bollywood Archives

The World of Rajkumar Hirani: Where All is Well Despite Some Chemical Locha

Over the years, Rajkumar Hirani has created for us a universe full of slice-of-life characters that keep evolving, keep mutating, in small and big ways across his other films. His humour, feel-good narratives, and finger-on-the-pulse messaging blend together to form, what can be called the “Hiraniverse”.

Jackie Thakkar May 30, 2016

Bollywood

Coolie: Kader Khan’s Dialogues Remind Us of a Time When Secularism Wasn’t a Bad Word

The late Kader Khan wrote the dialogues of Coolie and gave us gems like “Tere haath mein maut ka samaan hai toh...mere seene pe khuda ka naam hai.” He also played the twisted antagonist Jafer, the very personification of greed, lust, and treachery. Thirty five years on, Coolie still remains a wholesome and entertaining film.

Aditi Sen May 30, 2016

Bollywood

21 Years of Hera Pheri: This Priyadarshan Comedy is Greatest Uplifter of All Time

In these dark times, my friends and I turn to Hera Pheri, the heist comedy that informed our childhoods. The Priyadarshan film is a bunch of guffaw-worthy skits, where the narrative is secondary. It has aged perfectly for the meme generation with our ten-second attention spans and voracious appetite for punchlines.

Jackie Thakkar May 28, 2016

Bollywood

Dear Bollywood, Enough With the Item Girls. Where Are the Item Boys?

Item girls shimmied their way into Bollywood back in the ’40s and there’s been no looking back ever since. Think Madhuri Dixit in “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai” and Malaika Arora in “Munni Badnam Hui”. But where are our item boys? What is stopping Bollywood from tapping into the sea of testosterone?

Mallika Chakrawarti May 28, 2016

Pop Culture

In Nawaz We Trust

Babumoshai Bandookbaaz gains from the presence of Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who has taken on the role of a saviour of films in need of saving.

Poulomi Das May 27, 2016

Bollywood

Kader Khan Wasn’t Just an Actor or a Writer. Kader Khan Was a Genre

Kader Khan didn’t just create the cinema of the 1980s. He created the 1980s. He catered to the lowest common denominator without any apology. He was of the people, for the people, by the people – only louder, shriller, piercing. The veteran actor and writer brought the lowbrow out of its cultural closet.

Vaibhav Vishal May 26, 2016

Bollywood

Luck By Chance: The Finest, Most Self-Aware Movie About the Movies Ever Made

Luck By Chance remains Zoya Akhtar’s finest work, a subtle drama exploring the meaning of ambition and happiness in the film industry – via nepotism, sexual harassment, and blind luck.

Mudra May 26, 2016

Bollywood

Manikarnika Review: An Effective Revision of Your School History Book Chapter

As someone rooting for the success of Manikarnika, I was hungry for the movie to delve into the story behind the story. Did the exemplary Queen of Jhansi make mistakes? Did she have regrets? But the film only offers us Kangana Ranaut’s glaring dialogue-baazi and jaw clenching, and hammy plot devices.

Sonali Kokra May 25, 2016

Pop Culture

The Superlative Brilliance of Shefali Shah

Words probably won’t do justice to just how harrowingly brilliant Shefali Shah is in the second season of Delhi Crime. It’s humbling to be in presence of such precocious talent, that even our faculties to fully appreciate and preserve it are beginning to feel suspect.

Takshi Mehta May 25, 2016

Bollywood

20 Years of Sarfarosh: A Rare Patriotic Film that Asked the Right Questions

Twenty years ago, John Mathew Matthan’s Sarfarosh released during the Kargil war and could have easily been a hyper-masculine journey of revenge. Instead, it was a rare Bollywood patriotic film that explored identity and conflict within the borders.

Manik Sharma May 25, 2016