Quirky’ is just a shorthand to describe the glorious, almost unhinged world of Monica, O My Darling, the thriller that’s now streaming on Netflix. Director Vasan Bala — a self-confessed fan of retro Bollywood, a geek and film aficionado — has scripted a taut whodunit, peppering it with Easter eggs and pop-culture references that take his film a notch higher. Here’s what we loved.

Guru D to Q Tino

What has caught the eye of most film fans are the names of ‘residents’ on the facade of a building. A closer look will reveal that they are the names of directors that have perhaps influenced Vasan Bala. Sriram Raghavan makes it to the list for sure, so also do Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, Vishal Bhardwaj, Sai Paranjpye, Pankaj Advani, Abbas Mastaan, P.T.(Paul Thomas) Anderson, Anurag Kashyap, Pankaj Advani, Vijay Anand, Guru D (Dutt) and Q. Tino (Quentin Tarantino). There is only one name — Sarika Vartak — which doesn’t belong to a film-maker. It was Urmila Matondkar’s character’s name in Ek Hasina Thi. Yes Sriram Raghavan again!

Nod to Sriram Raghavan: Pune to Badlapur

Sriram Raghavan, the master of the modern Bollywood thriller, is not only credited at the beginning, but also makes his presence felt throughout the length and breadth of the film. For one, Monica O, My Darling plays out in Pune, a city that Raghavan has set many of his films, including Andhadhun, in.

In one scene, Jayant (Rajkummar Rao) is shown sitting on a sofa at home, with a film playing on the TV in the background. The film is Johnny Gaddaar, directed by Raghavan, and tellingly has a character (played by Dharmendra) saying: ‘You have gone down a dark path, my son,’ mirroring exactly what has happened to Jayant.

In another scene, Radhika Apte, playing an eccentric cop, is shown exiting a building which has ‘Bank of Badlapur’ written on it. Badlapur is, of course, a Raghavan film that starred Apte.

Bates Motel to Saleem’s

Monica, played by a fetching Huma Qureshi, is shown standing in front of a hotel named Bates Hotel. That, of course, is a hat-tip to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, with Bates Hotel being the scene and setting of the motel in the film where strange and frightening occurrences take place.

When Jayant visits Monica at home, she says she’s ordered dinner from Saleem’s restaurant. Saleem’s is the name of a famous restaurant in Delhi that’s owned by Huma’s dad.

Fireball XL5

When Jayant is given his new office space after being elevated to the board of directors in the company he works in, a whiteboard in his cabin has the words ‘Password: Fireball XL5’. Fireball XL5 was a 1960s British children’s sci-fi television series about the missions of Fireball XL5, a Space Patrol vessel that polices the cosmos in 2062.

Bolly to Holly

Jayant swallowing a piece of paper, which is evidence, so that it doesn’t get picked up by anyone else, is, undoubtedly, a direct reference to the same action done by Shah Rukh Khan’s Vicky in Abbas-Mustaan’s Baazigar.

Another subtle nod is Nikki (Akansha Ranjan Kapoor) talking about her cousin who has been two-timed by her husband. She keeps referring to her as “my cousin Vinny”, which is, of course, the name of the cult Holly comedy starring Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei.

Captain Zattack!

Every ’90s kid watching Monica, O My Darling would have had a wide smile on their faces when the character Tamang — one with questionable English-speaking skills — is referred to as ‘Captain Zattack!’ The character, of course, belongs to the 1991 film Hum (left), and is played by Shiva Rindani, who became synonymous with the name after that film. Tamang is, of course, played by Rindani.

Vasanverse!

Move over Astraverse, welcome Vasanverse! Making an appearance in Monica, O My Darling are Abhimanyu Dassani as Surya and Supri, played by Radhika Madan, both of whom starred in Vasan’s earlier film Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota.