cinema Archives

Sui Dhaaga Review: A Fine Portrait of the Emotional Labour of Small-Town Women

Sharat Katariya’s Sui Dhaaga falters in several places, but it shines when the spotlight is on its women. In a film about dignity of labour, Katariya’s mastery is most evident in parts where the focus is on the immense emotional and domestic labour every married small-town woman inevitably shoulders.

Poulomi Das July 30, 2016

First Person

No First Day, No Show: What It’s Like to Grow Up Without A Movie Theatre in Kashmir

Back in the day, Kashmir was breathtaking – the Dal Lake still had clean water, the entire valley didn’t smell of blood. And it had a cinema. Today, the valley doesn’t have a single working theatre. Nobody in Kashmir who is under 30 years old has had the privilege of watching a film in the theatre on the very day of its release.

Qurat ul July 24, 2016

People

The Wind Will Carry You, Abbas Kiarostami

Kiarostami’s films didn’t remind me of particular incidents from my own youth, but they revived the sensory and emotional experiences of childhood.

Simran Bhalla July 24, 2016

Pop Culture

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Review: The Big Beast Reminds You to Save the Planet

Godzilla has always embodied humankind’s worst fears about the end of the world. This was true for the Japanese classic released in 1954, and it is just as true for its latest instalment, Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Dushyant Shekhawat July 23, 2016

Bollywood

50 Years of Amitabh Bachchan: Why Don Remains Big B’s Slickest Film

Don is one of Amitabh Bachchan’s slickest film.The 1978 blockbuster took mofussil funk to new heights with its chhora Ganga kinare-wala act, before the realists came and spoiled the party.

Vishwas Kulkarni July 21, 2016

Pop Culture

Village Rockstars Review: India’s Entry to the Oscars is a Winning Ode to Childhood Dreams

The National Award-winning Village Rockstars, India’s official entry to the Oscars, is a one-woman operation. While Rima Das intended the film to be a tribute to her village, her sensitivity and warmth guarantees that it also captures the innocence of childhood – and the doting bond between mothers and daughters.

Poulomi Das July 16, 2016

Pop Culture

Roma Review: Alfonso Cuarón Masterfully Captures the Memory of Childhood

Alfonso Cuarón’s autobiographical Roma doesn’t simply imitate or recreate life in an upscale neighbourhood in 1970 Mexico City. Instead the black-and-white spectacle captures the memory of childhood, in unflinching clarity.

Poulomi Das July 14, 2016

POV

How I grew up with Lata Mangeshkar’s voice

My Lata Mangeshkar connection would always be bound by home and nostalgia. I didn’t immediately take to her, and though her politics hasn’t always appealed to me ,her stature, her longevity and ultimately her legacy can neither be doubted nor denied

Pragyan Mohanty July 14, 2016

People

The Silent Cinemas of Srinagar

The abuse faced by Dangal actor Zaira Wasim is a reminder of Kashmir's struggle with freedom of expression. This struggle reflects in its silent cinemas, shuttered since 1989.

Faisul Yaseen July 10, 2016

Bollywood

Before Haathi Mere Saathi and Junglee, Elephant Boy Started Our Jumbo Friendship with the Pachyderm

Hollywood director Chuck Russell’s Junglee – the story of a military veteran who fights a poaching ring in an elephant reserve – brings back memories of Haathi Mere Saathi. But much before the Rajesh Khanna-starrer, the 1937 British film called The Elephant Boy chronicled the friendship between man and the gentle giants.

Sayantan Mondal July 5, 2016