With bullying by political bigwigs and authority figures alike currently on the rise even in the field of sports – most recently witnessed in the case of Olympian Sakshi Malik tearfully pulling the plug on an illustrious career out of protest after an unfruitful journey of securing justice for her fellow athletes who accused politician and president of the Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Kumar of sexual assault, I felt it only pertinent to pen an essay on two contemporary Indian movies, ‘Mukkabaaz’ (2017) and ‘Budhia Singh – Born to Run’ (2016), both of which have not only pulled ..read more

Growing up on the wintry tea estate that she calls home and where the sun shines seldomly, bubbly teen Tillotoma (fondly referred to by her ‘daak naam’ Titli) can’t stop fangirling over Rohit Roy/Rana, a beloved leading man in Hindi cinema and a much older heartthrob settled in the bustling metropolis of Mumbai. One fine misty morning, while accompanying her mother Urmila to pick her father up at the airport, Titli crosses paths with the superstar himself! And what could be a more unimaginable Christmas present than the opportunity of carpooling with one’s celeb crush? However, the naive young ..read more

*TW: Themes of rape/sexual assault discussed in review. Staying true to its title, ‘Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai’ (literal translation: ‘Just one person is enough’) recounts the true story of PC Solanki, a dedicated lawyer and an individual who’s also quite literally one of a kind- being the only lawyer in Jodhpur well-versed with the then newly passed POCSO act/ The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, who single-handedly reaffirms the power of this phrase through his courageous act of defending a teenage rape victim in a court of law… Especially when a crowd fails her. Adrija Sinha i ..read more

This whimsical slice of life dramedy follows Kamath, a soft spoken suicidal loner and Parkash/Mrs. Handa, his unlikely partner in crime who’s also a politically incorrect Punjaban, as well as an ambitious tailor named Nanhe who all reach their respective breaking points at the same time, after tolerating all that life and the overbearing city of Mumbai has to ‘offer’ to them, thus developing a mutual obsession with breaking and entering homes. Neena Gupta and Jackie Shroff in a still from Mast Mein Rehne Ka While this setup indeed sounds strange on paper, writer-director Vijay Maurya excels at ..read more

After securing admission into the university of his dreams, Hassan travels from Delhi to the States in order to pursue a degree in filmmaking, and while the doors of the prestigious institution are thrown open to him and he also easily finds acceptance in this strange new land among his classmates as well as helpful teachers, he is in for a shock and struggles to find footing within his own community and kin who find reasons to either judge, invalidate or frown upon him for his chosen career path, or even at times, from fellow immigrants whose idea of adjusting to life in the States is by givi ..read more

‘The Railway Men’ , a limited series on Netflix, recalls one wintry night in 1984 when the fatal MIC gas wafted from Bhopal’s now defunct Union Carbide pesticide plant, snuffing out countless lives in the process. The series primarily sheds light on the beacon of hope that emerged during this nightmarish and tragic ordeal, in the form of the Indian railways-The literal lifeline of a country and in this particular instance, of almost an entire population. Kay Kay Menon in a still from The Railway Men Maybe it’s because we’re nearing the anniversary of this absolutely avoidable tragedy next mon ..read more

Based on the short prose of acclaimed filmmaker, the late Satyajit Ray, director Abhishek Chaubey’s contribution to the ‘Ray’ anthology series on Netflix, ‘Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa’ follows 2 eccentric strangers on a transformative train journey. One of them, Musafir Ali is a former pickpocket-turned-famed Ghazal singer/poet, while the other who goes by the moniker of Mr Baig is a sports journalist who once achieved success as a one-hit wonder in the field of wrestling. This isn’t their first meeting, as both the travelers are connected via a common object of their desire- a golden pocket watch ..read more

Everyone’s favourite bad-arse working mother-turned-mafia doyen Aarya Sareen returns for yet another intense and unease-evoking season. This time around too, just like in season 1, the emphasis is still on Aarya doing everything in her power to protect her children from lurking threats. The events of season 2 unfold with Aarya returning from her safe haven in Australia with a daughter whose mental health is spiralling out of control and her youngest son still in therapy due to severe PTSD triggered by the events of season 1. As soon as she and the kids touch ground in Rajasthan once more, fre ..read more

Vijay Varma as the older Jhunku in Chittagong Seeking to prove his loyalty to his motherland and simultaneously, to win over his peers who only think of him as a coward/traitor, Jhunku, a teenager who’s lived a privileged life forever indebted to British imperialism signs up to join a long-growing army of emboldened youth, all of whom have been recruited by a humble and respected teacher and freedom fighter Surya Sen (fondly known as Master Da) in order to overthrow the oppressors by raiding their armory. And while not entirely successful, Master Da’s efforts indeed bear fruit in the long run ..read more

I was enticed into watching this movie primarily thanks to a clip making the rounds online featuring its 3 leading ladies, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn (one of my faves and all time girl crushes) & Bette Midler dancing to ‘You Don’t Own Me’ , an iconic girl power anthem by singer Lesley Gore. I was instantly enamoured by the trio’s electric energy and the character dynamics but even more so, the overall context behind this scene piqued my interest as well. Adapted from Olivia Goldsmith’s novel by the same name, The First Wives Club follows the aforementioned trio of girl bosses Brenda, Eli ..read more