Looking at the kinds of TV shows that viewers are drawn to, it seems the world is either in a weary mood of acceptance or waiting for a bad spell to pass. If rich and complex storylines combining humans and mythical creatures like dragons have mass appeal, it must be because these corona times have been so unpredictable. Only fantasy can describe life when reality seems unreal.
If art reflects life and we vacillate between fake news and alternative facts, it’s no wonder, ironically, that reality TV feels artificially fictionalized. . Netflix’s Dubai Bling is the latest example of demeaning mediocrity in the category, rehashing all the usual tropes you’d expect in a drama focused on wealthy, socially prominent women. There are: cheesy dinner dates with flashy cars, designer brands and helicopters. (Similar scenes appear in The Wonderful Life of a Bollywood Wife and Selling Sunset). But behind the bejeweled socialites who glide from soirée to nightclub, a magical golden hue shines from the towering skyscrapers. Dubai Bling’s most interesting character is the glittering Metropolis itself.
In certain circles Dubai is jokingly called the best city in India. More than 4,000 wealthy Indians have moved to the UAE’s global hub as NRIs this year, according to government data. There are many reasons. This is a first step towards making it easier for high school-going kids to migrate west for college. Some argue it’s for a better lifestyle. Delhideal with toxic air and frustrating infrastructure in Mumbai When Bangalore What if they had a choice? Others worry about India’s constant social, political and economic turmoil. That said, the main motivation for the move no doubt stems from a convenient loophole in Dubai’s investment policy that allows shrewd businessmen to evade regulation.
Ultra-rich everywhere want to protect their wealth, so Dubai is teeming with businessmen, successful performing artists and aristocrats from volatile neighbors like Pakistan, Lebanon and Iran. The fun result is an exotic playground for wealthy immigrants and retirees, whose lives aren’t all that different from Dubai Bling’s protagonist.
A cross-border NRI presence has many economic perks, but as long as you can philosophically accept that boredom is the cost of growing your bank balance (a catastrophe befalling 90% of humanity). hierarchy does not consider this to be a problem). Still, someone should make a reality show where his NRI of billionaires sits in a burning tower of purgatory and fiddles with their thumbs while managing their wealth is their only job and takes only 45 minutes a day . 182 days, what to do with the rest of his 16 hours of waking hours? ). So the rich man’s biggest problem with his NRI is being pressed for time despite the glittering streets and bustling nightlife. His day spent between spas, gyms, parlors, and a myriad of other idle pleasures quickly fades away. Living outside the boundaries of conventional employment is isolating, even if you’re surrounded by an international jet set that suffers from similar malaise.
“Come on, rosy glass of life, alcohol,” murmurs the prodigal protagonist of Scott F. Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned. His vast fortune kills his ambitions, but his lack of purpose creates an oppressive void. The central theme of Dubai Bling is the excesses of the jazz era, now played in the city’s expat quarters. The problem never ends. Even if your senses are filled a thousand times, you still have to fight exhausting laziness.
Written and Directed by Hutkay Films