crime Archives

Farewell CID: We’ve Lost our Last Link to ’90s Indian TV

Testament to just how much CID has been consumed by my generation over the years is the fact that Shivaji Satam’s face is the first thing that pops up in my mind when I hear anyone say “ACP”. And though I watch it ironically today because “it’s so bad it’s good”, it reminds me of the time where you didn’t have to pretend to like a show just to fit in.

Jackie Thakkar July 16, 2016

First Person

My Life as a Juvenile Graffiti Vandal

The first time my friend desecrated Juhu’s pristine footpaths with his vile aerosol can, I was overwhelmed at the prospect of finally getting to live out my childhood fantasy of being a graffiti vandal, like the ones I’d read about in Europe.

Jackie Thakkar July 14, 2016

Earth

Murder: The Price of Your Hill Station Holiday

The shooting and murder of Shail Bala Sharma, the Kasauli corporator, has exposed the rotten heart of the mountains. And we – who retreat to the hills every chance we get – are responsible for the corruption hill towns are steeped in. The problem is that our relationship with these pieces of paradise, is all take and no give.

Manik Sharma July 12, 2016

People

Lights, Camera, Gangsters: Growing Up With Mumbai’s Real Ganesh Gaitondes

I grew up in the Byculla of ’80s and ’90s, in middle-class insularity on the fringes of the gangland. Yet, I do not recognise the boys of Sacred Games. And I knew them well. They came to collect donations for Navratri and Ganpati, and they didn’t use creative expletives like the L-word.

Samina Motlekar July 9, 2016

Pop Culture

Ittefaq Movie Review: Refreshing And Clever

Ittefaq is a clever thriller that reveals itself deliciously without shortchanging the intellect of the audience. It stays away from being self-indulgent and is mindful of every moment of its 107-minute runtime.

Poulomi Das July 5, 2016

Pop Culture

Why Are Quantico-Loving Indians Suddenly Mad with Priyanka Chopra?

A recent episode of Quantico has irked Indians because it dared to imply Hindus are terrorists. Except that, their anger rests less with the show and more with Priyanka Chopra, for not representing India.

Arré Bench June 24, 2016

Bollywood

25 Years of Baazigar: Friendzoning, Power of Attorney and Other Life Lessons

Baazigar introduced us to a new weapon of mass destruction, the power of attorney. And Shah Rukh Khan’s Ajay Sharma taught us that if your contact lens game is on point, you can conquer the world.

Jackie Thakkar June 18, 2016

Gender

Hey Indian Men, Let’s Talk About Enthusiastic Consent

Over the last weekend, a number of men who spoke the right language, were equipped with the right vocabulary to express the right kind of views on liberal issues were named as sexual harassers. None of these progressive men seemed to know about the concept of enthusiastic consent.

Jackie Thakkar June 15, 2016

Pop Culture

True Detective Season 3 Review: A Great Return to Form For Not-Your-Average Whodunit

True Detective’s third season roars back to form with Mahershala Ali. A world intoxicatingly on the other side of reality, inconsistent and whimsical, True Detective can, at times, forget what genre it is. Because it’s always busy making up its own.

Manik Sharma May 4, 2016

Bollywood

Mumbai Gangster Movies Ka King Kaun? Satya

Long before RGV Ki Aag and Guns and Thighs, Ram Gopal Varma gave us a masterful Mumbai gangster movie like Satya. Crime films need characters, not caricatures – they need real grime, not artistically recreated versions of it. They don’t make films like Satya anymore.

Damian D'souza May 2, 2016