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

For decades, abandoned and alone in a desolate jungle mansion in Delhi lived Wilayat Mahal and her self-proclaimed royal family. After the death of the last prince at Malcha Mahal, Abhimanyu Kumar decoded history, personal accounts, and mysterious texts to explore if the family were the true inheritors of the House of Oudh.

Matchmaking can be a tricky exercise, especially for cats. In a poignant essay, Barnali Ray Shukla shares the story of Zorro and Ginger, and the complex fissures of politics and morality that tug apart a pucca rishta.

Season 2 of Prime Video’s hit show Mirzapur continued its debauchery of gore, lust, back-stabbings, and politics from the UP/Bihar belt. But at its core, the series is an exploration of fathers and sons, of expectations and fallouts, of family lost and family found. By Karan Madhok

Looking back at the ups and downs, and dangers and desperation, of the Lucknow rock scene - by Prateek Santram