Queen Archives

7 Years of Queen: The Complicated Legacy of the Film that Celebrated Feminism

Rewatching Queen is a surreal experience. For once, it isn’t because a movie has aged so horribly, you question your own sensibility and past self for ever liking it. On the contrary, Queen is a rare legit classic, as relevant today as it was in 2014. Queen’s legacy, however, is a complicated mess.

Runjhun Noopur June 6, 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

Pop Culture

Kangana, The Puppet And The Puppeteer Of Her Show

Simran is an ode to Kangana Ranaut’s feminist image. It plays out self-consciously across our movie screens, with an eye to celebrate her quirky, self-made, badass, victim-y image, even when it is at odds with the plot.

Poulomi Das May 5, 2016

Bollywood

My Precious Family Heirloom: A Love for Meena Kumari’s Pakeezah

Meena Kumari's Pakeezah is the foundation of a family bond. A love for the film is a kind of family heirloom, passed on from my nani to my mother to me. After over two decades, I understand the essence of Pakeezah, the love and longing.

Shakun Saini May 5, 2016

Pop Culture

Bohemian Rhapsody Review: A Lesson in Failure from Freddie Mercury

Knowingly or unknowingly, most of us are uncomfortable acknowledging our failure, because as Freddie puts it, “The human condition requires a bit of anesthesia.” Bohemian Rhapsody speaks to everyone who’s ever struggled to face their own frailties.

Damian D'souza April 24, 2016

Bollywood

60 Years of Mughal-E-Azam: Anarkali, Jodha Bai, and Bahar Remain the Film’s Biggest Strength

Sixty years on, the women of Mughal-E-Azam need to be celebrated. Anarkali is the soul of the film, but even Bahar, a jealous lady-in-waiting, is graceful in her pursuits. Jodha Bai is an unconventional mother figure, not a standard 17th century queen who only exists to produce heirs

Shakun Saini April 24, 2016

Love and Sex

Pati, Patni, and the Woeful Woh

An extramarital upheaval in my life – and my screenplay – helped me realise that all it takes for a man to come back, is for a woman to know that she doesn’t want him anymore.

The Dire March 26, 2016