Articles

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is a Poetic Critique of a World Created by Men for Men

Dibakar Banerjee’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is billed as a thriller, a story of two vastly contrasting characters on the run. More than the thrill, however, it’s the film’s subversion of masculinity and the rather poetic untethering of the male gaze crowding the mantle of the world that feels rewarding.

Manik Sharma June 8, 2016

POV

The Bots Must be Crazy

AI is to the 21st century what electricity was to the 19th. That is, cutting-edge tech that has the potential to rewire your neurons, and Silicon Valley giants Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk can’t see eye-to-eye.

Dushyant Shekhawat June 8, 2016

POV

Why We Need to Pick Productivity Over Punctuality

In an Indian office your dedication is determined by what time you get to work. Which means, that you get labelled a “bad employee” for reaching work at 11 am instead of 10.30 am, but not if you’re one of those people who is at work at 9.30 am and yet does not meet deadlines.

Kadambari Srivastava June 8, 2016

Pop Culture

Sarkar 3 and the Death of an Icon

It took Ram Gopal Varma 12 years and three films to erode the memory of Sarkar, one of the most formidable protagonists to emerge out of Bollywood in recent times.

Poulomi Das June 8, 2016

POV

Netflix and Kill: Do You Also Struggle to Finish a Book Today?

Why can’t I, the former devourer of books, complete even a single one today? I put the blame partly on technology: Streaming websites offer us thousands of shows and movies. And unlike books, which require imagination on the reader’s part, these shows serve you everything on a platter.

Karan Mujoo June 8, 2016

Culture

The Diwali Shopathon: When Mothers Bargain Like Pros and Children Become their Personal Coolies

A Diwali preparation is incomplete without a trip to the old city market. In Mumbai, it’s Dadar; in Delhi, it’s Chawri Bazar. This is the time of the year, when every mother across the country trots out their bargaining A-game.

Nihal Bambulkar June 8, 2016

Bollywood

Will Manikarnika Change Bollywood’s History of Dull-as-Dishwater Queens?

From Raja Harishchandra to Padmaavat, Bollywood has a history of depicting its queens as either pious and uncomplaining, or rude and proud, waiting for the hero to tame their ego. Now that Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi is due to release, can we hope to see more than a royal caricature?

Pragyan Mohanty June 8, 2016

Gender

Caste & Rape Have Always Gone Hand in Hand. The Hathras Case is Only Following a Template

It is on the bodies and psyche of Dalit and Adivasi women, that men have written the narrative of upper-caste and male supremacy. A campaign is now underway to deny the role of caste in the Hathras gang-rape. It isn’t very different from what we’ve witnessed in the Khairlanji massacre or the Bhanwari Devi case.

Aastha Anupriya June 8, 2016

Pop Culture

Sacred Games: Why You Don’t Mess With the Marathi Tai

We can continue to criticise the portrayal of women as mere pawns in the sacred games of men. But take a minute to look beyond the obvious. The women in the Netflix series aren’t mere cheerleaders – they’re controllers in their own right.

Damian D'souza June 8, 2016

Sports

In a Team Full of Batsmen, England’s Jofra Archer Shows What a Strike-Bowler is Worth

Constructing a batting lineup that was the envy of the rest of the world came with a price. England compromised on the quality of bowling, hoping to make up for it by outscoring the opposition. A fearsome bowler who could instill fear into the opposition’s best batsmen was the missing piece in the jigsaw. Enter Jofra Archer.

Parth Pandya June 8, 2016