Poetry by Sutputra Radheye: ‘my poems will be drunk, truthful / and blunt like your beauty that cuts / through my skin and draws graffiti / on my bones like tattoos’
Personal Essay by Devanshi: ‘Your favourite movie is probably not your favourite movie because it was the best film you have ever seen. It is your favourite because Zee Cinema played it a zillion times in the summer of 2014 while your mother folded clothes in the next room, and you unconsciously absorbed its dialogues through domestic osmosis.’
The four short films in Netflix’s Ajeeb Daastaans—far removed in theme and setting—are bound together by their ability to shock. And it’s Neeraj Ghaywan’s beautifully-crafted Geeli Pucchi that elevates the uneven anthology. By Harshita Murarka
Welcome to ‘Nation of Auteurs’, a series composed of critical essays by academics, filmmakers, historians, and cinephiles, to examine the deep diversity of Indian film auteurs and illuminate the country’s wider cinematic landscape. By Ashish Dwivedi