Posted inBollywood
What Comes After Zero, Mr Khan?
You’ve tried all the tricks of the trade. You've played a wannabe Iron Man in Ra.One to yourself in Fan. Now you are playing a dwarf. What's next SRK?
Posted inPOV
Mumbai’s Strange New Year Tradition: Chokeslamming an Old Man’s Effigy and Setting Him Ablaze
As the end of 2019 is upon us, I think I’ll give year-end parties a miss. This year, I’ll go back to celebrating how we used to – by setting ablaze an effigy in the shape of an old dude and Santa’s mask, that represents the year gone by. This uniquely Mumbai-Goa tradition is our version of the Burning Man.
Posted inPOV
Hey Bollywood Darlings, Here’s How NOT to Respond to #MeToo Questions
In recent months, as #MeToo has scorched Bollywood – but only a little bit – our celebrities have responded in the most underwhelming ways. Priyanka Chopra is the latest one to indulge in whataboutery. Seriously, Bollywood, here’s how you should be responding to #MeToo-related queries.
Posted inModern Family
Netflix and Overkill: How I Lost My Retired Father to Binge-Watching
When Baba came to visit me this summer, I installed the Amazon Prime and Netflix apps on his phone, thinking he’d watch the odd movie sometimes. I didn’t expect him to get addicted to it and walk around the house like a teenager with headphones glued to his skull.
Posted inBollywood
20 Years of Biwi No. 1: David Dhawan Ko Maaf Karna, Om Sai Ram
David Dhawan’s filmography includes comedies like Saajan Chale Sasural, Gharwali Baharwali, and Kyunki Main Jhooth Nahi Bolta, all of which to some extent glamourise men that cheat on their wives. 1999’s Biwi No. 1 is no different.
Posted inBollywood
Selection Day: The Brilliant Ratna Pathak Shah Won’t Allow Ageist Bollywood to Slow Her Down
Ratna Pathak Shah is synonymous with layered, evocative performances that acquire a fandom of their own. In the last two years alone, with stellar roles in Love Per Square Foot and Lipstick Under My Burkha, Shah has had a more envious acting resume than any of her younger peers.
Posted inBollywood
Mohammad Aziz, More Than a First Copy of Mohammad Rafi
Mohammad Aziz wasn’t just a first-copy version of Mohammad Rafi. That would be unfair to the artist he was. Aziz was the first-copy version of all the actors he sang for: He was Govinda’s pelvic thrust, Mithun Chakraborty’s swagger, Rajesh Khanna’s ham, Amitabh Bachchan’s buffoonery. He was all that they were or wanted to be.
Posted inPop Culture
Why Ranveer Singh is the Deadpool Dubbed Hollywood Movies Deserve
Ranveer Singh, voicing the title character of Deadpool 2, is a step in the right direction for Hollywood movies dubbed in Hindi. Hopefully, we’re done with the days when James Bond would walk into a bar and order a Patiala Chivas.
Posted inGender
Sorry, Tanushree Dutta. This is Bollywood and It Lives in Denial
No matter how hard you scream about sexual harassment within the industry, Bollywood does not want to know. This is a machinery oiled by collective denial, which makes A-listers like Amitabh Bachchan refuse to take a stand against a male oppressor. Denial explains the flourishing careers of Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt.
Posted inPop Culture
The Flawed Retribution of MOM
MOM, 2017’s third rape-revenge drama borrows heavily from the Zakhmi Aurats and Insaaf Ka Taraazus of the ’80s.