Posted inPOV
The Delusional Doves of Peace
The Doves of Peace are outraged, as India talks tough with Pakistan. Why can’t we simply deescalate the tension over a free phirni?
Posted inPOV
No Country For Rationalists
So blinded are the nationalists of today that even uttering the words Indian Army and Pakistani artistes in the same sentence is considered sacrilege.
Posted inBollywood
In Josh-Filled 2019 Would Main Hoon Na, Bollywood’s Masala Movie on the Military, Find Any Takers?
Few films seem further from today’s cinemascape of chest-thumping nationalism than the 2004 film Main Hoon Na. The lighthearted patriotic film about “Project Milaap”, an Indo-Pak peace operation would probably be labelled “anti-national” in today’s times.
Posted inPOV
Nationalism and Other Drugs
The wounds of Uri have not yet healed and even the civilian needs something for the pain. Our two opiates are entertainment and sport.
Posted inPOV
Bollywood’s a Sellout! Did We Really Need Cobrapost to Tell Us That?
A sting by Cobrapost, Operation Karaoke, set up a fake PR agency that asked Bollywood celebrities to endorse a political party for money. But after a slew of propaganda films and biopics, are we really surprised to learn that the industry is full of actors who are cosily nestled in political pockets?
Posted inPOV
A Shimon Peres Recipe for Mr Modi
Israel's Shimon Peres represented a combination of the Machiavellian ideology and Gandhian philosophy that India sorely needs in the aftermath of surgical strikes across the LoC.
Posted inBollywood
The Half-Yearly Report Card: Ranking the 10 Worst Female Characters in Bollywood
It’s 2019 and yet in some of the year’s biggest scripts, actresses continued to play second fiddle. Save for Gully Boy’s Safeena, most of them were devoid of a personality. In one of the highest grossers of the year, Kabir Singh, Preeti exists only to get exploited, and in Kesari, we still don’t know if Parineeti Chopra is a ghost or a memory.
Posted inPOV
Did Gandhism Come with an Expiry Date?
Is Gandhism outdated for the very country it helped create? Of course not. But if you’re up against someone as powerful as you, Gandhism is a no-no.
Posted inPop Culture
Why Kunal Kamra’s “Bold” Satire Stands Out in the Age of Bollywood’s “Apolitical” Stars
In our vast and diverse democracy, is it really possible for every filmmaker, writer, and performer to have the same rose-tinted view of the country? Obviously not. That’s why Kunal Kamra, whose bracing political satire dares to challenge that status quo, stands out.
Posted inColumns
Rearview | A Pariksha Pe Charcha for Hindu Mahasabha’s Pooja Shakun Pandey & Co
Rearview is a column that draws connections between the events of the past week. This week, a government that is committed to optics, with initiatives like Pariksha Pe Charcha 2.0, has to contend with runaway elements like Hindu Mahasabha leader Pooja Shakun Pandey who reenacted the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
