Pop Culture Archives

Manchester United V Manchester City: Jose Mourinho’s Mission Impossible

In an ironic role-reversal, the former bridesmaid Manchester City has now become the bride. Pep Guardiola’s men have probably embodied the Manchester United ethos more than Jose Mourinho would care to admit.

Aditya Rangarajan June 30, 2016

Pop Culture

How India and Pakistan Made Adolf Hitler Pop-Culture Friendly in their Movies

Over the years, Bollywood has freely used references to Adolf Hitler to denote a certain kind of behaviour in men. In 3 Idiots, Rancho addresses Farhan’s dad as Hitler Qureshi for his strict and authoritative nature and in Krodh, Suneil Shetty earns the moniker because he is extremely protective of his five sisters.

Sayantan Mondal June 29, 2016

Pop Culture

Chauvinism Has Met Its Match: Meet India’s Dissenting Women Artists

The last few months have seen the rise of poetry and parody as powerful tools of protest. And leading the revolution are artists such as Megha Rao and Saloni Gaur, popularly known as Nazma Aapi. The emergence of a clear voice by India’s women is a comforting reassurance that their perspective will be recorded.

Nair Da June 29, 2016

Pop Culture

India’s Slumdog Fireflies

Lion’s Sunny Pawar had the night of his life at the Oscars, the biggest stage in the world. The question is, would this be the highest he’d soar?

Poulomi Das June 29, 2016

Pop Culture

Mindy Kaling, the New President of the Comedy Cool Girl Club

Mindy Kaling is everywhere, but despite her laundry list of achievements, she doesn’t fit the mould of the typical comedy “cool girl”. Instead, she explores the awkward hilarity of navigating a world where you very obviously don’t fit in. Her rebellion is against people’s perception of the uptight immigrant girl.

Kahini Iyer June 29, 2016

Pop Culture

10 Years of Vicky Donor: A Landmark Film that has Grown in Relevance

Released a decade ago Vicky Donor is probably a landmark film in the most understated sense possible. More than headline acts or box-office breaking numbers it ushered in a language to help us as a society to deal with taboo.

B. H. June 29, 2016

Pop Culture

Vikram Vedha Review: Wholesomely Entertaining

Saif Ali Khan brings grace to the role of Vikram but it is the charisma of Hrithik Roshan’s Vedha that delights in this mass entertainer shouldered by a terrific script.

Takshi Mehta June 28, 2016

Pop Culture

F/riction: Asaram, Spotlight, and the Unchecked Power of Faith

Welcome to F/riction, a column on films and books that mirror the big nasty of the week. This week, the conversation around sexual assault and the sentencing of Asaram, the godman who raped a teenager in 2013, takes us back to Spotlight, which lifted the veil on systemic child abuse in the Boston area by Roman Catholic priests.

Vishwas Kulkarni June 28, 2016

Pop Culture

What the Bold Makeup in HBO’s Euphoria Teaches Us About the Lives of Gen Z

In Euphoria, no passing reference is made to the makeup that its characters wear scene after scene, not even as a compliment, which feels refreshing in a world where women are constantly made conscious of their appearance. The show nudges us to look at makeup as more than a means to an end.

Pallavi Krishnappa June 28, 2016

Pop Culture

Why Mufasa’s Death in The Lion King Makes Us Tear Up Even Today

No matter how painful it may seem, Mufasa’s death in The Lion King is actually essential viewing. It’s a coming-of-age moment, a rite of passage that must be undertaken to better understand this big, bad world.

Dushyant Shekhawat June 28, 2016