Sun is streaming at SBS on Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Sholay: Flames Of The Sun
action • romance • 1975
action • romance • 1975
Kummatty
I am delighted to recommend this hidden treasure from the SBS on Demand catalogue, largely unavailable to audiences outside India until recently: master filmmaker G. Aravindan’s Kummatty (1980). A pioneer during the golden age of Malayalam cinema, Aravindan helped usher in the Malayalam New Wave of the 1970s and 80s, leaving an undeniable mark on Indian cinema. There has never been, nor will ever be, another filmmaker like him. The film is based on a folktale from the Malabar region in Kerala, about a pied-piper-like magician named Kummatty who can cast a spell that can transform children into animals. Kummatty, who is homeless, rootless and a half-troubadour, embodies a figure that thrives outside institutions yet commands deeper loyalty. In Aravindan’s masterful hands, a simple tale of magical realism and folklore becomes a subtle critique of power. If you haven’t heard of G. Aravindan, I promise you won’t forget his name or craft after experiencing this classic.
Kummatty is streaming at SBS on Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Kummatty
drama • fantasy • 1980
drama • fantasy • 1980
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