Luck, Chance, and Cinema
Released 15 years ago, Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance (2009) was a stinging critique of the shabbiness and the showmanship of the Hindi film industry, where one of the industry’s own looked within and held out a mirror for all to see. By Sneha Bengani
Survival is an act of defiance
In Abhishek Anicca’s memoir The Grammar of my Body (2023), the protagonist is a disabled body, charting its terrain through the unforgiving, able-bodied world. By Priyanka Chakrabarty
In Our Own Voices: Queer Representation at the International Kolkata Book Fair
Marnina (Avirup) spoke to representatives from Queer organizations at the 2024 Kolkata Book Fair about the experience of hosting their stalls, seeking diversity in Indian publishing, and much more.
Silver Screen Circus
Through films like Bhakshak, Peepli Live, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, and more, Takshi Mehta explores a complex interplay in the representation of media and journalists in Indian cinema, where real and reel stand as opposing mirrors reflecting each other.
“I Embrace My Bitterness” - An Interview with Abhishek Anicca
In The Grammar of My Body, Abhishek Anicca shared his journey of discovering his disability and chronic illness. In an interview, Anicca spoke about disability in the face of capitalism, politics, and literature in an ableist society. By Akankshya Abismruta
Chef’s Kiss
Despite an uneven recipe, Abhishek Chaubey’s Killer Soup has enough strong performances and intrigue to make for a palatable—and entertaining—main course. By Karan Madhok
Dreams of Californication
A personal story of music and brotherhood: “Kau had also bought me the album before he left the country. Even though he would come back soon, it would turn out that us living apart in different cities would be a feature—and not a bug.” By Deepak Sridhar
Inheritance, from Loss
Poetry by Antara Mukherjee: ‘I dig / Into my memoir platter / where shrouded instructions / wrestle with unhealed wounds.’
Here and Now: Two Poems by Chintan Girish Modi
Poetry by Chintan Girish Modi: ‘For every night of stolen sleep / every moment of crushing despair / every taste of I can’t do this anymore’
Snowless in the Himalaya
The menace of vanishing snows now haunts the Himalayan region, taking away the very essence of the mountains for Indians and people from around the world. By Vipin Labroo
Echoes of Winter
Poetry by Urmi Chakravorty: ‘Hope glistened on the peaks afar / while the russet dunes of chinar leaves / formed a gentle duvet for our fiery yen.’