From Water and Lagaa Chunari Mein Daag to Masaan and Mukti Bhawan, Ankur Choudhary examines films about the holy city of Varanasi to uncover the uneasy intersection of culture, gender politics, modernity, and more.

In a deconstruction of Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), Ishan Mukherjee revisits the history, soundtrack, and the work of an inspired auteur director that truly made this saga a cinematic classic.

An existential homage to the Coen brothers, the Indian web-series Afsos emerged as surprising, surreal, and - despite its flaws - a must-watch. Review by Prateek Santram

Aiming for transcendent commentary on female sexual power, the Netflix series SHE fails in providing true agency to its heroine, falling instead in a powerless trap - Sabah Virani writes.

Irrfan Khan was both subtle and mesmerising, performing with words and with his eyes, embodying characters we would never forget. Jamie Alter analyses the five crucial roles that helped define the art of the acting legend.

Abhishek Shah’s Hellaro (2019) dives deep into the intersectionality of gender, caste, and environmental issues in a drought-hit village. Saachi D’Souza reviews this thought-provoking Gujarati film.

With the Ramayan and Mahabharat back on TV, Karan Madhok writes about the importance of celebrating the complex fictions of the myths, rather than accepting them as gospel truth.

Perhaps there is no greater entertainment that an Indian family fighting for the remote control. From the first cable connection to OTT streaming, Shubham Pal recalls his childhood and family life in front of the television set.

Anubhav Sinha’s Thappad (2020) raises questions on our conditioning and deeply-ingrained patriarchy, reminding us that abuse in a relationship comes in all forms—physical, emotional, blind to class or caste. Review by Nidhi Choksi Dhakan.

Set out with potential to challenge Indian societal norms, Nitin Kakkar’s Jawaani Janeman instead ends up ‘settling down’ - in disappointing fashion. Review by Nidhi Choksi Dhakan

A megacity seen through the eyes of its dreamers - Ankur Choudhary writes about dreams, nightmares, hope, and despair at interplay in some of the best cinema about Mumbai.

Past and present, real and unreal, urban and rural, and life and death clash to present Mehsampur, Kabir Singh Chowdhary’s unforgettable film out of the Punjabi heartlands. A review by Karan Madhok