In our vast and diverse democracy, is it really possible for every filmmaker, writer, and performer to have the same rose-tinted view of the country? Obviously not. That’s why Kunal Kamra, whose bracing political satire dares to challenge that status quo, stands out.

Police in Tamil Nadu say that more than 50 women have been sexually abused by a four-member gang in Pollachi. Yet the plight of the survivors has gone unnoticed and reported sparingly by the mainstream media.

AI mines data from everywhere — including the casual sexist text messages we send, dissing Pakistanis on WhatsApp, and our porn searches. Self-learning robots can build on these same learned biases. And A.I.SHA, who displays the worst traits of humanity, is no different.

As Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta tie the knot, complete with a trio of dancing Khans and a million photo ops with Nita ben, we are a bit disappointed. They are doing what every rich couple does – Sabya lehengas and a theme party. If we had that much money, we’d probably get married at Burning Man.

Captain Marvel takes us back to the humble beginnings of the MCU, before we come to its operatic end. It’s a welcome palate-cleanser before the guaranteed plunge into the overstuffed chaos that Avengers: Endgame, releasing next month, will be.

Reducing India to outdated jokes about Bollywood dancing and funny accents is what American pop culture does best.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.

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?

Realising that millennial lovers are hopelessly soft, the Bajrang Dal is offering counselling sessions on why Valentine’s Day is a greater threat to our country than chowmein and women with cell phones. Anti-love activists are busy convincing the youth that paintings of Mughal kings smelling flowers is proof that Rose Day is celebrated only by anti-nationals.

The Priyanka Sena is less like the angry, saffron-clad followers we’re used to, and more like the teddy bear your baby cousin offers his sweetheart on Valentine’s Day. Is this the fabled “Priyanka Effect” that we’ve all been hearing so much about?

Four More Shots Please! treats Damini no differently from the women journalists who have come before her in the chick flick genre. Like Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, Damini is not just an unlikeable character – her many flaws are framed as aspirational.

Until now, Pride protesters have been united in their aims to decriminalise the LGBT+ community’s existence. Today, each attendee faces a different rights battle. But the war rages on for dignity, freedom, and equality, regardless of orientation or gender identity.

In 1996, Deepa Mehta’s Fire was met with riots and outrage. Politicians leapt over themselves to denounce the film as a threat to Indian culture, plenty more objected to the film’s religious allusions. Today, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga has received the kind of acclaim and acceptance that, not so long ago, seemed impossible.

Social media has been abuzz with PM Modi’s reference to PUBG at Pariksha Pe Charcha 2.0. And in the run-up to the 2019 general elections, both Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi recognise that a politician’s grasp over the public imagination is no trivial matter. But can anyone in the Grand Old Party match the PM’s oratory skills?

Turns out, when you call someone on Group FaceTime, you can hear them even before they pick up. For Apple, this so-called “bug” is a potential goldmine in a new generation of social spying.

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.

It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions going into the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Chances are we will remember the first Grand Slam of the season for Zverev’s racquet smash and Carreno Busta’s temper tantrum, rather than its winners.

In India, poverty isn’t just a state of mind, and paisa-vasooli is a way of life. Yet, people buy an extra birthday cake, just to smash it gleefully in some unfortunate soul’s face. What gives?

Are people who think they’re superheroes crazy, or does it take a crazy person to become a superhero? In trying to find pat answers to such questions, M Night Shyamalan’s Glass fails.

When Kidding, premiered last year, there was relatively little fanfare greeting Jim Carrey’s return to screen. But his character Mr Pickles is the closest we’ll get to grasping Carrey’s quicksilver mind and mammoth career.

In a series of Facebook posts, Kanak Sarkar, a professor at Jadavpur University, said that virgin girls are like sealed cold drink bottles and biscuit packets. We thought only our elected representatives were prone to shooting their mouths off on how women should be. Are we now to be concerned about our teachers and academics too?

There’s no denying that the old relationship between cricket and courteousness had become archaic. But after the latest Koffee with Karan episode, which featured Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul on the couch, it might have finally died for good.

If the chief villain of Mary Poppins Returns is the big bad adult world, then the cutthroat bankers are its henchmen, and the dancing lamplighters its underdog heroes. The film illustrates the impact that collective action can have, even in the face of powerful institutions.

Let’s forego the whole charade of New Year’s Resolutions and be resigned to the fact that you’re never going to stick to them. So maybe focus on finding a life-changing, self-improving, magical cop-out resolution that requires no actual commitment whatsoever: How about the modern classic, “go with the flow”?

A mob protesting against women entering the Sabarimala Temple attacked a cameraperson who was covering the story. In the past too, stones have been pelted at women. Who are these “real devotees” of Ayyappa, who believe in their religious rights without considering the constitutional rights of others?

In a rare interview, PM Modi stated that banning triple talaq has helped secure gender equality, but the Sabarimala ban on women is a tradition that has nothing to do with discrimination. But if treating women’s bodies as sacrilege isn’t blatant discrimination, what is?

Women in sports are making up for lost time by smashing records while stoking the pride of the nation. From the on-field exploits of Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur, to the athletic feats of PV Sindhu, Hima Das, Mary Kom, and their peers, female athletes have forced naysayers to eat their words.

As the #DeepVeer and #Nickyanka weddings took over our timelines this year, the 2019 shaadi season should just stay home with its head under the blankets. It’s never going to top the unhinged festivities that have defined our Instagram feeds for the past three months.

For months, opposition leaders have shouted that the BJP engaged in crony capitalism with French Rafale jet manufacturer, Dassault Aviation, and Anil Ambani’s Reliance Naval and Engineering. But today, the Supreme Court concluded that it was outside its purview to examine the business of the government.

Like a naive lover or a doting Indian mother, the bhakt is blind to the BJP’s faults and deaf to their lies. Now that their reign is on shaky ground, will the bhakt resort to talking about actual policy and infrastructure, or will the propaganda intensify?

As a privileged upper-class woman, Midge Maisel keeps her comedy a secret from her elite social circle. But the second season of The Marvellous Mrs Maisel explores Midge’s anxiety as her disparate worlds collide.

The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, which drops its second season today, is one of the most anticipated TV events of the year. The show subverts the conventional trope of “the perfect female lead” by having a heroine whose perfectionism isn’t a temporary product of her circumstances.

Priyanka Chopra is that rare star who has managed to breach the gates of Hollywood, a feat that no actress has been able accomplish. Priyanka, however, knew what it took to succeed – and that’s the reason she is so easy to hate. The Cut’s vitriolic screed about their “scam” wedding proves that the NickYanka hate brigade is real.

Anti-incumbency is probably the BJP’s biggest worry in Madhya Pradesh and a massive press spend might be exactly what the party needs to secure a fourth term for CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

If there's one thing Indians know how to do well, it's the shaadi. And it all builds up to the hallowed first night -- with kesar doodh and a literal bed of roses. Stay with us through the big night, as we ask: What's Up With India's Suhaag Raat Obsession?

Rakhi Sawant introduced us to camp, but today – amid the rise of cringe-pop stars like Dhinchak Pooja and the growing popularity of TikTok – we see many versions of her. Sawant’s space in the spotlight is shrinking, as everyone clamours to be on the same stage as her.

A day after dissolving the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Governor Satya Pal Malik said that he acted in the state’s interest. With the dissolution, one thing seems clear: It doesn’t look as though the people of Kashmir will be getting a people’s government anytime soon.

Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears made a frothy pop song about a toxic relationship. Today, in the era of #MeToo, the word has a very different connotation. It was so much in vogue over the last year that Oxford English Dictionary anointed it 2018’s Word of the Year.

Forget Iulia Vantur, Warina Hussain, and bechara Aamir Khan. The latest firangi sensation in Bollywood is, without a doubt, Lake Como – the third glamorous diva at the Deepika-Ranveer wedding. And where Bollywood goes, the selfie-taking desi tourist follows.

As Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald releases, we finally see the much-hyped Nagini – and she is underwhelming. Should just have asked us, JK Rowling, we’re the experts in poorly CGI’d shape-shifting snakes.

Gellert Grindelwald’s tactics of demonising muggles, as a convenient “other”, can be seen in the divisive politics of the US, much of Europe, Brazil, and even in our India. Like a steadily growing number of our world leaders, Grindelwald understands the politics of fear, fake news, and populism.

Despite its glaring flaws, Dostana played a role in drawing the attention of a nation oblivious to the queer community and its struggles. The film went on to define the mantra of the LGBT community: sexy, fabulous, and deeply individual.

The Ranveer Singh-Deepika Padukone romance, captured in heartfelt confessions, mushy Instagram comments, and photos so sweet that they make singletons burst into tears, feels strikingly genuine in an industry where, dating is often used as a PR strategy.

Chhattisgarh’s action-packed polls are like a teaser-trailer for Election 2019. With all the high drama and horse-trading, it promises to be a merry – if frustrating – circus. It’s missing the pirates and the high seas, but is still more entertaining than Thugs of Hindostan.

Over the past year, women have done enough talking, outing sexual harassers with courage. But despite that, powerful men get away with million-dollar severance packages. Google Walkout seems to be the answer.

When vegans claim their diet is better for the environment, but rely on imported foods that waste water and fuel, are they being any more hypocritical than those who eat “Jain chicken”? Is their irritating preachiness so out-of-place in a country that has forced the world’s largest burger chain to create a beefless menu?

What will the Statue of Unity be remembered for? For being the world’s biggest statue? Or for being part of the government’s effort to make history for the world’s highest re-election spend?

Alok Nath might return to the public eye after a self-prescribed sabbatical, in a film about the #MeToo movement. A society that welcomes harassers back after a short time-out ensures that they are shielded from meaningful consequences.

How many Indian men can so lightly embody the many contradictions of Ranveer Singh? In our determinedly binary society, his love of lehengas on anyone else might have garnered epithets of “sissy” or “hijra”. But then, as his infamous t-shirt once declared, Ranveer always makes one thing abundantly clear: he’s got no fucks to give.

There’s never a particularly good time to be a dissenter, but the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the death of Father Kuriakose Kattithara, the priest who tried to stand up to Bishop Francis Kurukkal, and the forced leave of CBI chief Alok Verma highlight just how dangerous it is to challenge the powers that be.

At a recent press conference, Rakhi Sawant claimed that Tanushree Dutta raped her and muddied the waters of the #MeToo movement by calling it a publicity stunt. Because if anyone knows anything about cheap publicity stunts, it is Rakhi Sawant. It is fine to issue wedding proposals from your commode, but dismissing a movement for solidarity is going too far.

Whatever her intentions, union minister Smriti Irani’s remarks on taking sanitary napkins into homes and temples fall neatly into a cultural norm that considers women “impure” for menstruating, capable of “desecrating” any place by their mere presence.

Journalist Tavleen Singh has reduced #MeToo to a bunch of well-heeled urban women complaining over a bit of workplace harassment. But it is actually Singh and her ilk’s privilege that has helped them rise above the rampant sexism, which held back so many of their peers. That continues to be an obstacle for younger women.

Karnataka Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde recently claimed that his job was to do politics, not social service. Understandable. In other countries, getting into politics is not considered the rough equivalent of joining the mafia. But our politicians have long forgotten that they are put in place to serve the people, rather than the other way around.

It took the clout of 20 powerful and credible women to bring down one harasser. What message does this send to India’s women, whose harassers are not public figures, and who are not the nation’s top journalists and writers? That their stories will be ignored?

The rose-tinted escapism that defines PG Wodehouse’s oeuvre speaks volumes of a social observer who knew that the days of this rarefied existence were numbered. In his tumultuous times, his refusal to take anything seriously, be it political patriotism, the sacred lion of MGM Studios, or his own work, was its own form of irreverent resistance – one that is just as effective today as it was a hundred years ago.

Malgudi might have been a made-up Tamil town of the 1940s, supposedly located near colonial Madras. But its realism came from slice-of-life tales about a community that, however far removed from me in space and time, felt like home.

For many men, consent is a boundary that has to be challenged, rather than respected: Whether it’s Nana Patekar, who insisted there was a “misunderstanding” between him and Tanushree Dutta, or the allegations against Aziz Ansari that were chalked up to a bad date.

Tanushree Dutta’s allegations of sexual harassment are eerily similar to Christine Blasey Ford’s, who testified at a US Supreme Court hearing yesterday. Does this mean that India’s #MeToo reckoning has begun? Because the movement’s progress in the US nearly one year on, is a sign that little has changed.

Today is CJI Dipak Misra's last day as top judge. He will be remembered as the judge who scrapped Section 377 – but his legacy will be shrouded by the impeachment motion and the Justice Loya investigation.

The concept of cramming a bunch of oddballs into a house and filming the fuckery is not exclusive to Bigg Boss. It’s a tried-and-tested reality formula, and it always works. You may consider it low-brow and yet you’ll consume it, as I learned when I discovered Jersey Shore.

Award ceremonies have long been criticised for being self-indulgent affairs, designed by the rich, white, and famous – for the rich, white, and famous. If the Emmys this year, defined by its snubs, were any evidence, there’s still a long way to go before that changes.

It might be tempting to dismiss terms like “Urban Naxal” and “anti-national” as empty rhetoric, but their domination of our news cycle demands a closer look. It all comes down to a nationwide difference of opinion on one question: What is the purpose of the country, and for whom?

Dutee Chand has come a long way: She’s won a fight against the sexist practices of the International Olympic Committee. Her silver medal at the 100m event at Asian Games comes on the back of a horrifying struggle that challenged her very identity as a woman.

Why believe in meticulous research citing climate change and poor management of dams and irrigation, when you can pin the blame for the Kerala floods on MLAs eating beef or women entering temples?

Even as a kid, I knew that the secret to gorgeous hair was my dad’s heavy-handed Parachute champi and that the tastiest fish was fried in coconut oil. So it came as a rude shock when Harvard professor Karin Michels denigrated coconut oil as “pure poison”.

The Centre has declined all foreign offers of aid for disaster-struck Kerala, including UAE’s donation of ₹700 crores. The government is acting in line with policy, but it is imperative to remember that the UAE has been built on the back of a workforce from Kerala.

The #MeToo movement has changed our perception of who a sexual abuser can be – but not our view of victims of sexual assault. Who exactly is the “perfect” victim? The Asia Argento case challenges that notion, letting us know that a victim of assault can also be a perpetrator.

Indians are so obsessed with the virtues of a struggle, that it has become a part of our national narrative. But what happens to those who inherit the burdens of inequality and not the fruits of struggle?

Anushka Sharma is facing yet another social media backlash – this time for being photographed with the Indian cricket team. Anushka can’t seem to catch a break. When Virat Kohli is not in his finest form, we believe blaming Anushka for existing is par for the course.

The 1952 film by Karunanidhi, Parasakthi, democratised the DMK’s message of Dravidian ideology. But it was more than a propaganda film. Revolving around a divided Tamil family left broken and destitute by World War II, it was a scathing critique of a sexist, casteist society.

Besides being an old-fashioned film, designed purely for the purposes of glorious, full-throated entertainment, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again provides a refreshing perspective on life – one that is a soothing balm for our world of stressed-out Sophies.

Lewis Carroll based his most famous character on Alice Pleasance Liddell, the 10-year-old daughter of his friend. Carroll’s views on little girls bordered on the predatory. So how do we read the beloved Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland in a post #MeToo world?

The Fanney Khan song “Mere Achhe Din Kab Aayenge” is now BJP-approved. The lyrics have been suitably changed to “Mere Achche Din Ab Aaye Re”. The party might as well use it as its 2019 slogan.

Indian students rarely ask questions, because in our schools, a “why” is never treated as an innocent question, but an open challenge to the authority of a teacher. We are all expected to be Eklavyas, ready to offer our thumbs to our gurus without doubting them.

Mesut Ozil once said he had two hearts, one German and one Turkish. But regardless of his fame, he can’t transcend the stereotype of being a German only when he is useful to Germany. After a World Cup that was lauded for belonging to immigrants, Ozil’s retirement statement throws up a new question: Is it possible for immigrants to belong?

My hometown Toronto has been in the news for a spate of attacks on its diverse population. Are they a part of a creeping culture of polarisation and dissent? Is fear the new normal in Toronto, the only city where I’ve walked down dark alleys in the middle of the night?

Could our frightening new fluorescent notes be a clever new strategy to push the country toward digital currency? From the blue 50, to the recently announced violet 100-rupee note, we’ve ranked them from worst to not-so-bad.

What do billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Kylie Jenner do when they’re not calling rescue divers “paedos”, earning all the money in the world, or just getting another cosmetic procedure? Here’s a glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous.

Why is India stuck spending the better part of 2018 arguing over Sec 377, a law that has its roots in legislation that was passed while Henry VIII was King of England? Because Section 377 is vague in its definition of what constitutes an “unnatural” act.

Marvel’s first female headliner offers the studio the perfect playground to fix its infamous “woman problem”. So why does the film feel like Ant-Man and the Afterthought, rather than Ant-Man and the Wasp?

The FIFA World Cup is a quadrennial Miss World pageant for dudes. To ensure complete fairness, we’ve ranked all the players on the basis of the three most important skills required in football: Have they got the game, heart, and the hot bod to be the ultimate Man of the Snatch?

Eleven members of a family in Delhi’s Burari killed themselves and initial investigations suggest that they were part of a deadly cult that promised them salvation. What does the Bhatia family have in common with the Jonestown Massacre?

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and its brand of politics is as stale as a vada pav in a movie theatre. Is it any surprise that the party is pursuing public approval with the same aggression that they apply to everything else in life?

Our Saviour-in-Chief Sushma Swaraj has been the subject of abuse by the very monster her party has created – the nationalist troll. Perhaps that’s why her measured reaction to them has been garnering admiration.

Yoga is no longer just a class or a few peaceful asanas in the garden. It’s a glossy, high-end lifestyle, with green detox smoothies and avocado salads, practised by white folks. Maybe it’s time to counter Harry Potter yoga with Mahabharata yoga.

For a man like Irrfan Khan, who has always marched to the beat of his own drum, narrating his story of fighting cancer might be his boldest role yet. By sharing the truth of his struggle with his fans and followers, he has displayed a rare kind of generosity.

With nail-biting challenges like a fast protest, celebrity guests like Arvind Kejriwal, and surprise evictions like Manish Sisodia’s, Bigg Boss Delhi is the hottest reality show on TV today.

We live in a time when the nation has joyfully adopted Karan Johar’s vision of the ultimate shaadi. But when everyone else has boarded the party bus, the Tam Brahm prefers endless agarbatti-fuelled ceremonies, Bharatnatyam, and a lunch of rice and sambar.

My name is Taimur Ali Khan. I may be just a baby, but I still get jealous. My fans are chasing some new baby-faced chikna, who goes by the name Nick Jonas. I’m having a toddler-life crisis though I keep repeating to myself, “Main mera favourite hoon.”

Monogamy today has become as outdated as hair scrunchies and tamagotchis. After all, how are you supposed to experience all that life has to offer if you’re stuck with one person? Yet, I find it difficult to commit myself to not committing.

There is a particular brand of millennial woke theatre in which all the world’s a stage to prove that you are better than the asshole next to you... Someone who’s never even heard of bell hooks or worse, uses animal-tested cosmetics.

Kareena Kapoor in her progressive Veere Di Wedding avatar is enjoyable if you can forget the fact that a few weeks ago, the actress did a U-turn on her character’s seemingly feminist stance. What happens to feminists after marriage?

The United Forum of Banker’s Unions has decided that enough is enough. After all the hardships we’ve endured, we’ve got a meagre wage raise of two per cent, because of losses in the sector. How is our two-hour lunch break to blame?

If headphones were stolen from the Tejas Express, will Indian passengers spare lifejackets and safety floats on Angriya, the Mumbai-Goa cruise? Expect windows to be smashed and a “Pappu loves Pinky” graffiti to magically appear on the boat overnight.

Whom will PM Modi nominate for the #HumFitTohIndiaFit Challenge? Our top three picks our Rahul Gandhi, Amit Shah, and HD Kumaraswamy.

I can understand the motivation to make every moment count on the weekend. After all, our waking hours are spent in a cramped office with a bunch of people we can barely tolerate. But Weekend Warriors, determined to tick off every box on their “Having Fun” checklist, put the “weak” in weekend.

When I heard of Google Duplex, I went into overdrive thinking of all the things I’d never have to do again if Duplex could stay on the down-low. Customer care executives, annoying relatives, and break ups were all things from which I’d be forever freed.

Meghan Markle is an outsider. Not only is she a commoner, she’s a clueless import from across the pond which gave birth to McDonald’s. The royal wedding is going to be a brutal affair, but she can totally own it if she keeps an eye out for Piggy Chops attempting to steal her thunder.

The VHP has taught you well, Sharan Pumpwell. You said that beating up women who go out drinking is a way to protect them from “sex mafias”. By standing up for women’s rights, much in vogue these days, you will surely appeal to Karnataka’s progressive voters.

The 2019 IPL Player's Auction is underway and if you are still part of the Whistle Podu Parishad, you are a loyalist who doesn’t switch allegiances even in the face of a two-year ban. And you are a true Royal Challenger, if you believe in the power of Anushka Sharma’s birthday.