Vicky Kaushal Archives

Raazi: A Deshbhakti Film that Shows the Ugly Side of Patriotism

For a film that has clouds of nationalism overpowering every frame, the implication that patriotism is a choice – one that the protagonists are not even offered – is a brave one to make. Yet it seamlessly fits in. For Meghna Gulzar has ensured Raazi isn’t a patriotic film. Instead, it’s a film about the aftermath of patriotism.

Poulomi Das July 26, 2016

Pop Culture

Sardar Udham Review: A film like no other

Bafflingly large in scale, immaculately detailed, resoundingly acted, Shoojit Sircar’s Sardar Udham is revolutionary filmmaking in the context of the patriotic Bollywood film.

Manik Sharma July 19, 2016

Bollywood

In a World of Kaushals and Khurranas, Where Does King Khan Now Stand?

Shah Rukh Khan is looking forward to capping off the year with Anand L Rai’s Zero. But in an age when Bollywood seems to have found new King Ks – in Vicky Kaushal and Ayushmann Khurrana – is the original King Khan’s dominance over our hearts and screens under threat?

Kadambari Srivastava July 4, 2016

Bollywood

Manmarziyaan Review: The Bollywood Love Triangle, Redefined

Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan is both a manifesto of modern love and a statement against Bollywood's unrealistic portrayal of love triangles. Aided by smart writing and affecting performances, the film subverts the nice guy trope and squashes the idea of the one true love.

Poulomi Das June 16, 2016

Culture

Arranged Marriage, Tinder, & Why Manmarziyan is Completely Wrong About Modern Love in India

For all of Manmarziyan’s feminist pretensions, its lead Rumi is a cipher, waiting for validation from the men in her life. Where are the fun, confused young women who end up by themselves and become stronger because of it? Where are the women who bid their orthodoxies goodbye and try to fly solo?

Kamayani Sharma June 4, 2016

Bollywood

Love Per Square Foot and Mumbai’s Complicated Relationship with Space

Love Per Square Foot, a spiritual and millennial update of Gharaonda, delves into the perils of negotiating your space in a relationship in a city where existence is as much as an act of rebellion as compromise.

Poulomi Das May 22, 2016

Bollywood

The Manmarziyaan of India’s Many Small-Town Rumis

The plot of Manmarziyaan is a story as old as time. It’s also a narrative that spans the breadth of mohallas across India where countless Rumis let go off their pehla pyaar and marry a stranger. Rumi is that woman discussed in hushed whispers in every small town.

Nimisha Misra May 3, 2016

Bollywood

Bhoot: Part One Review: Dharma Productions, Please Leave Horror Alone

There’s very little point to watching Bhanu Pratap Singh's Bhoot, apart from developing a fondness for the time Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu used to be chasing ghosts.

Poulomi Das April 30, 2016

Bollywood

Vicky Kaushal: The Man Who Has Mastered the Art of Blending In

Vicky Kaushal has mastered the art of blending in. He’s one of the few actors who is aware that his presence and talent is a contribution to any film, not its headline gift.

Poulomi Das April 23, 2016

POV

Bollywood’s a Sellout! Did We Really Need Cobrapost to Tell Us That?

A sting by Cobrapost, Operation Karaoke, set up a fake PR agency that asked Bollywood celebrities to endorse a political party for money. But after a slew of propaganda films and biopics, are we really surprised to learn that the industry is full of actors who are cosily nestled in political pockets?

Kahini Iyer April 19, 2016