Articles

Laakhon Mein Ek Review: An Engaging and Politically Relevant Study of India’s Healthcare System

Biswa Kalyan Rath’s Laakhon Mein Ek comes across as a rarity in the Indian landscape of fiction series by refusing to drag season one’s resonant storyline to inspire a second season. Instead, it paints a compelling portrait of the breakdown of India’s healthcare system.

Poulomi Das March 30, 2016

Features

The Aarya Trailer Has Fans Intrigued. These Inspired Artworks are Proof

It’s been a while since fans caught a glimpse of actor Sushmita Sen, whose last feature film released nearly a decade ago. But as a new trailer has revealed this week, the wait won’t be much longer. Sen has already been on the receiving end of praise for the new Hotstar Special “Aarya”.

Arré Bench March 30, 2016

Bollywood

Bhoot Police Review: A Surprisingly Fun Romp with Saif Ali Khan in Top Form

Bhoot Police is anchored by a terrifically unhinged Saif Ali Khan who along with other adept performances gives us a film that though formulaic has its fair share of entertainment and memorable moments.

Manik Sharma March 30, 2016

Pop Culture

Why Game of Thrones Did Not Deserve the Emmy for Best Drama

Despite sprawling set-pieces and CGI-fuelled dragon fire, GoT has failed on three fronts that made the show a success: writing, suspense, and logic.

Arré Bench March 30, 2016

Pop Culture

Goodbye Toni Morrision, A Champion of Decency and My Imaginary Friend

To read Toni Morrison was to be intimate with her politics; and to be intimate with her politics is to challenge, sometimes even annihilate patterns of thought. I haven’t always agreed with her, but she’s forced me to think, think, think. To cultivate convictions and be political.

Sonali Kokra March 30, 2016

Bollywood

Saand Ki Aankh Review: Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar Hit the Bullseye in a Crowd-Pleasing Biopic

Saand Ki Aankh's translation of female emancipation suffers from a case of “being written by men”. By which I mean that it doesn't realise that it is mocking its two leads in the guise of celebrating them. The film would have been easier to write off had it not been for the distinctive, affecting performances by Bhumi Pednekar and Tapsee Pannu.

Poulomi Das March 30, 2016

Pop Culture

Pushpa, KGF and How Massive Beards Came to Replace Hairy Chests as a Sign of Masculinity

There was time a when our heroes carried hair on their chest as a sign of restrained heroism. It’s absurd really, but films like Pushpa and KGF imply the arrival of the most explicit and visible evidence yet of a man’s virility, troublingly told through violence – his overgrown beard.

Manik Sharma March 30, 2016

Bollywood

Kaalia, Bob Biswas and Circuit: The Side Characters Without Whom No Bollywood Plot is Kaamyaab

A Bollywood film is incomplete without a “side hero” – you know, the “hero ka dost”. But side characters have risen from the forgotten corners of history, and thanks to social media, often find their own audience. Sanjay Mishra’s Kaamyaab reminds us of the long road side characters have had to tread.

Sayantan Mondal March 30, 2016

First Person

Don’t Interrupt Me, I’m Having a Conversation (with Myself)

If you haven’t tried it yet, you should plan a chat with yourself ASAP. It’s only borderline personality disorder if you’re talking to someone that isn’t present and isn’t you. I’ve checked, just to make sure.

Nihal Bambulkar March 30, 2016

Pop Culture

Human is Thrilling, and perhaps Universal

Hotstar’s Human asks the all-important question about what it means to be human. That it is set in the world of pharmaceutical opportunism and intrigue is just a coincidence, for this terrific show headlined by Shefali Shah and Kriti Kulhari is a winner.

Lakshmi Govindrajan March 30, 2016