Bollywood Archives

Race 3: Iss Bewakoofi Ka Koi Ilaaj Nahin Hai

Race 3 swaps Nawab Khan for Blackbuck Khan and makes the grave mistake of thinking it can pass off as a film. It is so excruciatingly brainless that it makes Baaghi 2 look like a cinematic accomplishment.

Poulomi Das April 7, 2016

Bollywood

Gully Boy Trailer: Ranveer Singh Drops His Extraness to Channel His Inner Bantai

The Gully Boy trailer is firm indication that Ranveer Singh is Bollywood’s finest A-lister. Two of last year’s biggest hits, Padmaavat and Simmba, benefited from Singh’s natural exuberance – yet, he disappears completely in the Gully Boy trailer, letting the character enrich him.

Arré Bench April 7, 2016

Bollywood

Years Before Black Mirror, We Had Love Sex Aur Dhokha

Dibakar Banerjee’s Love Sex Aur Dhokha, which turns eight today, warned us of the dangers of technology long before Black Mirror could. It might not have had the feeling of impending doom that pervades through Charlie Brooker’s show, but in impact, LSD was nothing short of a scary trip.

Anahad Madhav April 7, 2016

Bollywood

Rishi Kapoor: The Only Man Who Could Look Like a Rockstar in Shiny Pants and Oversized Sweaters

Rishi Kapoor did not need a larger-than-life character, as in Karz, to make it memorable. “Parda Hai Parda” is proof that Rishi could look like a rockstar in a sherwani and an ugly moustache, with nothing more than a few qawwals, some killer jumpy dance moves, and a rose in hand.

Runjhun Noopur April 7, 2016

Bollywood

In an Election Year Filled with Fake News, Lessons from Rajat Kapoor’s Ankhon Dekhi

The flood of fake news on social media has made our judgement of the information we consume weaker than ever before. But if we wish to gain an understanding of the “truth”, we must question the very pillars we base our lives on, like Bauji in Rajat Kapoor’s 2014 film.

Anahad Madhav April 6, 2016

Bollywood

Aradhana: How the Sharmila Tagore Film Tried to Normalise Pre-Marital Sex & Single Motherhood

Aradhana might seem like yet another run-of-the-mill film about a self-sacrificing woman, but it’s much more than that. It’s a movie that brought taboo subjects such as pre-marital sex, adoption, and single motherhood to the mainstream.

Shakun Saini April 6, 2016

Bollywood

How Rajnigandha and Choti Si Baat Gave Us Vidya Sinha, the Original Girl Next Door

As I mourned the passing of Vidya Sinha last Thursday, I couldn’t help but realise that Sinha was an Everyman’s heroine. As Deepa and Prabha in Rajnigandha and Choti Si Baat, two of Basu Chatterjee's classic outings, she oozed femininity that was distinctly Indian while embodying a sort of reckless abandon that was almost postmodern in its emancipation.

Runjhun Noopur April 5, 2016

Bollywood

Pagglait Review: Sanya Malhotra’s Superb Lead Performance Deserves A Better Movie

Netflix’s Pagglait follows the transformational journey of Sanya Malhotra’s Sandhya after the death of her husband. It could have been a genuinely sombre, emotional, and sensitive movie had director Umesh Bist abandoned all the caricatures who make up the film’s huge ensemble cast and just focused on Sandhya.

Devarsi Ghosh April 5, 2016

Bollywood

Mere Pyaare Prime Minister: A Poor Cousin of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha

In the midst of election season when Bollywood is all too willing to play along with the ruling party’s narrative, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mere Pyaare Prime Minister just adds to that noise: a film that is so much about its expired message that it forgets to have a believable story.

Arré Bench April 5, 2016

Bollywood

Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota Review: A Delightful Reminder of Why We Keep Going to the Movies

Vasan Bala’s Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota is an affectionate paean to childhood dreams without any filters of practicality as well as a tender tribute to a life spent at – and elevated by – the movies. Almost every frame of the film is a treasure hunt of retro movie references.

Poulomi Das April 4, 2016