Gutsy Burkha-clad Churails Avenge For Justice (Web Series Review)

It was just a few weeks ago that I subscribed to ZEE5 Club Pack to get exclusive access to its premium content. And Oh boy! I couldn't wait to tell you that I'm super impressed how this platform is winning by putting together a far deeper volume of movies and shows serving a range of interests for all my family members.

Just to introduce ZEE5 to my newer readers, it's one of the few major OTT streamers focused on multilingual content across countries and here you would find a larger library of shows to binge plus a growing slate of originals. For that crazy bunch of streamers like me who crave for versatile content, ZEE5 is the right call.

My current watchlist is a ZEE5 Exclusive Zindagi Original web series 'Churails' whose satirical poster released on social media got me hooked to watch the show right from day one of the launch. After watching this 10-episodes series, let me help you delve deep into the details why you should be watching this one.

Image Source: ZEE5.com

Storyline: 

Churails is a quirky story of four strong women who dare to disaffiliate themselves from the norms of patriarchy society and thus unite together to form a secret detective agency with the intend to expose deceitful and false-hearted male counterparts in the city of Karachi.

Cast:
Apart from a crisp script, Churails boasts of solid performances by Sarwat Gilani as Sara Khan, Mehar Bano as Zubaida, Nimra Bucha as Batool Jan and Yasra Rizvi as Jugnu Chaudhry. The ladies, leading an army of exploited women, have been truly compelling in their characters with rightly synced energy.

My Review:
The show Churails is directed by Oscar nominee, Asim Abbasi on a well-scripted story that keeps you engaged throughout. The series is dark and intense as one might figure out from the spunky poster itself. Each of the ten episodes of the web series are nearly one hour long and opens up with a new twist. By the end of an episode, the story leaves you anticipating another meltdown and you can't help moving to the next episode.

Image Source: ZEE5.com

The show has strategically covered a lot of ground in terms of women's related issues like domestic violence, forced marriages, abortions, prostitution and many more. The self-proclaimed 'churails', who are fearlessly unapologetic about their traumatic past, manage to make their way through 'not-so-easy' reality and elevate the series to a thing of beauty with their polished performance.

When you sit down to watch a show set in Pakistani backdrop, it's not a surprise to treat yourselves with pleasing Urduised dialogues and that's what Churails amuses you with. I particularly liked the meaningful lyrics of the show's soundtracks and terrific cinematography.

All in all, Churails is a web series that ticks all the boxes of a good thriller drama with great reveals in every single episode. I would express the surreality of the show with the saying, "Behind every strong, independent woman lies a broken girl who learnt hard how to get up and fight for herself."
So why afraid to acclaim #MainChurailHoon, because these three words take it all to be lionhearted.

Pareeksha: The Final Test (Movie Review)

Movies should generally be thought of as a recreational tool that uplift your mood. It feels wonderfully relaxing to sit back and be transported to another world for a couple of hours. But there're some terrific movies that carry a thoughtful message for some sort of social reform. One such movie is 'Pareeksha: The Final Test' that I was eagerly waiting for after watching its teaser trailer a few days ago.

Now that I've watched the movie being streamed on ZEE5 with my family, I thought of sharing my opinion on how I liked/disliked it- 

Image Source: ZEE5.com
 

Cast:
The film boasts of a stellar cast, Adil Hussain as rickshaw-puller Buchi, Priyanka Bose as Buchi's wife Radhika, Shubham Jha as their genius son Bulbul and Sanjay Suri as generous SP Kailash Anand.
The taut script uses all its characters to depict different kinds of people that make our society.

Storyline:
Pareeksha revolves around the life of a rickshaw puller Buchi, who is determined to get his only son admitted to a private school, assuming English education to be the sole escape from poverty for his family. The crisp melodrama articulates how the mother works overtime in utensils factory and the father resorts to petty thefts in order to meet school’s exorbitant demands. The story also exposes the people who have commercialised education and play with emotions of poor.

My Review:
The film opens with a harmonious setting with soft audio-video in the background giving us a peek into contemporary Jharkhand.
With polished actor Adil Hussain as lead, you might think that other actors will be overshadowed, but I could especially relate to compelling moments of film with Priyanka being an emotionally stronger parent in the family.
Sanjay Suri, as expected, won accolades for convincingly portraying a man in uniform graced with the spirit of a change agent who supports the young learner.

Image Source: ZEE5.com

The movie touches upon various social issues while breaking the stereotypes around education system and the politics involved in this periphery. The well-told storyline worked so well to persuade me that I was literally transported inside it. All thanks to sharp-toothed script from writer/director Prakash Jha that it was almost impossible to dislike the objective stance that the movie delivers. For many, it might be a perfect cinematic salve to soothe their wounds with a range of intense emotions. 

 
With hard hitting facts, the movie rightly showcases how vulnerable the parents can be, especially the ones who don't give up on their dreams and reiterate to themselves- "Mushkilein Kitni bhi ho, hum bhi apne #SapneSachKarenge". I must say this attempt by Prakash Jha will certainly evoke your empathy and sentimentality for the marginalised section of our society.

Overall, this thought provoking movie highlights the universal message that the access to education is not a privilege bestowed by anyone, it is a legal right of everyone.
Do watch Pareeksha and other popular family movies on ZEE5 with your family!

Steal the Spotlight With Oriflame Colour Obsession Lipsticks

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Colour Obsession Lipsticks have a distinct silver chrome bullet packaging unlike the ones which I already have in my collection. What made me really happy about the packaging is the clear transparent cap that lets me see the shade without opening it, because otherwise it used to take me lot of time finding the right shade in my stash every morning while getting ready for work. Now with Colour Obsession lipsticks, the issue seems solved atleast for this range.

This range offers 10 beautiful shades that would steal the spotlight in your spring summer cosmetics.

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Peach Passion - 35156

Pink Possession - 35157

Magenta Mania - 35158

Coral Craze - 35159

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Red Rage - 35161

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Purple Power - 35163

Cherry Crave - 35164

The lipsticks are mildly creamy in texture, but don't feel heavy when worn on lips. I neither apply lip balm or lip gloss, still my lips felt moisturized without any feeling of drying out. The colour payoff is good too. After almost 7 hours and having with my lunch, the colour lasted enough. I am also happy with the subtle shine that these lipsticks give. 

Something from the browns family is missing in the range. To name a few shades that I adore more than others, I have got Purple Power, Cherry Crave, Coral Craze and Nude Appeal as the most preferred ones.

Entertainment Becomes Even More Personalized With ZEE5 Club Pack

Since the day, the lockdown measures have been enforced nationwide due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it has brought about a high surge in TV watching for most households. While theatres, cinemas, parks and museums in the town faced closure for months, most people have found solace in watching entertaining content 'streaming over the internet' into the comfort of their homes. 

Even in my family, Online TV has captured more of screen-viewing time because each of the family members craves for a personalized dose of entertainment as per his/her liking through fiction, drama, romance, mythological, historic pieces, crime thrillers and so on. To meet everybody's demand of personalized content, I thought of giving ZEE5 Club Pack a try.

Image Source: ZEE5.com

ZEE5 Club Pack is the latest offering by India's most loved OTT platform ZEE5 that gives you an exclusive access to bespoke ZEE5 Originals, ALT Balaji shows, Zindagi shows, 1000+ Bollywood blockbusters, 90+ Live TV channels and Kids’ content. 

An additional perk for the ZEE5 Club user is that they get to see their favourite content before it is even aired on TV. Woah! What a superior feeling you get! 

One of critical elements in streamed content is excellent user experience that enables them watch their preferred content without having to halt for promotional advertisements. Thanks to ZEE5 Club Pack membership that you can stream premium shows on your devices without advertisements breaks. Well! that truly takes quality entertainment to next level. 

Another digital media trends emerging in recent times is the broader accessibility of video content to cross-devices. And the Club Pack offers its subscribers an enhanced access for cross-device viewing with two screens at a time anywhere, anytime. What makes the platform even better is its availability of diverse content in regional languages. You would find best bundle of movies in as many as 12 languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Punjabi. On the whole, there is an overwhelming array of content in this subscription. And you get all this without burning a hole into your pocket. With the Club membership priced at just Rs. 365/- annually, you enjoy a large slice of premium content at very nominal payment of Re. 1 per day. ZEE5 Club members can also upgrade to the Premium plan by paying the difference amount at any point of time.

Image Source: ZEE5.com

ZEE5 offerings are compatible across platforms and devices including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets etc. You may access its content via web browser or by downloading their app. So wait no more, get the exclusive Club membership on ZEE5 and spice up your streaming experience.

Benefits of Nutrishake (Natural Mango-Banana Flavour)

Do you want to be so healthy that it shows – in your skin, your energy levels, or with how happy you are?

At Wellness by Oriflame, the brand is committed to guide you through the complex world of healthy eating and dietary supplements, offering a range of high-quality, natural products that are developed by world's leading Swedish scientists and nutritional experts along with in-depth lifestyle advice on how to achieve complete healthy lifestyle.

Me and my husband personally have been consuming Oriflame's wellness products since past one year and also shared my experience on various products I tested. If you missed reading those, check out how we liked strawberry and vanilla nutrishakes, how can we optimize health with Astaxanthin based supplements and how Omega 3 supplements work for body..

For this summer season, when we thought of adding a energising shake to our breakfast, the first thought was to order a flavourful Nutrishake and we picked up Mango Banana flavour this time that fulfills our craving for season's fav mangoes too ;)

Product Brief:

Nutrishake is a high protein and high fibre formula containing proteins from three sources namely Milk, Peas and Soy. 

This is a food supplement, so should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet. Ideally one serving of diet shake is fine per day accompanied with two normal meals. People who are allergic to milk and soy should avoid consuming it.

Nutrition Information:

How to consume it?

A scoopful of 18g qty should be mixed well in cold water and consumed. People who are wellness freaks can blend nutrishake powder into their smoothies, puree, slushies etc to enhance the goodness of usual healthy recipes.

Nutrishake has optimal nutritional ingredients and natural flavors with minimum calories. It contains healthy soluble and non-soluble fibres from sugar beet for healthy nutritional intake. This enables the body to maximize the intake of essential ingredients and support the body in the best possible way.
Nutrishake helps you stay full for longer, curbs false craving and raises your energy levels. 

The carbohydrates used in the Nutrishake formulation are apple, rosehip and whey (milk). It helps to maintain a stable blood sugar level. The three vegetarian protein sources promote optimal cell functions and high satiety leading to a natural lower intake of calories. This in turn help most people lose weight successfully for short term. Also the duration to expect the weight loss depends on weight and overall health of the person.

Overall, the diet meal shakes like nutrishake have required amount of protein, fiber and essential vitamins and minerals, so they serve as one of best meal-on-the-go. 

Pareeksha is The Final Test for A Bright Future

Being associated with the noble profession of educator, I find great pleasure in watching spectacular movies about education for their emotional connect. Because such movies not just portray the fact that 'Education' can change the world, but inspire one to be determined on his set educational path. 

This morning, while I was checking on some information about the New Education Policy recently introduced in India, a teaser trailer titled 'Pareeksha' popped up in my search. The title Pareeksha instantly caught my attention for obvious reasons and it aroused my curiosity to another level when I realized that it's a ZEE5 original film written, produced and directed by none other than national award-winning filmmaker Mr. Prakash Jha. Because the master storyteller is well-known for crafting socially-relevant films such as Raajneeti, Apaharan, Gangaajal, Mrityudand and Damul. I exclusively remember admiring Aarakshan, an impactful film by Jha based on Indian education system. Now I'm all the way excited for his critical take on the education system through Pareeksha: The Final Test.

Image Source: ZEE5.com

The movie, to be digitally premiered this week on OTT platform ZEE5, is inspired from real-life events of SP Abhaynandan. The storyline revolves around difficulties and hardships which the poor face in order to achieve their dreams. This heart-wrenching tale aptly narrates how a rickshaw puller named Buchchi (played by Adil Hussain) dreams of giving his son a good education and goes lengths to make his dream a reality despite his financial restrictions. His dream takes him on a disastrous path, which could shatter all that he holds dear. It literally pinches your heart to witness what talented but underprivileged youth in economically depressed family backgrounds have to go through in order to attain basic facilities like a decent education. The film literally makes a sharp comment on our education system that has been monopolized by the rich and remains inaccessible to the masses.

Image Source: ZEE5.com

Pareeksha features Priyanka Bose, Sanjay Suri and child actor Shubham Jha in lead roles besides Adil Hussain, all of whom have beautifully donned their roles. 

The subject matter of the film is genuinely dear to many of us and is the need of the hour as the quality of education is one of the major determinant factors to decide the fate of future generations of our country. The film carries forward an important message of 'hope' across to the audiences that talent can bloom if provided with adequate opportunity and dreams do come true with determination & willpower. Such films encourage my faith that the role of education in creating a fairer and more equal society is undeniable. Because those who strive for literacy today, wahi kal apne #SapneSachKarenge and an equal access to education will eliminate discrimination in society.