Manik Sharma, Author at Arré

Sacred Games, Inside Edge, and the Belated Arrival of Aamir Bashir

Aamir Bashir has been around in Bollywood for two decades now. But it is only in the last two years, riding on the back of stellar performances in Gurgaon, Sacred Games and Inside Edge, that the actor is finally commanding attention.

Manik Sharma June 14, 2016

Pop Culture

Ajeeb Daastaans Review: This Netflix Anthology Gives You a New Perspective of Seeing the World Around You

Netflix’s anthology series Ajeeb Daastaans is an effective commentary on caste, class, and gender, which offers new perspectives to complexities that surround us. The toast of the series, however, is Neeraj Ghaywan’s “Geeli Pucchi”, starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Aditi Rao Hydari, a story about two women who find refuge in each other’s company, only to discover their differences.

Manik Sharma June 13, 2016

Pop Culture

The Fame Game Review: Madhuri Dixit falls short in a role made for Her

The Fame Game has two comebacks. Both are unsuccessful because in a role that almost seems tailor-made for her, Madhuri Dixit falls miserably short of leaping beyond the dance steps she is adored for. Acting, we learn in the process, is another animal altogether.

Manik Sharma June 12, 2016

Pop Culture

Cubicles is a Welcome Attempt at Humanising Techies

Engineers, or techies as we call them are everyone’s idea for a joke or a gateway to better, more humane things. Cubicles, bravely, tries to tell the stories of those who stay and in doing so, humanises them to an extent.

Manik Sharma June 9, 2016

Bollywood

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is a Poetic Critique of a World Created by Men for Men

Dibakar Banerjee’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is billed as a thriller, a story of two vastly contrasting characters on the run. More than the thrill, however, it’s the film’s subversion of masculinity and the rather poetic untethering of the male gaze crowding the mantle of the world that feels rewarding.

Manik Sharma June 8, 2016

Gender

Do the Oscars Have a “Female Director” Problem This Year?

In endorsing the superhero spectacle, Black Panther for “Best Film”, the Academy has responded to today’s age and yet, its crusade to popularise aberrant films is still catalysed by the dominance of the male genius. What else explains the exclusion of female directors from the Best Director race this year?

Manik Sharma June 8, 2016

POV

The Fake News Factory Must Shut Down: Here’s Where to Begin

Earlier this week, Narendra Modi withdrew an order from the I&B Ministry proposing to cancel the accreditation of journalists who were spreading fake news. But if we are serious about combating fake news, let’s begin with the IT cells of political parties.

Manik Sharma June 8, 2016

POV

Behind the Scenes at Delhi’s Madame Tussauds

Why does one go to a Madame Tussauds at all? The cult of celebrity drives many of us in this country, but what convinces us to spend money to indulge in what I can only explain to myself as necrophilia of the eye?

Manik Sharma June 7, 2016

Pop Culture

Dhamaka Review: Ram Madhvani and Kartik Aaryan offer a barnstorming critique of news media

Kartik Aaryan and Ram Madhavani’s Dhamaka is a riveting thriller that works even better as a critique of media greed and frenzy.

Manik Sharma June 7, 2016

POV

Ayodhya Verdict: Now is the Best Time for India to Say, “Let Bygones Be Bygones”

The centuries-old Ayodhya dispute has stifled and bolted political discourse in India to the regressive wall of hate and bigotry. It has limited the average citizen’s capacity to disassociate from the politics of religious difference. Secularism had almost turned into a hoax. Saturday’s verdict, however, may change something, if not everything.

Manik Sharma June 6, 2016