Suicide as spectacle

Sushant Singh Rajput’s death was turned into a spectacle by much of media, especially on TV it was speculative, sensationalised, and irresponsible “Arey! Apni hi film dekh lete, Sushant!” (You should have watched your own movie, Sushant!) This is how News24 chose to report on the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, who allegedly died by […]

Patna loses its star

After Shatrughan Sinha, Sushant Singh Rajput was probably the first actor from the state who could find space as the leading man The house in Rajiv Nagar — a middle-class locality in north Patna — is exactly the sort of place that a government servant’s family would occupy. It’s also the kind of place that […]

Scent of a community

Nicholas Kharkongor’s film Axone explores the travails of young North-easterners living in Delhi as they grapple with racism and the upheavals of relationships, through the course of an eventful day On a hot summer day in Delhi, two young girls set out on a mission to prepare a special North-eastern Dish, Axone Pork, for their […]

Virtuous simplicity

Basu Chatterjee’s legacy is the endearing depiction of middle-class life shorn of melodrama Urban India’s middle-class young man of the 1970s wasn’t always a brooding figure; he wasn’t always angry. And he wasn’t always weighed down by questions of alienation and existence. He could struggle, yet walk with a purposeful gait. His anxieties could be […]

Smaller screens, panoramic choice

For cinephiles across the world, a digital film festival – We are One — will keep audiences riveted as most people stay indoors during the pandemic  When you join the queue, with a ‘pass’ in your hand and are about to enter the theatre, but still question yourself: ‘Am I making the right choice?’ You […]

War of the cinematic worlds

With a host of films skipping the theatrical run and going for a digital release, the Indian film industry faces a new set of challenges amid the pandemic FIRST DAY, FIRST SHOW. You are all excited for it, as always. Probably, you have been waiting for this film for a long time – since the […]

Brown girl in the ring

Netflix series ‘Never Have I Ever’ gives us a glimpse into the life of an Indian-American teen without putting her on the sidelines or merely using her for comic relief A 15-year-old is praying to God as her first day of sophomore year at high school is about to begin. She says, “I think we […]

“I enjoy delving deep into the script”

Designer, philanthropist and actor Nyla Masood talks about her latest venture, her varied experiences in the film industry and more How did you start your journey in Bollywood?  It was around 2007-08 when a friend of mine wrote his first script. He insisted I take up the work since I was the only designer he […]