Entertainment
The new age of Indian documentaries
July 30, 2021
Google defines, a documentary to be “a film or television or radio programme that provides a factual report on a particular subject,” but Manan Kathuria, a 21-year-old aspiring documentarian describes it as “an art of storytelling which exhibits what’s actually there, the...
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Immigrant struggles on Indian cinema
July 25, 2021
Portrayal of the Indian immigrant or Indian diaspora experience in cinema has evolved beyond romantic dance sequences shot against beautiful backdrops. In mainstream and as well as independent movies, filmmakers tackle issues such as immigration, identity crisis and how undertone...
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Surekha Sikri passes away at 75
July 16, 2021
Surekha Sikri won the National Awards for the Best Supporting Actress thrice, more than anyone in the country. The first one was Tamas (1986), the second one Mammo (1994), and then the third one Badhaai Ho (2018). However, despite the unparalleled feat, the staggering number of f...
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Coming-of-age in Indian Cinema
July 12, 2021
The term “bildungsroman” was coined in 1819 and represents a coming-of-age tale of a young, inexperienced protagonist who embarks on a journey looking for life’s answers. Films such as Ladybird (2017) and The Breakfast Club (1985) are among many in Hollywood that have been ...
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An ode to Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu
July 10, 2021
Dilip Kumar is at peace. Saira Banu is grateful, a little sad, perhaps, a bit relieved; but hasn’t given a thought to the impending loneliness. Grateful for the 54 years of togetherness, that survived the waves and the winds. Mutual togetherness, as opposed to mutual se...
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Dilip Kumar, first of the Khans of Indian cinema
July 8, 2021
As cinema slowly achieved the position of the single largest disseminator of popular culture in India post-independence, Dilip Kumar, whose real name was Mohammed Yusuf Khan, slowly emerged as the first romantic icon of the country. With films such as Devdas (1...
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The problem with romance on reality television
July 4, 2021
Reality shows featuring blossoming love on television have been around since the early 2000s, with re-runs of originals like The Bachelor (2002) being broadcasted even today. Despite accusations of these programmes being scripted, audiences are often unable to tear their eyes awa...
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OTTs bring women to the front of mainstream cinema
June 28, 2021
While Bollywood has released a few woman-centric hit movies such as English Vinglish(2012), Queen (2013), and Mary Kom (2014), they have been exceptions and very few at that as the Indian cinema for long has been only male-centric. But within a few years, woman-centric content ha...
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The career trajectories of child stars in Bollywoo...
June 18, 2021
While decades ago, child actors were often seen as accessories or cute stand-ins for the bigger stars, with audience attitudes and a shift towards an interest in more realistic content, child actors are becoming invaluable assets to the film industry. A recent example is 9-year-o...
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Adressing Bollywood’s obsession with ‘Brownfac...
June 7, 2021
The controversy over an advertisement of skin whitening cream ‘Fair & Lovely’ last year reignited the debate over colour preference that has dogged the Indian society for decades, if not centuries. As the society has chased the idea that beauty is indeed skin deep, the co...
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