Pop Culture Archives

Notes from a Screening of The Kashmir Files

I knew I was in for a unique experience when I chose to watch The Kashmir Files, but it was the absurdly regular and occasionally awkward events outside the film that made it, in certain ways, a special experience.

Takshi Mehta April 25, 2016

Pop Culture

The Serpent Review: A Whole Series Later, “Bikini Killer” Charles Sobhraj Remains a Mystery

The Serpent, now streaming on Netflix, is a long-due storied portrayal of the enigmatic yet seductive Charles Sobhraj that has eluded Indians for decades. But the series somehow fails to unmask the serial killer beyond the performative aspects of his crimes.

Manik Sharma April 25, 2016

Pop Culture

Brown, Bisexual, and Bold: What Lilly Singh Means for Late Night TV

In a sea of late night TV hosts in drab blue and black suits, Lilly Singh stands out in a bright maroon suit on the debut episode of “A Little Late with Lilly Singh”. She is willing to lead the way for more diversity, but she refuses to be pigeonholed as a “flagbearer for representation”, wanting to do things her way.

Sherina Poyyail April 25, 2016

Pop Culture

Black Widow: The film Marvel promised but couldn’t deliver

Superhero films are underpinned by obvious tropes. But in its first female led outing, Black Widow could have been Marvel’s opportunity to come of age with the rest of the world. Instead, it choses to retreat to formula and with it to an unremarkable film.

Manik Sharma April 25, 2016

Pop Culture

Kaala: Decoding Pa Ranjith’s “Anti-Establishment” Film

Kaala, Pa Ranjith’s symbolism-loaded work, isn’t afraid to point fingers at the state of the nation today. It touches upon atrocities faced by the underprivileged, institutional murders, and takes the Hindutva brigade head on.

Aditya Shrikrishna April 25, 2016

Pop Culture

#Throwback 2018: Thank You, Sacred Games, for Ganesh Gaitonde, Katekar, and the Gang of Gopalmath

Sacred Games single-handedly ended the drought of smartly written and performed shows of Indian origin, on the internet. It was that unicorn that treated the small screen with the same level of ambition and respect usually reserved for the silver one.

Arré Bench April 24, 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

Pop Culture

What Watching Black Mirror with My Boyfriend Taught Me About Love

I wondered if watching Black Mirror with my boyfriend was creating a real trust deficit between the two of us. There’s honestly just too much relating with the characters. They are us and we are them in so many ways.

Alisha Sachdev April 24, 2016

Pop Culture

Haunted Hearts: Lessons in Love & Loss from Ghost Stories of the Past

Failure in love can manifest in many ways – and ghosts represent different facets of that failure. Victorian ghost stories are unusual love stories; they were seldom about angry spirits looking to punish their lovers. These spectral tales also inspired Hindi films like Woh Kaun Thi.

Aditi Sen April 23, 2016

Pop Culture

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Who Forgot to Fly

Prateek Vats’ A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings offers a peek into the twilight years of Manohar Aich, India’s first Mr Universe — a delicate portrait of the frailties of human memory and the Indian family.

Poulomi Das April 23, 2016