I have never been much of a TV watcher. I usually prefer watching live sports and documentaries on topics that interest me. The period when I was living in UK and Ireland were when I got to watch some very interesting documentaries, thanks primarily to the BBC and the RTE. These included documentaries on Travel, Art, Music and History, not to mention Food.

I finally logged on to Netflix a couple of months ago. And, to my delight, I discovered that there a few interesting documentaries that I could watch. So here’s what I have been watching lately:

The Rolling Stones: Ole Ole Ole! A Trip Across Latin America – A fascinating look at their tour across Latin America, including their first show in Cuba. Some brilliant vignettes of live performances and the emotions it brings to people who are seeing their idols live on stage for the first time. The standout moment for me was a clip of Mick and Keith jamming on ‘Honky Tonk Women‘ in what looks like a Green Room. Right from the time Keith starts strumming the guitar and Mick sings the opening lines, you know you are seeing two very special musicians. It’s amazing that they sound so good even at this stage of their careers. Worth watching for these few minutes alone.

Keith Richards: Under The Influence – Ok, by now you must have figured that Classic Rock is my favourite genre of music and The Rolling Stones are my favourite band. This particular documentary might only appeal to fans of either the band or the genre, but it was a good watch.

Chef’s Table: Asma Khan – I enjoy watching documentaries of food, and chefs. The Australian broadcaster, SBS, had a good show a few years ago. And there were some interesting ones on Indian television as well. I particularly liked this one as it really took time to explore the emotions behind Chef Asma Khan’s opening of her restaurant ‘The Darjeeling Express‘ in London. Do watch it.

Abstract: The Art of Design – This is still ‘Watch in Progress’. I am halfway through watching the episode where erstwhile Head of Design for Instagram, Ian Spalter, talks about his creative thinking process. Many Instagram users would still remember and have strong opinions of when Instagram redesigned their logo in 2016. I must say I was one of those who didn’t understand why they would do that. This documentary walks us through great length on the rationale behind the change and the process the team adopted while working on this change. You might not change your opinion after watching it, but I did have a better understanding of why they decided to make the change and how they landed on the design that’s presently being used.

Which documentaries have you watched lately that you enjoyed? Please let me know!