Articles

The Decade in Which I Stopped Punishing Myself for Being Overweight

The 2010s have been the most significant decade of my life. I don’t recall any other time in my life when people, especially women, were so encouraged to accept themselves exactly as they were. Sure, the obsession with losing weight still abounded. But alongside the “Lose 50 pounds by Christmas” articles were pieces titled “Fitness at any size.”

Radhika Oltikar April 5, 2016

Sports

Why Is No One Talking About Rape Allegations Against Cristiano Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been accused of rape, continues to be shielded by Portugal’s PM, the national media, his club, and his corporate sponsors. In wake of the #MeToo movement, a temporary suspension for Ronaldo may not be so outrageous after all. To privilege Ronaldo’s account over that of his victims is an act of further weaponising the powerful.

Priyansh April 5, 2016

Pop Culture

Jugjugg Jeeyo review: Hits the Mark with Humour and Emotion

Jugjugg Jeeyo is a trademark Dharma film. Loud and boisterous, with a fantastic ensemble cast – especially the returning Neetu Kapoor - it follows familiar tropes too, but surprisingly packs in the kind of emotional punch that most, old-wines-in-new-bottles lack.

Pradeep Menon April 5, 2016

First Person

Love Aaj Curl: The Beautiful Bond Between Curly-Haired Girls

Curly-haired girls are a curly-haired girl’s best friend. Human beings are social animals after all. We are meant to form relationships based on commonality, and nothing gets curly-haired people vibin’ like their curls.

Mavis D'Silva April 5, 2016

POV

Fast and Furious: Will the New Traffic Rules Finally Force Indians to Drive Safely?

If you can drive in India, you can drive anywhere. Our pitiful reputation for unsafe driving has led to the steep fines for traffic violations in the new Motor Vehicles Act. But despite the public outcry over sky-high challans, is money the only language we will understand?

Kahini Iyer April 5, 2016

Bollywood

Mere Pyaare Prime Minister: A Poor Cousin of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha

In the midst of election season when Bollywood is all too willing to play along with the ruling party’s narrative, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mere Pyaare Prime Minister just adds to that noise: a film that is so much about its expired message that it forgets to have a believable story.

Arré Bench April 5, 2016

People

The PT Sirs of Our Childhood: Pot Bellies and “Lep Right Lep”

All through school, Kumar sir and his PT “exercises” combined all the beauty of flight attendants making safety announcements with all the grace of Sunny Deol dancing to “Yaara O Yaara”. To this day, my Pavlovian reaction to the sound of a whistle is breaking into march past.

Jackie Thakkar April 5, 2016

Pop Culture

How to Get Sex Past the Censor Board

Mirza Juuliet has been lucky where Lipstick Under My Burkha and Begum Jaan have not. Have we entered a parallel dimension or has Pahlaj Nihalani been kidnapped by aliens?

Poulomi Das April 5, 2016

Vice

The Secret Society of Self-Harm

Blood has always been a testament to human emotions – anger, love, bravery, grief. And cutting themselves seems almost a rite of passage for the angsty teenage soul.

Kripa Krishnan April 5, 2016

Pop Culture

Give Benedict Cumberbatch an Oscar Already

Over the last decade, Benedict Cumberbatch has casually put together a body of work that puts him into a rare category of actors who straddle heroism, genius and vulnerability with equal command. If he wins an Oscar for The Power of the Dog, it’ll only be confirmation of his now established stature.

Runa Mukherjee April 4, 2016