Poulomi Das, Author at Arré

So Long and Thank You for the Laughs, Sridevi

Heralded as Bollywood’s first “female superstar” in the 80s’, Sridevi was also Bollywood’s first heroine-comedienne. She taught us that it was okay for girls to be funny, that they could make you laugh.

Poulomi Das March 22, 2016

Pop Culture

Bareilly Ki Barfi And Every Daughter’s Dream Dad

The star of Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s Bareilly Ki Barfi is the relationship between the father and the daughter. Bitti's father does not demand blind obedience; instead, he adores and sympathises with her. And accepts her the way she is.

Poulomi Das March 22, 2016

Pop Culture

Arré Checklist: How to be Oscar-literate in Seven Steps

The Academy Awards are just around the corner and it is time to prep for Oscar film conversations at the bar and on the train. Here’s how you can get ready to reel off Call Me By Your Name and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri factoids in five minutes.

Poulomi Das March 21, 2016

Pop Culture

Masaba Masaba Review: Mothers and Daughters Just Wanna Have Fun

Masaba Masaba, where celebrity mother-daughter duo Neena and Masaba Gupta play fictionalised versions of themselves, isn’t the most perfect show, but it remains immensely watchable. Set around late 2017, Masaba Masaba takes the candyfloss “girls can have some fun too” approach.

Poulomi Das March 21, 2016

Bollywood

Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW) Review: A Spy Thriller that Has as Much Suspense As a Delhi Capitals IPL Match

In the borefest set in 1971 called Romeo Akbar Walter, John Abraham plays a RAW spy. For an espionage thriller, the movie has just one chase scene, and even that is so inept that it’ll make you believe that apart from losing cricket matches and wars, Pakistanis also can’t run.

Poulomi Das March 21, 2016

Pop Culture

In Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach Crafts the Love-Story In a Divorce

There is no battle in the stinging, visceral Marriage Story, a drama centred around divorce, the ultimate war against domestic decency. That’s because it doesn’t take sides, but offers a perspective, arguing that sometimes there’s no other way to love someone than to stop being in love with them.

Poulomi Das March 19, 2016

Bollywood

What Mohalla Assi’s 3-Year Delay Says About India’s Censor Board

Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s Mohalla Assi, starring Sunny Deol, releases today after a three-year-long fight with the CBFC. But it hardly feels like a victory. Instead the film feels weakened by its dated release, punished for being critical of the government.

Poulomi Das March 19, 2016

People

Kabir Khan’s Sneaky Subversions

If Tubelight and Bajrangi Bhaijaan are any indication, two things have heightened with every new Kabir Khan project: the scale of his movies and their political undertones.

Poulomi Das March 18, 2016

Pop Culture

Arré Recommends: The Pandemic’s the Best Time to Watch Official Bhootiyagiri & Other Horror Comedies

Horror comedies work as a terrific balm for our minds, crumbling under a stagnant routine. What’s not to love about watching a confused group of people run around escaping an equally clueless bunch of the undead? Kickstart the weekend with instant classics like What We Do in the Shadows and Official Bhootiyagiri.

Poulomi Das March 18, 2016

Pop Culture

Raag Desh in the Time of Hyper-nationalism

Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Raag Desh is a reminder of a time when deshbhakti was not manipulatively enforced. Today, nationalism is a weapon used to prod everyone toward an “acceptable” way of life.

Poulomi Das March 18, 2016