Crypto Canvas
Blockchain-savvy and tech-smart, India’s young artists are posting their art on NFT platforms
Read MoreTribute: Farooque Shaikh as the unsung Angry Young Man
The actor was celebrated for his love stories, but his ability to portray intensity and angst deserve a second look
Read MoreBawarchi: Rajesh Khanna’s uncomplicated simplicity
Anand (1971) may be Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Rajesh Khanna’s most iconic collaboration, but it is their second movie Bawarchi that remains truly special
Read MorePhalke’s Alter Ego
Maker of cult indie film Om-Dar-Ba-Dar, Kamal Swaroop has spent the last 23 years zealously researching Dadasaheb Phalke’s life
Read MoreAn Ode to Vijay Anand’s Guide
A grey-shaded hero and adulterous heroine, why the 1965 classic was ahead of its time
Read MoreMaking Celluloid from Cellulose
The difficult and often distortive experiment of making movies of books
Read MoreTragic Heroes
The anonymous lives of Bollywood lookalikes: In Hindi cinema, the job of a lookalike is not just to look like the original, but to do
Read MoreThe Cult of C-Grade Movies
This is cinema that can make a masochist wince. So how come it is acquiring fans who know—or ought to know—good cinema from bad?
Read MoreSahir’s Revolutionary Poetry
Amidst anti-CAA protests, the politically-charged ‘Jinhe naaz hai’ Pyaasa is a reminder that poets and writers have always held a mirror to the ruling order.
Read MoreHis Unstoppable Rise
What makes Ranveer Singh the most exciting leading man Bollywood has seen in a long time?
Read MoreGirls Want to Have Fun
Female agency, in recent years, has emerged as an interesting cinematic tool—and a highly profitable one
Read MoreThe Superstar Son
‘At the back of our minds is always this looming fear for his future, ‘What’s in store for Salman?’, says his father Salim Khan.
Read MoreChums in Life and Creativity
When RD Burman passed away in 1994, Gulzar lamented that a part of his soul, too, went away with his departed friend
Read MoreThe Ultimate Heartthrob
Born to movies, gone to movies: Rishi Kapoor had made a comeback recently, with newfound energy and hunger for more
Read MoreFar Too Many Gods
Around the world in 80 minutes: India’s avant-garde filmmakers recommend world cinema classics that shaped them
Read MoreRevisiting Katha (1983)
Did Farooq Sheikh play his real flirty self in 1983’s Katha? At least co-star Deepti Naval and director Sai Paranjpye think so
Read MoreA Quiet Revolution
The Writer’s World: Salim-Javed’s Zanjeer case and the good turn it may do Hindi film scriptwriters
Read MoreMr India’s Life Anthem
Mr India’s Music: If there’s one number that comes closest to being the film’s essential theme it is “Zindagi ki yehi reet hai.”
Read MoreDeols: Father and Sons
The story of Deols begins with Dharmendra. Especially, his early years, made riveting each time it is narrated by the man himself.
Read MoreA Poet of Poop
The mystery of why Joginder, father of the fabled lota dance, has fans just about everywhere. Even abroad. Ranga khush!
Read MoreThe Legacy of ‘Art Films’
Parallel cinema of the 1970s and 80s remains influential in Bollywood though chances are you will not notice it
Read MorePoor Man’s Pop Star
For years, Mithun Chakraborty has been a victim of elite prejudice — what multiplex goers call a ‘downmarket’ star
Read MoreSide Effects of Stardom
Hubris is just one aspect of fame. It triggers something within a person, affecting the outer as much as inner personality
Read MoreLooking Back: Agneepath
Once trashed as Scarface spinoff, Amitabh Bachchan’s Agneepath holds a special place in the hearts of fans today
Read MoreMost Ideal CM (EVER)
Anil Kapoor’s campy Nayak follows the rollercoaster ride of a journalist who becomes Chief Minister for a day
Read MoreNihalani’s Party
Party’s fundamental question, ‘What is the role of art (and artists) in society?’ remains just as intriguing today
Read MoreThe Miracle Maker
A new book revisits the film Amar Akbar Anthony and shines light on director Manmohan Desai’s enduring masala legacy
Read MorePuzzling Joys of Life
Gulzar-RD Burman’s ‘Tujhse naaraz nahin’ (Masoom, 1983) suggests the helplessness of human relationships
Read MoreBig B in Zanjeer
According to lore, Amitabh Bachchan had made up his mind that if Zanjeer flunked he would bundle back to hometown Allahabad
Read MoreA Student of Life
Mira Nair on being a child of the street, her need for a talisman film when shooting, and of the perversity of item numbers.
Read MoreAbout Fame and Death
Mughal-E-Azam’s ‘Teri mehfil mein’ (so multilayered and interesting) holds clues to the film, predicting Anarkali’s doomed fate
Read MoreA Poetic Injustice
Kiran Nagarkar praised Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi as “one of the finest political films.” It debunks the Leftist romanticism
Read MoreHusbands and Wives
Partners in Work and Life: A look at the complexities and comforts of Bollywood’s working couple equations
Read MoreYash Chopra’s Jukebox
Chandni (1989) came at a time when Yash Chopra was disenchanted with all the “violence” and action stuff
Read MoreOur Very Own Tarantino
Underrated most of his working life, Vijay Anand is being referenced by admirers like Sriram Raghavan and Anurag Kashyap
Read MoreInside Irrfan’s Mind
The actor (he died in 2020) discusses the effort behind his effortless performances and being an Asian hero in Hollywood
Read MoreA Serious Man
“A comedian can’t be funny all the time. From Chaplin to Mehmood, they were all serious people,” says Jaaved Jaaferi
Read More‘It’s like making daal’
“Creativity is an endless journey,” believes Pankaj Kapur. “In Noh (Japanese dance-drama), they call it ‘flowering of an actor.’”
Read MoreThrowback Deewaar
Salim-Javed have given us Zanjeer, Sholay and Don among more. But critics call Deewaar their finest hour at the movies
Read MoreCannes to Canned
“For any director, the pain of an unreleased film is similar to that of the mother of a stillborn baby,” says Shoojit Sircar.
Read MoreThe Woman with a Whip
The remarkable story of Fearless Nadia, one of Bollywood’s earliest female stunt stars, who has become a feminist icon
Read MoreA Teen Sensation
‘Papa kehte hain,’ a breakout song with which Aamir Khan found his groove, underlines youthful anxiety
Read MoreChildhood Tune
Some of AR Rahman’s best works belong to Mani Ratnam’s sensitive relationship-based films like Roja and Bombay
Read MoreWar and Poetry
Haqeeqat’s Ho ke majboor’ (written by Kaifi Azmi) finds the sweet spot between romance and pining in the time of war
Read MoreA Remembrance
The bashful actor never wanted to be a typical Bollywood hero, because a hero is a pro at self-love and vanity
Read MoreThe Rise of OTT
As 2020 ends, the story of OTT has only just begun. Here’s how it’s shaping the future of entertainment
Read MoreReal Jewel
Noir maven and Vijay Anand fanboy, Sriram Raghavan pays homage to Jewel Thief which released 50 years ago
Read MoreIndia’s Godfather
Vasan Bala who saw Nayakan before The Godfather writes about the sprawling Mani Ratnam classic
Read MoreIndian TV’s Sholay
DD’s multi-generational Buniyaad (1987) was about a family torn asunder in the aftermath of Partition
Read MorePower Play
In Bollywood, biopics are in vogue. Are audiences in search of real-life heroes in these uncertain times?
Read MoreLife after death
Though M.F. Husain died a Qatari citizen, a new retrospective in Doha revisits his work from the several places he called home
Read More‘I Have My Art!’
Akbar Padamsee’s work was iconic even when esoteric. He leaves having enriched Indian art forever
Read More‘I’ll be painting right till the end’
The 93-year-old Krishen Khanna talks about his devotion to art, the horrors of 1947 and his close friendships with MF Husain and Tyeb Mehta
Read MoreClimate Art
In his latest artwork, Olafur Eliasson, the Danish-Icelandic conceptual artist invites viewers to create their own ‘cabinet of curiosities.’
Read MoreBack To The Bindu
Never a figurative painter, even S H Raza’s earliest of paintings on display prove his inclination towards landscape
Read MoreA Seeker of Beauty
Muzaffar Ali (of Umrao Jaan fame) is also an artist. ‘The Other Side’ (his first exhibition in 15 years) promises to reveal his other side.
Read MoreReimagining ‘Feminism’
Inspired by Sultana’s Dream, artist Chitra Ganesh believes the story of this 1905 Bengali sci-fi novel is relevant today
Read MoreCity of Moderns
A blockbuster exhibition brings together works by all 13 of the ballsy youngsters who formed Bombay’s iconic PAG
Read MoreWoman As Protagonist
Dhruvi Acharya’s ‘Permeated Absence’ is about dealing with loss and her continued preoccupation with the female body
Read MoreThe Mash-Up Artist
Atul Dodiya’s work is replete with influences and references (Duchamp to Tyeb Mehta). But it also subverts the way we see art
Read MoreThe Art of Collecting
An American professor and his extraordinary fascination with Bhupen Khakhar’s works that has led him to collect over 100 of them
Read MoreSudhir Patwardhan’s City
Born in Pune in 1949, when he first landed in Mumbai as a medical student in 1973, the scale of the city scared him.
Read MoreArt in Turbulent Times
Lahore-based artist Ali Kazim talks about nudity, freedom of expression and why interest in Pakistani art is on the ascent
Read MoreLet Art Be Colour-Blind
Swaminathan, Gaitonde and Raza are India’s famous abstractionists. Mehlli Gobhai has slipped through the cracks
Read MoreThe ‘Paris’ Viswanadhan
Having fled his village in Kerala as a teen, Viswanadhan’s (better known as ‘Paris’ Viswanadhan) art is informed by itinerancy
Read MoreInspired by Benaras
Manu Parekh’s new paintings again pay tribute to a changing Kashi and its unchanging spirit
Read MoreThe Colour of Life
The Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli hobnobbed with Picasso and Chagall in ’60s. He’s now painting flowers in Moscow
Read MoreIndia Calling
After staying in France for nearly 60 years, Sayed Haider Raza has decided to “spend the rest of my days” in India
Read More‘Husain Repeats Himself’
Artist Jogen Chowdhury speaks about his friend MF Husain, his guru Tagore and the thrill of selling a painting for Rs 150
Read MoreThe Bombay Chronicler
From mill workers to chawl dwellers, shantytown to towers, Sudhir Patwardhan’s art has kept up with the changing times
Read MoreKrishna Reddy’s Prints
Artist Krishna Reddy on the lessons of Nandalal Bose, memories of Santiniketan and disappointment of not selling in India
Read MoreA Painter’s Painter
Many readers may not be familiar with Paris-based Rajendra Dhawan but he was held in high regard in art fraternity
Read MoreThe Magical Realist
Rekha Rodwittiya’s art, where the mundane meets profound, is a celebration of “the everyday life of the woman.”
Read MoreArtists turn eco-warriors on water crisis
Eco-smart artists are delivering useful reminders about what art can do to drive the water message
Read MoreLight and Play
Neither fully Impressionist or Cubist, Jehangir Sabavala’s serene landscapes have inspired a sense of wonder and awe
Read MoreCinema Over Art
An Oscar-winning costume designer today, Bhanu Athaiya in the 1940-50s was busy pursuing art. Finally, she opted for films
Read MoreThe Lone Ranger
Artist Jatin Das’ lockdown works express the pain and anguish he felt during 2020’s migrant crisis
Read MoreSurreal Beasts
Kartick Chandra Pyne was best known as a ‘surrealist’ at a time when Indian modern art was following a more narrative tradition
Read MoreMeta Motifs
Atul Dodiya wants to be remembered as Mohd Rafi of art. With his playful oeuvre and consistent output, he justifies it
Read MoreMortal City
New Delhi-based architect and artist Gautam Bhatia reflects on why ‘beauty’ has vanished from art
Read MoreHomecomings
A group exhibition in New Delhi engages with the challenges of habitation and questions of belonging
Read MoreCatch ‘Em Young
Museums and galleries across India are upending conventions and reimagining a new playbook for children
Read MoreGarden of Senses
The cross-cultural (Indo-French) world of the mother-daughter artist duo, Maïté Delteil and Maya Burman
Read MoreClimate Action
Cautionary Tales: How artists are leading from the front in their cultural response to global warming
Read MoreBrush with AI
Artists are using algorithms, sensors and augmented reality to speak of fragility and permanence
Read MoreMumbai’s Gallerist
The gallery Pheroza J Godrej started fifty years ago made her an indispensable part of the city’s art scene
Read MoreThe Golden Land
Circa 200 BC-1200 AD, India was home to a sophisticated culture full of creativity, argues William Dalrymple.
Read MoreAn Unusual Hybrid
“Tropical modernism’ seems reductive as applied to South Asian architects” — artist Shezad Dawood
Read MoreRangeen: A Real-Life Hindu-Muslim Gay Love Story Set in Mumbai
Being a Muslim, gay and in love with a Hindu are all big taboos in India. A ten-minute short film explores more
Read More10 Must-Watch Hindies From The 21st Century: From The Lunchbox to Court
90s, they say, was lousy. Just when all hopes were lost, thanks to the emergence of a new breed of indie players, Bollywood veered towards
Read More10 Hindi Romantic Hits and What Makes Them Enduring in Movie-Loving India
Most Bollywood films are “romances” unless otherwise specified. That self-explanatory disclaimer says everything that you need to know about Hindi films
Read More10 Bollywood Films That Are So Bad That They Are Hilariously Good
Some movies are more entertaining when you are drunk. Ask a connoisseur of camp, and he will confirm that trashy films can be a source
Read More10 Bollywood Dramas to Watch: A Quintessential and Time-Tested Genre
Time, as they say, is a good judge of whether a work of art is great or not. Indeed, Mughal-E-Azam, Guide, Shree 420 and plenty
Read MoreSatya, Daddy, Maqbool: 10 Bollywood Gangster Films To Watch
The gangster isn’t as fashionable as he used to be. (“Abhi politician sab se bada bhai hai,” says a character in Satya). By 9/11, terrorism
Read MoreSeriously Funny: 10 Hindi Comedies
Inspired Madness: Comedy is a communal hug – a “jaadu ki jhappi” as Raju Hirani’s Munnabhai would have it – that Bollywood has churned out
Read MoreIs The Book Better Or The Movie? Exploring 10 Hindi films Based On Novels
Literature may or may not need films, but films undoubtedly need literature for its creative growth and sustenance but mostly, to access material that’s inaccessible
Read MoreCinema With Message: Your Guide to 10 Socially Relevant Films from Bollywood
Alongside escapist fare, Bollywood has had a great parallel tradition of poetic realism, stories of social issues and locating heroism in ordinary lives, led by
Read MoreSerial Killer, Femme Fatale, Avenger Mom: 10 Bollywood Thrillers And Their Pulpy Delights
It will do well for readers to remember that Bollywood’s forte is pulp thrillers with chartbuster music, unlike Hollywood that has over the years perfected
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