Nandini Balial

Texas

writer | bylines: Defector, Vulture, Ebert Voices, Daily Beast, Harper's Bazaar, Interview, Slate, Vice, The Week, GQ, et al. | she/her |

Articles

Apple TV's "Government Cheese" is Almost Great

1 week ago | rogerebert.com | Nandini Balial

Apple TV's new comedy-drama "Government Cheese" boasts a talented cast. The story is witty, filled with religious references and commentary on 1960s culture. The sprightly soundtrack features well-chosen soul, krautrock, and pop. Why, then, does this series not rank amongst the best things to air on TV this year? The problem isn't lead actor (and executive producer) David Oyelowo.
"North of North" Carefully Balances Darkness and Charm

2 weeks ago | rogerebert.com | Nandini Balial

Ramy Youssef once said that the more specific something is, the more universal it becomes. His eponymous series, about the lives of Egyptian immigrants in post-9/11 America, is deeply relatable to folks whose families hail from Jamaica, Greece, India ( including this writer), and beyond. "North of North," Netflix's newest series, is set in Nunavut's Ice Cove and follows a similar principle.
HBO's "The Righteous Gemstones" Return for Its Darkest Season Yet

1 month ago | rogerebert.com | Nandini Balial

The bullet points for the final season of HBO's "The Righteous Gemstones" are fairly straightforward: Siblings Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin Gemstone ( Danny McBride, Edi Patterson, and Adam DeVine, respectively) are still squabbling about whose efforts at their family megachurch deserves the most attention; their father Eli ( John Goodman, always wonderful), now sporting long hair and an even longer face, is wasting away in (a metaphorical) Margaritaville somewhere off the Florida coast, drinking...
Netflix's "Running Point" is Pretty Funny if You Don't Think About it Too Hard

1 month ago | rogerebert.com | Nandini Balial

What if minorities helped billionaires become better people? That's a tad reductive, but the basic premise of "Running Point," a fictionalized take on the life of Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss, is little more than a combination of " Succession" and " Ted Lasso " (with a tiny dash of "Arrested Development"), only, this time, the rich people just need a little help from the Hispanic, Asian, and Black people around them to become kinder, more human versions of their avaricious selves.
In season two, Funny Woman comes off as muddy (and not so funny)

2 months ago | avclub.com | Nandini Balial

In a recent roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter India, actor Shabana Azmi observed that while stardom has its perks, it prevents a performer from living a real life.
Morris Chestnut is Wasted on Inferior "Watson"

Jan 24, 2025 | rogerebert.com | Nandini Balial

There is no point to CBS's utterly stale procedural "Watson." It thinks it's clever but isn't. The writing is in shambles. The original score possesses all the depth and nuance of a toddler's tiny electronic keyboard going boop-boop-boop. In the pilot's opening scenes, John Watson (Morris Chestnut, charming as ever) falls over Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls in order to save his friend Sherlock Holmes, who's caught in a struggle with famed arch enemy James Moriarty.
A history of Hindi cinema: The 1970s, part one

Jan 23, 2025 | avclub.com | Nandini Balial

Welcome to a multi-part series on the History Of Hindi Cinema. Through individual films and the larger oeuvres of some Hindi filmmakers, we’ll explore the highlights of 70 years of cinema, starting with 1950, just three years after India won its independence from British rule, and ending in the 2010s.
Tabu walks us through her storied career and discusses the beauty of works that “never become dated”

Dec 24, 2024 | avclub.com | Nandini Balial

Actors around the world can only envy Tabu’s filmography. Not only is the decorated Indian artist renowned for her complex, layered performances in critically acclaimed films in multiple languages, she has also worked with directorial heavy hitters like Mira Nair, Ang Lee, Mani Ratnam, and Gulzar. Though she occasionally dabbles in mainstream Hindi comedies and romantic dramas, Tabu has built a career that has expanded the reaches of her craft.
Solid Acting Saves the Familiar Premise of "Get Millie Black"

Nov 25, 2024 | rogerebert.com | Nandini Balial

A cop, tortured by memories of child abuse and unable to connect with those who love her, returns to her hometown to try and address her past pain. Her obsession with doing her job well is her sole driving force, so much so that everything else in her life is sacrificed at the altar of this goal.
A history of Hindi cinema: The 1960s

Nov 22, 2024 | avclub.com | Nandini Balial

Welcome to a seven-part series on the History Of Hindi Cinema. Through individual films and the larger oeuvres of some Hindi filmmakers, we’ll explore the highlights of 70 years of cinema, starting with 1950, just three years after India won its independence from British rule, and ending in the 2010s. In the 1960s, socially conscious filmmaking began to wane in India, and commercial masala films began to rise.