90s Archives

Farewell CID: We’ve Lost our Last Link to ’90s Indian TV

Testament to just how much CID has been consumed by my generation over the years is the fact that Shivaji Satam’s face is the first thing that pops up in my mind when I hear anyone say “ACP”. And though I watch it ironically today because “it’s so bad it’s good”, it reminds me of the time where you didn’t have to pretend to like a show just to fit in.

Jackie Thakkar July 16, 2016

People

Nostalgia, College and Friends: How KK Helped me Adult

Because I grew up in the internet age, I discovered KK fairly late and yet I found in his voice, in his music, an instant resting place for everything that I found unsettling in life.

Deepansh Duggal June 27, 2016

Bollywood

Only 90s Kids will Remember: Sumeet Saigal, Avinash Wadhawan, and 50 Shades of Hamming from Forgotten Heroes

While watching Aayush Sharma in Loveyatri, I was reminded of the stock ’90s hero – someone who had the inherent talent of hamming and could champion patriarchy while celebrating matriarchy; could flex muscles as well as emotions; and become taller, sharper and stronger as the narrative progressed.

Sayantan Mondal June 7, 2016

Pop Culture

2017: The Year That Destroyed ’90s Bollywood

This was the year our rose-tinted memories of the glorious ’90s died. “Oonchi Hai Building” is permanently sullied by Varun Dhawan and we’ll never look at Govinda, Sridevi, and Sanjay Dutt the same way again.

Poulomi Das May 31, 2016

Bollywood

Kader Khan Wasn’t Just an Actor or a Writer. Kader Khan Was a Genre

Kader Khan didn’t just create the cinema of the 1980s. He created the 1980s. He catered to the lowest common denominator without any apology. He was of the people, for the people, by the people – only louder, shriller, piercing. The veteran actor and writer brought the lowbrow out of its cultural closet.

Vaibhav Vishal May 26, 2016

Love and Sex

How to Date a Married Man: Lessons in Infidelity from My Aunt

My Aunt Astrid had an affair with a married man, who finally picked his wife over her. She showed me that carrying bitterness in your heart is counterproductive, especially when you know what you are in for once you agree to be the “other person” in a relationship.

Damian D'souza April 18, 2016

Bollywood

20 Years of Biwi No. 1: David Dhawan Ko Maaf Karna, Om Sai Ram

David Dhawan’s filmography includes comedies like Saajan Chale Sasural, Gharwali Baharwali, and Kyunki Main Jhooth Nahi Bolta, all of which to some extent glamourise men that cheat on their wives. 1999’s Biwi No. 1 is no different.

Jackie Thakkar March 14, 2016

Bollywood

20 Years of Taal: An Ode to the Time When Music Made the Movies

To try and find an original song in Bollywood in 2019 is as fruitless as searching for survival tips in PM Modi’s episode of Man vs Wild. But as any ‘90s kid could tell you, there was a time when music made the movies worth watching. The soundtrack of Taal elevated the film into an unforgettable experience.

Kahini Iyer March 4, 2016