The Problem with Aladdin’s “Feminist” Princess Jasmine
Posted inPop Culture

The Problem with Aladdin’s “Feminist” Princess Jasmine

In Guy Ritchie's Aladdin, we look at Princess Jasmine through the prism of a feminist gaze: The Sultan’s daughter isn't ready to accept that she can never claim the throne. Yet, the problem is that the reimagination of Jasmine, exists in the film to convey just one thing: Disney’s earnest attempts at a progressive rebranding
How Girish Karnad Became a Household Name with Malgudi Days
Posted inCulture

How Girish Karnad Became a Household Name with Malgudi Days

Malgudi Days introduced my family, which until then had only read some of Girish Karnad’s works, to his charm and subtle elegance. His WT Srinivasan represented an entire generation of Indians who had been exposed to English education and civility but stuck to their roots when it mattered the most.
Much Before Halloween There Was Bhoot Chaturdashi
Posted inCulture

Much Before Halloween There Was Bhoot Chaturdashi

Halloween is too in-your-face. Bhoot Chaturdashi, which falls on the night before Diwali, has the kind of suspense that plays with your mind. I remember peering into the dark fearfully, thinking twice about making that trip to the bathroom on my own, lest a spirit held my body hostage.
Save the Tiger… From Irresponsible Indian Tourists
Posted inAnimals

Save the Tiger… From Irresponsible Indian Tourists

Over the past few years, there have been several instances of guides and tourists in national parks harassing tigers, provoking them. Our insatiable appetite for spotting a tiger in the wild is threatening the existence of the very creature it is meant to protect.
Revisiting Kalpana, Uday Shankar’s Film that Cost ₹22 Lakh in 1948
Posted inPeople

Revisiting Kalpana, Uday Shankar’s Film that Cost ₹22 Lakh in 1948

I was 11 when I first watched Uday Shankar’s Kalpana, an experimental dance-drama, in a Calcutta theatre along with the illustrious Shankar family. I thought it was long and obscure. But as I revisit the film, decades later, I read deeper into the narrative of the artist whom James Joyce described as someone who “moves on the stage like a semi-divine being”.