PinnedKK and Two Left FeetSoon after ‘Pyaar Ke pal’ and ‘Aapki dua’ had become second language for an entire generation, I read about KK’s “two left feet”. In an interview that appeared in a national daily, the interviewer had asked if we’ll get to see KK dance. To that, the singer had responded he…Kk3 min read
Nov 11, 2021The Deafening Silence of Govind Nihalani’s AakroshFor a movie titled Aakrosh (1980), there’s an incredible amount of stillness, silence and quiet across different frames. Vijay Tendulkar’s story has been beautifully adapted for cinema by Govind Nihalani. There’s enough legitimate debate surrounding the worst of Hindi cinema produced in the 80s. We did see innumerable commercial cringe…Indian Cinema5 min read
Nov 1, 2021Janaab Call My Agent Bollywood Is a Shitshow No Mohtarma Should WatchTo quote my friend, ‘Everyday the world gives me signs that I need to quit my job and apply for a job at Netflix.’ It appears that Netflix India has a lot, in fact, an obscene amount of money to waste. Hence it invests that obscene amount in even more…Call My Agent4 min read
Oct 29, 2021Revisiting Dil To Pagal Hai: Understanding unrequited loveThere’s a scene in Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), where we see Nisha (Karisma Kapoor) sitting by a lake. Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) is sitting next to her. We know Nisha’s heartbreak is complete because she has discovered that Rahul is in love with Pooja (Madhuri Dixit), a woman who…Shah Rukh Khan4 min read
Oct 4, 2021The Lost and Found of Hindi CinemaI’m always up for a game of lost and found, and Hindi cinema has a solid reputation for offering the most fascinating of such games. Siblings are separated from each other, sometimes after their loving parents have been brutally murdered in front of their eyes, sometimes after a devastating earthquake…Siblings6 min read
Sep 25, 2021The SPB-Rafi Duet We Never Got“Parvaaliye, nee nalla paadarai!” [“Not bad, you sing well!”] Kamal Haasan’s Tamil-speaking Vasu compliments Rati Agnihotri’s Hindi-speaking Sapna thus, in the 1981 superhit movie, Ek Duuje Ke Liye. Much later, I chuckled to myself thinking the prolific singer SPB is saying this to the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. SP Balasubrahmanyam…Spb5 min read
Sep 1, 2021Three’s Company TooOn dull, dreary, rainy days, one must be thankful for having friends. At the same time, one must also know that as long as we have good friends by our side, the sun will come out again. To friends who walk with us, who encourage us to be the best…Friendship3 min read
Aug 15, 2021Controlling the Present to Dictate the Past75 years ago, we finally became free from British rule; we had become India and Pakistan — countries with separate, distinct identities. However, we still had a shared past — of loss, of love, of separation, of tenderness. …Independence Day4 min read
May 30, 2021Annihilation of a ChildhoodEach time I drive past India Gate, I slow down my car, look at that majestic structure to my right, then look left at the gorgeous Rashtrapati Bhavan, and then right again to view India Gate — it’s akin to a superstition. I feel my day will go well, even…India Gate4 min read
May 15, 2021Mohini — the forever enchantressTezaab released in 1988, and gave the world Madhuri Dixit — one of the most prolific dancers in the Indian film industry. The song ‘Ek Do Teen’ begins with the crowd screaming “Mohini! Mohini! Mohin!” Mohini also means an enchantress. Dixit was no less. Her choreographer for ‘Ek Do Teen’…Madhuri Dixit3 min read
