Poulomi Das, Author at Arré

In Black Mitzvah, Tiffany Haddish Overcomes the Double-Standards For Female Comedians

Black Mitzvah, Tiffany Haddish’s debut Netflix stand-up special, is both a celebration of its star’s newly-minted fame. But it’s also a sobering commentary on the limited chances that a woman gets in the male-dominated trenches of comedy.

Poulomi Das June 27, 2016

Love and Sex

The Proposal is Dead. Long Live the Proposal

Love as we knew it has changed and along with it the idea of "proposing" to someone has become an afterthought. The proposal has been replaced by a text, a kiss, a right swipe. A quaint remnant of a bygone era; a chipped but not quite broken Victorian teacup.

Poulomi Das June 27, 2016

Bollywood

How Rekha Made Khoon Bhari Maang A Camp Classic

Khoon Bhari Maang marks the very pinnacle of ’80s Bollywood — a time of big hair and big pearls, padded shoulders on gaudy-gauzy outfits, shiny reds, and avenging female leads epitomised by Rekha, the camp queen.

Poulomi Das June 27, 2016

Bollywood

Angrezi Medium Review: A Conservative Film Made Bearable by Irrfan Khan

Unlike Hindi Medium, its sequel Angrezi Medium lacks originality. This is a comedy that feels hastily assembled with contrived sub-plots, crowd-pleasing one-liners, and emotional manipulation. But Irrfan Khan is impeccable and the film works best as a pean to his capabilities as an actor.

Poulomi Das June 27, 2016

Bollywood

Sonchiriya Review: A Masterful Look at Daakus With Existential Issues

Set in the ravines of Chambal in 1975, Sonchiriya resembles a Western, but presents itself as an atmospheric mood piece. The dacoits in the movie ponder deep questions like, do the deaths they inflict serve a higher purpose, and is their life meant to be their punishment?

Poulomi Das June 26, 2016

Bollywood

Bhavesh Joshi Super Zero: The Vigilante Who Never Rises

Let down by Harshvardhan Kapoor, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero gets close, but never quite addresses the elephant in the room: the futility of vigilantism. All it succeeds at becoming is a cross between Malad’s Rang De Basanti and Dahanu’s The Shape Of Water.

Poulomi Das June 26, 2016

Bollywood

Good Newwz Review: Sorry, We Have No Good News for You. The Film’s Terrible

Good Newwz, starring Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Kiara Advani, revolves around a mix-up at a fertility clinic that swaps the sperm of the two couples struggling to get pregnant. It’s humour is derived by playing up stereotypes, Dosanjh mispronouncing sperm as “spam”, and fart jokes.

Poulomi Das June 26, 2016

Pop Culture

In Defence of Four More Shots Please!, the Ultimate Guilt-Watch for the Lockdown

Like Tiger King, the breathless obsession with Four More Shots Please! has less to do with its quality and more to do with how unequivocally it commands our attention. Perhaps its best achievement is that it takes our minds off the lockdown and Covid-19’s progress.

Poulomi Das June 26, 2016

Pop Culture

Why Ajji is Like No Other Indian Rape-Revenge Drama

Ajji is this year’s fifth rape-revenge drama, joining the ranks of the manufactured vigilantism of Kaabil, Maatr, MOM, and Bhoomi. But, unlike its predecessors, Ajji refuses to become a vehicle that only champions a problematic solution of self-styled vigilantism.

Poulomi Das June 26, 2016

Bollywood

Can Salman Khan Stop Mocking Priyanka Chopra and Start Talking About Bharat?

It’s now been almost a year since Priyanka Chopra decided to no longer be a part of Bharat but Salman Khan seems to have been unable to get over her decision. The digs he has taken at her since then are a prime example of how the Indian male’s ego is unable to process a simple “no” from a woman.

Poulomi Das June 25, 2016