Articles

How King Kohli Made Us Stop Looking for the “Next Sachin”

The nation mourned when Sachin Tendulkar retired and wondered about how we would find “the next Sachin”. But Virat Kohli’s ascendance has set Sachin’s legacy free. Kohli proved that what Indian cricket needed wasn’t “the next Sachin”, but the first Virat.

Dushyant Shekhawat April 13, 2016

Pop Culture

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Understanding India’s Aam Aadmi

Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is just as relevant today as it was 40 years ago. Britain in the ’70s, much like India today, was a bureaucratic nightmare – Vogons are the literal personification of that. And Arthur Dent? Well, he is an Aam Aadmi caught in the crossfire, just trying to make sense of the world.

Amal Singh April 13, 2016

Pop Culture

Hichki and Bollywood’s New-Found Sensitivity

Hichki just might be what Bollywood needs; a renewed vigour in portraying impediments on screen with sensitivity, instead of exploiting it for punchlines. It’s essentially a trend that started this year with Jagga Jasoos.

Arré Bench April 13, 2016

Bollywood

Veere Di Wedding Review: An All-Women Film That’s Only About Men

Veere Di Wedding stars four talented actresses, is produced by two women, and co-written by one. That makes the film a worthy candidate for The Bechdel Test. But does it fulfill the three conditions: Does it have two or more female characters, do they talk to each other, and do they discuss something other than men?

Poulomi Das April 13, 2016

POV

Mi Marathi… Fakt When Convenient

In most of Mumbai, speaking basic-level Marathi is considered social currency. We rudimentary Marathi speakers are adept at doing “jhol” and possess an expertise in facilitating “mandavalee” with cops.

Jackie Thakkar April 13, 2016

Gender

Look Who’s Not Cooking: Why My Children Will Never Eat Maa Ke Haath Ka Khana

When I was growing up, Maa’s kitchen had some manner of grinding, slow cooking going on at all times. But my utter lack of initiative when it comes to feeding people ghar ka khaana has been the cause of great pain to women in my family.

Sonali Kokra April 13, 2016

People

The Mother of 68

Over the last two decades, Sulbha Surve has lovingly fostered infants and toddlers before they found their way to forever homes.

Karanjeet Kaur April 13, 2016

Bollywood

Love Sonia: A Western Portrait of What Human Trafficking in India Looks Like

We’ve long been accustomed to a bloated, overwrought kind of Hollywood film that exploits India’s poverty and suffering. Enter, Tabrez Noorani’s Love Sonia, that fetishises sex trafficking to eventually celebrate America’s saviour complex.

Poulomi Das April 13, 2016

Bollywood

Remembering Khayyam Saab: My Conversations with the Legendary Music Composer

I met Khayyam saab almost a decade ago for just a couple of hours. Yet, like most of his fans, I feel I have known him all my life. Khayyam saab, with his gentleness, reminded me of times when a lot of artists came together for a film and were happy to collaborate for the common cause – and that cause was music.

Bapu Deedwania April 13, 2016

Pop Culture

HIT: The First Case is a Return to Form for Rajkummar Rao

Rajkummar Rao plays Vikram Jaisingh, a detective suffering from PTSD in a film that though weak in its plotting , is rescued by its performances, foremost of that by Rao.

Pradeep Menon April 13, 2016