In times of stress and anxiety, why do many of us choose the familiarity of a ‘comfort watch’—of familiar shows, plotlines, and characters? Raj Darji explores a sense of loss among abundance.

Jaideep Ahlawat again portrays Hathi Ram Chaudhary in the second season of Paatal Lok, the haggard cop whose memory serves both as a crime-solving device and as moral code to leave no life unforgotten. By Karan Madhok

From the fantastical to socio-psychological, comedic to gory, Nivedita Dey traces the diverse trends and the masters who shaped the genre since its appearance in the late-1940s.

C. Prem Kumar’s Meiyazhagan reminds viewers of the beauty of pausing for a while, reflecting, and reconnecting. It shows that deep down, we are all broken souls, yearning for a companion to listen, to open our hearts without the fear of judgements. By Deepthi Mary Alex

In an uneven year for Bollywood, Nivedita Dey picks seven of the finest releases—films that combatted themes of patriarchy, politics, disability, religious fanaticism, and more.

Age and youth, love found and love lost, a city of excess and a city of scarcity—Sarthak Parashar examines the many contrasts balanced by Payal Kapadia in the acclaimed All We Imagine As Light (2024).

Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies (2024) is a film that makes serious societal commentary on the socio-cultural, economic, and governance aspects of women empowerment, wrapped within a multi-layered satire. By Kausik K. Bhadra

From Kalki 2898 AD, Brahmastra, and beyond, Indian cinema has become oversaturated with sci-fi films that focus on motifs from religion and mythology, fixating on technical effects rather than innovative ideas and storytelling. By Marnina (Avirup)

Considering the polarizing socio-political climate in the country, Sneha Bengani examines censorship and outrage in Hindi cinema, and the consequences of heightened intolerance towards this democratic, transformative medium.

Told through the prism of a Shakesperean comedy of errors and mistaken identities, Kiran Rao’s Laapata Ladies (2024) explores the various paths to female self-determination in rural India. By Karan Madhok

Despite its acclaim abroad, the fate of Dev Patel’s Monkey Man still hangs in a limbo in India. Afreen Kabir writes about the certification board’s controversial decisions and the Indian state’s larger attitudes towards artistic dissent.

The 2017 documentary Turup reminds viewers of how we are all trapped in a haunted physical world, rife with symbols of pathos; and yet, the revolutionary yearning echoes itself in the corners of the strangest of rooms. By Anamitra Bora