Film/TV
Released 15 years ago, Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance (2009) was a stinging critique of the shabbiness and the showmanship of the Hindi film industry, where one of the industry’s own looked within and held out a mirror for all to see. By Sneha Bengani
Through films like Bhakshak, Peepli Live, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, and more, Takshi Mehta explores a complex interplay in the representation of media and journalists in Indian cinema, where real and reel stand as opposing mirrors reflecting each other.
Despite an uneven recipe, Abhishek Chaubey’s Killer Soup has enough strong performances and intrigue to make for a palatable—and entertaining—main course. By Karan Madhok
Using alcohol as a vessel, Saurabh Shulka’s comic drama Dry Day focuses on the relationship between capital and elections, the role of women in decision-making realm, and the overlap between the personal and political spheres of life. By Marnina (Avirup)
Observed from a lens of progressing dementia, Goldfish (2023) is a complex story of a mother and daughter’s emotional conflict, of diaspora and community, of music and joy. By Neera Kashyap
With a bloodthirsty protagonist and an army of brute Sikh men, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s controversial hit Animal reduces the Punjabi folk song “Arjan Vailly”—a storied war cry against oppression—into a chorus of vile brutality. By Deepansh Duggal
After a decade of mishaps, the legendary Malayalam and Tamil film star Mammootty chose a path of experimental cinema for himself and his production company, resulting in a slew of unconventional, socially-conscious blockbusters. By Deekshith Pai
The medical survival thriller Kaala Paani (2023) explores the dehumanization of indigenous communities through the prism of politics, development, and a dangerous pandemic in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. By Anusha Prakash
Set in a fictional college-town in North India, the SonyLIV thriller Garmi (2023) takes viewers on a nuanced exploration of the nexus of caste, politics, power, and violence. By Chittajit Mitra
Netflix’s Trial by Fire (2023) explores the true story of the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire and its long aftermath, presenting a heartbreaking narrative which shines brightest in its exploration of human intimacies. By Karan Madhok
Delhi Crime is a breath of fresh air in its realistic portrayal of police investigation and the heroism of intelligent, emphatic cops. But the crime drama leaves a stunning blind spot about the brutalities, corruption, and systematic failures of the Delhi Police itself. By Karan Madhok
From Wake Up Sid and Rockstar to Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Tamasha, Ranbir Kapoor became the poster boy of young men coming-of-age into his identity. Ananya argues, however, that the the true catalysts of these metamorphoses were always his female leads.
Despite being a flawed film, Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha further extends the thesis of the superstar’s life’s work: a pan-India aspiration to live in a better country. By Karan Madhok
Contemporary OTT narratives like Panchayat and Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi are revisiting the rural through the lens of an urban outsider, in an evocation of Sri Lal Shukla’s acclaimed 1968 novel Raag Darbari. By Ananya
Rural India takes centre-stage again in Season 2 of Panchayat, a series that follows the thread of comic absurdity to stitch up a progressive lens on village life. By Karan Madhok
Modern Love (Mumbai)’s greatest realization lies in the offering of the city’s palette: an architectural marvel in the Sea Link, an underlying bedrock in Thane, a warm enclosure in cutting chai. The city is steeped in the love its characters exude towards themselves and others. By Raunaq Saraswat
Vivek Agnihotri’s controversial film The Kashmir Files is more drama than documentary, an awkward retelling of recent history that propagates more than it educates. By Dhani Muniz
A poignant, nuanced comedy drama, Badhaai Do (2022) tests the complexities of a lavender marriage in a small Indian city. By Ankur Choudhary
Despite its ambitions to be a crime drama at the grandest scale, The Great Indian Murder (2022) falls into a trap of stereotypes and cliches, offering only an amalgamation of old ideas wrapped in a shiny new box. By Karan Madhok
SonyLIV web series Rocket Boys is a rare exception among recent dramas, where an entertaining story of post-Independent India also holds up a mirror of truths. - By Atulya Pathak
The sixteen-year wait between Bunty Aur Babli and its sequel projects the face of a new, millennial Indian generation and their aspirations—even for the latest brand of the film’s con-artists. By Toonika Guha
‘The ground is shifting… It is symptomatic of a tension, a threat.’ Writer, academician, and filmmaker Anubha Yadav spoke about the process behind her book Scripting Bollywood: Candid Conversations with Women Who Write Hindi Cinema, feminism in the Hindi film industry, and much more. By Shibani Phukan
It’s impossible to watch the biopic Sardar Udham without identifying how the past still haunts India’s present, how old imperialism continues in the form of the new state. By Karan Madhok
In House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths, Leena Yadav moulds the story about a tragedy into an active question of self-reflection for the larger society. - By Atulya Pathak
In his 2021 short documentary, Amal Shihabudeen poses questions of belonging and identity to the uneven balanced faced by migrant labourers in Kerala.
Through a tight focus in the sphere of the Indian classical music subculture, Chaitanya Tamhane’s 2020 film The Disciple asks larger questions about the relentless pursuit of art and excellence in the face of existential crisis. By Karan Madhok
“It’s all about building counter-culture—and skateboarding is counter-culture.” Wheeled Wings directors Divy Bhagia and Aayush Dudhiya discuss the making of their short documentary, where skateboarding became the vehicle to break barriers of caste, gender, and education. - By Deekshith Pai
In Amit Masurkar’s man-versus-wild thriller Sherni (2021), a disturbed tigress is on the loose, spreading alarm and fear. But, with critiques of industrialisation, politics, and greed, the film is instead a mirror reflecting the wilder side of humanity itself. By Nidhi Choksi Dhakan.
In the foreground of young death, the Sanya Malhotra starrer Pagglait (2021) presents a woman unwilling to become the meek, submissive picture of a suffering widow, instead finding an unusual ally to help her navigate inner conflict and chaos. By Harshita Murarka
Directed by Vinay Shukla, While We Watched focuses on how journalist Ravish Kumar holds onto the basic tenets of ethical journalism in a country facing informational crisis and democratic backsliding. By Archit Nanda