While only a handful of movies have released in 2021, the year has definitely been amazing for Bollywood and Hollywood. The entertainment industries around the globe focussed on quality over quantity and we couldn’t be happier about the new change. In the last 12 months, we saw a bunch of movies and shows that made us nostalgic, had great storylines and we also saw some fabulous performances.
We, at POPxo, had the pleasure of watching some of the most talked-about movies and shows and discussing them with you. While some of them were brilliant, the others, not so much. We made sure to share their in-depth analysis so that our readers (you, our lovelies) could form honest opinions about them.
We hope that these reviews and discussions helped you in choosing the movies and shows you watched. Well, it’s time to see if our opinions matched with that of yours. Also, you can binge-watch these films and series again over the holidays and have a wonderful festive season ahead.
12 Movies & Shows We Talked About The Most In 2021
Here are the shows and movies that grabbed all the attention of Team POPxo in 2021:
The Girl On The Train
The Girl On The Train is a psychological thriller, loosely based on author Paula Hawkin’s novel of the same name. The story follows advocate Mira Kapoor (Parineeti Chopra) who suffers from amnesia and is an alcoholic. After losing her job and ending her marriage, she gets fixated on her ex-husband and a woman she sees frequently while aimlessly travelling on a train in the city. The woman is Nusrat John (Aditi Rao Hydari) who’s later mysteriously found dead in a forest. Things take a disastrous turn for Mira when all the pieces of evidence related to the victim’s murder point towards her. To save herself, she needs to unravel secrets about Nusrat and find out what happened on the night of the brutal incident.
While TGOTT is not a gripping murder mystery or psychological thriller, it is definitely one of those movies that shine because of its stellar star cast. The actresses have done a phenomenal job in the film and we recommend you to watch it (again) for their impactful performances.
Where to watch: Netflix
Friends Reunion
After 17 years, we saw the cast of Friends together for one last time and it was, hands down, one of the most amazing moments of 2021. David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Mathew Perry, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc had a reunion and the two-hour special episode filled us with so many emotions.
We discovered some interesting facts that blew our minds—Ross and Rachel had a crush on each other IRL as well! We also saw some old faces that made us nostalgic AF. Well, we don’t really need to say it out loud, but we will say it anyway—Friends Reunion is one of the best things that has happened in 2021. We watched it once and the festive season is a great time to watch it again.
Where to watch: Zee5
Radhe
While there were several movies in 2021 that made us say ‘wow’, there were a few that made us ask ‘why though?’. Radhe belongs to the latter category and there’s no polite way to say that the film is terrible. Within five minutes, you’re bound to realise that the makers have relied solely on Salman Khan’s star power to make the film successful. The illogical plot and baseless characters make absolutely no sense at all. We sincerely hope that filmmakers learn their lessons and come up with better stories in 2022.
Where to watch: Zee5
Bunty Aur Babli 2
One of the most anticipated movies of 2021 was defs Bunty Aur Babli 2. We loved the OG film and we wanted to love the sequel as well…and we kinda-sorta-did. While the second instalment of the franchise fails to recreate the original magic, it defs has some high points. Within the first ten minutes of the film, we see Bunty (Saif Ali Khan) and Babli (Rani Mukerji) living an honest life as Rakesh and Vimmi. But, they now have followers aka the new Bunty (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and new Babli (Sharwari Wagh), who are determined to continue their legacy.
Overall, you can watch the movie once and forget all about it later. It’s not great but definitely not bad either. But, make sure that you don’t compare it with the OG film because honestly, you may get majorly disappointed.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
83
The trailer of the movie had us convinced that 83 was going to be one of the best movies of 2021 and it surely was! The sports drama is directed by Kabir Khan and based on the legendary victory of the Indian cricket team in the 1983 World Cup. Ranveer Singh as skipper Kapil Dev has done a marvellous job and the movie overall makes us emotional AF. You are bound to get goosebumps throughout the film and you need to watch this one before the year ends for sure!
Money Heist
The Money Heist finale released on December 3 and with that, the Spanish crime drama finally came to an end. While the bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye to the squad made us emotional, the ending made us so happy. It was the perfect closure that we had expected The Professor to give us and well, he didn’t disappoint us at all. But, that’s not even the best part! The makers of the show announced recently that they will release Money Heist’s spin-off called Berlin in 2023 and OMG, we’re so excited now.
Where to watch: Netflix
YOU
Netflix announced the fourth season of You even before its third season dropped and nope, we’re not complaining at all. The psychological thriller took us on a rollercoaster ride with its latest instalment and left us with mixed feelings. Joe and Love’s killing spree scared the shiz out of us and NGL, sometimes they took things quite overboard. Well, we hope that the plot of YOU season 4 will be more convincing with fewer loopholes.
Imlie
Imlie is one of the most regressive shows on Indian television RN and there are no two ways about it. The serial revolves around Imlie, a villager, who’s forced into marrying a journalist who already has a girlfriend. Instead of getting a divorce, the guy marries his long-term girlfriend and treats his first wife as help. TBH, there’s nothing good about this show and we want it to go off-air asap.
Balika Vadhu
Not going to lie, but we had mixed feelings about Balika Vadhu 2. While the makers claimed that they wanted to raise awareness about child marriages in India, we questioned if casting toddlers in the leading roles was acceptable. Thankfully, they got the message loud and clear and introduced a leap in the plot recently. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actress, Shivangi Joshi, is playing the role of a grown-up Anandi on the show and we love how she’s turning her character into a fearless woman.
Sex & The City Reboot: And Just Like That
The reboot of Sex And The City called And Just Like That dropped on December 9 and OMG, we have so many opinions about it. The ten-episode series not only makes us nostalgic, but it also breaks our hearts and makes us say painful goodbyes. We see Carrie Bradshaw and her squad navigating through the ordeals of life in their 50s and giving us major #FriendshipGoals. Overall, the show is not as groundbreaking or iconic as its OG version, but it’s definitely worth a watch.
Gossip Girl Reboot
This might break several hearts, but the reboot of Gossip Girl is quite disappointing. The new bunch of upper east-siders are predictable and their shenanigans are simply embarrassing. It’s 2021 and we don’t need to watch a group of bullies pulling each other down to humour their own whims. We miss Blair Waldorf’s grace and Serena van der Woodsen’s charm. While the makers have tried hard to recreate characters like Nate Archibald and Chuck Bass, they have failed miserably.
Anupamaa
Anupama is one of the highest-rated shows on Indian television right now and for all the right reasons. The show revolves around Anupama (Rupali Ganguly) and how she discovers her strength and identity after dumping her toxic husband. While the serial has its own share of problematic moments, the storyline overall is quite refreshing.
We loved discussing the plots of these shows and movies with you. We hope to have more fun conversations in 2022 as well!
Featured Image: Instagram