Manikarnika Archives

Comment of the Week: The Vivek Agnihotri Edition

Welcome to Comment of the Week, where we psychoanalyse ourselves and try to understand what people are trying to tell us. Brought to you by Arré’s resident psychoanalyst and therapist, Sigmund Fried.

Arré Bench July 20, 2016

Pop Culture

Trevor Noah and the Lazy Art of Mistimed Racial Stereotypes

Reducing India to outdated jokes about Bollywood dancing and funny accents is what American pop culture does best. Even as we see marginally better representations thanks to stars like Mindy Kaling, it’s still rare to see desis outside the context of “funny”. Trevor Noah is no different.

Kahini Iyer July 7, 2016

Bollywood

Manikarnika, Thackeray, and the Troubled History of Bollywood Biopics

Both Manikarnika and Thackeray will release tomorrow, and both bring to the fore why Indian biopics so rarely do justice to their subjects. Bollywood biopics have, at best, a testy relationship with reality. Fact might be stranger than fiction, but filmmakers can’t seem to resist embellishing the truth.

Dushyant Shekhawat July 6, 2016

Bollywood

Will Manikarnika Change Bollywood’s History of Dull-as-Dishwater Queens?

From Raja Harishchandra to Padmaavat, Bollywood has a history of depicting its queens as either pious and uncomplaining, or rude and proud, waiting for the hero to tame their ego. Now that Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi is due to release, can we hope to see more than a royal caricature?

Pragyan Mohanty June 8, 2016

Bollywood

Arré Checklist: How Protest Publicity Can Make Manikarnika and Super 30 a Hit

Now that Padmaavat has set the trend and Manikarnika is due to follow, the floodgates are open for protestors to come together against “offensive” films. Sinhal Classes will be perfect protest partners for Hrithik Roshan’s Super 30.

Dushyant Shekhawat June 4, 2016

Bollywood

Manikarnika Review: An Effective Revision of Your School History Book Chapter

As someone rooting for the success of Manikarnika, I was hungry for the movie to delve into the story behind the story. Did the exemplary Queen of Jhansi make mistakes? Did she have regrets? But the film only offers us Kangana Ranaut’s glaring dialogue-baazi and jaw clenching, and hammy plot devices.

Sonali Kokra May 25, 2016

Bollywood

Has Kangana Ranaut Become the Bollywood Bully She Once Fought Against?

At the song launch of her upcoming film, Judgmentall Hai Kya, Kangana Ranaut took on an unsuspecting journalist and accused him of running a smear campaign against her. It’s unfortunate but the actress who was once applauded for being a bold outsider has turned into a tantrum-throwing diva.

Kahini Iyer May 23, 2016

Columns

Rearview | Manikarnika, Priyanka Gandhi, and What Indian Women Do When the Men Fail

Rearview is a column that draws connections between the events of the past week. This time, two much mythologised Indian women occupied our timelines. The legend of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi was brought to life by Kangana Ranaut’s blustery Manikarnika, while the legend of Priyanka Gandhi came alive in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Karanjeet Kaur May 17, 2016

Bollywood

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior Review: A Pulpy Action Thriller that Needs a History Lesson

Ajay Devgn’s self-seriousness in Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior is unbearable. But Saif Ali Khan’s gleeful irreverence makes the villainy of Udaybhan Rathod, a Rajput general in Aurangzeb’s army, extremely enjoyable.

Poulomi Das April 25, 2016

Bollywood

Why Kangana Ranaut Needs Manikarnika To Be a Success

Kangana Ranaut’s combative, no-filter style has come with setbacks. Thanks to her unwillingness to be diplomatic, she has alienated an influential chunk of Bollywood. It’s the reason that, even after doing a massive costume drama like Manikarnika, she’s not mentioned in the same breath as contemporaries Deepika, Anushka, and Alia.

Kahini Iyer April 17, 2016