Rainbows on the Silver Screen
From Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Lagaa, Badhai Do, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, and more, a fresh lease of life seems to have been granted to a responsible on-screen LGBTQIA+ representation in the glitzy-verse of commercial Bollywood over the past decade. By Nivedita Dey
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
In BADHAAI DO, a small story asks big, bold questions
A poignant, nuanced comedy drama, Badhaai Do (2022) tests the complexities of a lavender marriage in a small Indian city. By Ankur Choudhary
The Women Behind the Screen: Anubha Yadav discusses her book SCRIPTING BOLLYWOOD
‘The ground is shifting… It is symptomatic of a tension, a threat.’ Writer, academician, and filmmaker Anubha Yadav spoke about the process behind her book Scripting Bollywood: Candid Conversations with Women Who Write Hindi Cinema, feminism in the Hindi film industry, and much more. By Shibani Phukan
Heroes and “Heroes”: AK VS AK and the blossoming of Meta-Cinema in Bollywood
Vikramaditya Motwane’s AK vs AK asks more questions about reel and real than any other film in recent memory. How much of real life inspires cinema? How far can cinema piggyback on what’s happening in the outside world? By Urmi Bhattacheryya
The Weight of Love: “Sir” and the delicate balance of an uneven romance
Rohena Gera’s Sir (2018) is a romance that challenges the societal taboos of class in India, and deftly explores the story of two individuals who the barriers between them. With delicately-crafted moments, the film strips off our biases to ask “Is love enough?” By Harshita Murarka
Mass Entertainment Outrage
From Paatal Lok and Leila to A Suitable Boy and Deepika Padukone’s films, Indian movies and web series face targeted attacks from the outraged right-wing, hell-bent to shape the national narrative to their own terms. Is there a way forward for true creative voices to survive in the mainstream? By Karan Madhok
Jaa… Jee Le Apni Zindagi: On Fathers Confronting Feminism in Hindi Cinema
From the fierce Baldev Singh in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, the inimical patriarchs in Mohabbatein and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, and gentler fathers in Thappad and Gunjan Saxena, Harshita Murkarka takes a look at the evolution of fatherhood in the post economic-liberalised Bollywood.
A Voice that Crossed Over; A Voice of a Generation
S.P. Balasubrahmanyam’s iconic voice and plethora of soundtracks marked the multilingual singer as one of the most essential artists of his time. Jamie Alter recalls the impact of the crossover artist in the Hindi film industry.
Lights, Camera, and Gold Medals
There is a clear disconnect between Indian sports and films about Indian sports. We love inspiring cinematic stories about sports in India—often ignoring the sports themselves. Jamie Alter analyses this dichotomy.
In the driver’s seat: A toast to the Everyday Woman in Gulabo Sitabo
Gulabo Sitabo is the latest release from the oeuvre of writer-director duo Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi, featuring strong, everyday women who are often underrepresented in the vast Hindi cinema ecosystem - by Harshita Murarka.
Cricket on Screen: The good, bad and ugly of Cricket in Bollywood
There are few things that India loves more than cricket and cinema. And yet, the cultural connection between our favourite pastimes have rarely resulted in quality cricket films. Jamie Alter lists some of the best and worst of Bollywood on the willow.