When orchestra became ‘Arkestra’

A look at the democratisation of cheap thrills in the hinterland Amid the cheering arkestra crowd, you often come across the odd sight of very serious looking men, as if they are trying to find the arithmetic mean between public decency and raunchy collectivity. Lurking in the background or trying to be invisible in the […]

Black is beautiful

This year, black artists made history with seven record wins at the Academy Awards. But is it enough? “The word today is irony. The date, the 24th. The month, February, which also happens to be the shortest month of the year, which also happens to be the Black History month. The year, 2019. The year, […]

India’s distant Oscar dream

India – the country which produces the largest film in the world – has not won a single Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Who is to blame? Expectations were high this year when Rima Das’ Village Rockstars was declared as India’s official entry for Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category. […]

Not much more than a chick flick

The world of Four More Shots Please is far from real – expensive booze, perfect looks and casual flings take the place of emotions and authenticity What is the definition of a ‘liberated’ and ‘empowered’ woman? One who uses cusswords without any hesitation? One who is unafraid to shout out ‘vagina’ at the top of […]

Bollywood and the art of propaganda

The timing of a recent slew of ‘political’ and ‘nationalist’ films before the elections is not a coincidence The scene in black and white shows Mumbai in the 1960s. A young Balasaheb Thackeray, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, goes inside a movie theatre. What starts as a funny cartoon suddenly takes the shape of a “black […]

Delhi Policewali

Netflix release Soni is an honest take on a woman in a position of power struggling to find space in a man’s world Which Indian woman hasn’t heard of the familiar trick of applying sindoor (vermilion) in the parting of our hair as an acceptable measure to ward of sexual harassment? After the December 16 […]

Bitter taste of Koffee

Karan Johar’s show on Star World is finally getting flak for its disturbing attempts to tease out revelations about the sex lives of its guests “Have you ever gone skinny dipping?” “Have you ever taken a shower with someone?” “Are you a part of the mile-high club?” “Have you ever made out in a car […]

Softening up biases

The documentary Son Rise by National Award winning filmmaker Vibha Bakshi tells the story of ordinary men from Haryana who stood up for women’s rights Jitender Chhatar, a farmer, marries Kusum — a survivor of gangrape. Furthermore, he puts his life in danger by fighting relentlessly to put criminals behind bars and get justice for […]