SRK Archives

21 Years of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: Rahul Khanna is a Cheater, and a Misogynist

We caught up with Rahul Khanna to find out what happened to him two decades after Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. He still insists that girls can’t play basketball.

Bhaskar Chawla July 25, 2016

Features

Arré Checklist: What Your IPL Team Says About You

If you are still part of the Whistle Podu Parishad, you are a loyalist who doesn’t switch allegiances even when your Captain’s hair turns grey, while a true Kings XI fan is just here for a good time, not for a long time.

Arré Bench July 9, 2016

Pop Culture

The Laid-back Romance Of Irrfan Khan

In Qarib Qarib Singlle, Irrfan Khan plays a loud 40-year-old romantic hero, an antithesis of the Bollywood Rajs and Rahuls. Over four rom-coms, Irrfan has created a brand of romance that is realistic, self-aware, and a reminder that romantic heroes can very well be ordinary people.

Poulomi Das July 7, 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

Bollywood

11 Years of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: How Suri Taught Us Love Is About Letting Go

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which turns 11 today, is often mocked for its simplistic premise. But the film actually overturned quite a few tropes: Taani is the textbook definition of a tortured hero, while Suri’s “hep” alter-ego Raj is like the manic pixie dream girl, instrumental in triggering the hero’s profound transformation.

Runjhun Noopur July 5, 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

Gender

Despite Bollywood Influences, I am Raising Two Feminist Sons. Here’s How To Do It

My sons and I love watching Bollywood movies together, but finding a film devoid of misogyny, objectification of women, and innuendo is a task. How do I explain to my kids what is wrong with “6 din, Ladki in” when SRK is mouthing it as if it’s the most chivalrous way to woo a girl in Kal Ho Naa Ho?

Aarti Pathak July 1, 2016

Pop Culture

Daddy Got A Godfather

In the able hands of Ashim Ahluwalia, Arjun Rampal finds a rare middle ground as the eponymous Daddy, a complex and engaging character, one that Bollywood gangster dramas have been glaringly wanting

Poulomi Das June 17, 2016

Gender

Dear SRK, I was Molested outside Mannat. On Your Birthday

We’ve all heard the familiar condescending voice of a female Bombay-ite telling a Dilliwali, “Oh please, at least in my city, I am safe.” I have been that person. That changed on Shah Rukh Khan's birthday, after I was molested by a mob outside his house.

Lavanya Jayashankar June 4, 2016

Pop Culture

2017: The Year That Destroyed ’90s Bollywood

This was the year our rose-tinted memories of the glorious ’90s died. “Oonchi Hai Building” is permanently sullied by Varun Dhawan and we’ll never look at Govinda, Sridevi, and Sanjay Dutt the same way again.

Poulomi Das May 31, 2016