saif ali khan Archives

Sacred Games Season 2 and the Problem With Its Replaceable Women

Although, none of the female characters in the second season of Sacred Games are killed off cheaply like Radhika Apte’s Anjali Mathur was last season, the new season can be accused of something worse: falling into the trap of mistaking the mere inclusion of female characters as doing justice to them.

Poulomi Das July 22, 2016

Bollywood

Laal Kaptaan Review: A Laborious Period Drama that is Neither Poetic Nor Thrilling

Laal Kaptaan, a period revenge saga starring Saif Ali Khan, is dull and frustrating. The performances are caricaturish. Khan plays a Naga Sadhu chasing a cruel Mughal lord across Bundelkhand. He looks the part but never acts it.

Poulomi Das July 20, 2016

Gender

Anushka Sharma’s Trolls Prove That India Can’t Handle Real “Power Couples”

Anushka Sharma is facing yet another social media backlash – this time for being photographed with the Indian cricket team. Anushka can’t seem to catch a break. When Virat Kohli is not in his finest form, we believe blaming Anushka for existing is par for the course.

Kahini Iyer July 20, 2016

Pop Culture

Sacred Games Season 2 Review: Netflix’s Gangster Drama Has a Ganesh Gaitonde Problem

The second season of Sacred Games remains intriguing and baffling at the same time. It insidiously sprawls and at times, there is no differentiating between intent or accident, quality or scale. Moreover, it has a visible Gaitonde problem, a gospel it has built and now can’t shake.

Manik Sharma July 20, 2016

Bollywood

Looking for a Sushil, Sanskari, Non-Toxic Bollywood Hero

Hindi cinema hasn’t completely disregarded the need for healthy male leads. Toxic protagonists are still seen as rule breakers – as underdogs who can win against the system and evoke sympathy. But a handful of films, like Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, October, and even Muqaddar Ka Sikandar have tried to change that.

Sayantan Mondal July 17, 2016

Bollywood

Deepak Dobriyal, the Eternal Wingman

In Kuldip Patwal, his upcoming film, Deepak Dobriyal plays a grocer thrown in jail for a murder he claims he didn’t commit. Finally, a central role. If provided with substantial screen time, it might just be the role he’s been itching to play.

Anupam Kant July 12, 2016

Features

Kaun Hai Hero, Kaun Villain? The 5 Key Characters to Watch Out for in Amazon Prime Video’s Tandav

If the trailer of Amazon Prime Video’s Tandav is anything to go by, this political drama has everything it takes to get you hooked to your screen. In Saif Ali Khan, we have a powerful scion and in Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub’s a fiery student leader. That’s not all.

Arré Bench July 10, 2016

Bollywood

Introducing Sara Ali Khan. She’s a Lot More than Saif and Amrita Singh’s Daughter

Sara Ali Khan appeared on Koffee With Karan with her famous abba. It was assumed that she’d be docile like Alia Bhatt or evade questions like Sonam Kapoor. But by the end of Koffee With Karan’s most refreshing episode of the season, she had given the rest of her peers a crash course in individuality.

Poulomi Das July 7, 2016

Bollywood

Chhe Din, Ladki Not In: Will the Year of #MeToo Usher in a New Kind of Bollywood Hero?

No film in the ’90s had a woman character whose first “no” was accepted – instead her consent was treated as a challenge by the hero. But in a year when #MeToo ruled our cultural consciousness, will that old idea of what a Bollywood hero is supposed to be, change?

Manik Sharma July 3, 2016

Pop Culture

Vikram Vedha Review: Wholesomely Entertaining

Saif Ali Khan brings grace to the role of Vikram but it is the charisma of Hrithik Roshan’s Vedha that delights in this mass entertainer shouldered by a terrific script.

Takshi Mehta June 28, 2016