Padmaavat is an epic poem written by the Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi in the year 1540, more than 200 years after Alauddin Khilji’s invasion against the king of Chittor. Historians have no account of a Queen Padmavati bewitching Khilji and refer to her story as an allegory. Even the great wordsmith Amir Khusrau, who…
Month: January 2018
The Philosophy of Mukkabaaz
Award-winning documentary Film-maker Brin-Jonathan Butler who has spent most of his life observing Boxing and the lives of the people behind it describes Boxing as – “All boxers are liars. Con men. The better the liar, the better the fighter. That’s because if you knew what was in a fighter’s heart, if you knew what…
Oscar Nominations : Initial Reactions
Old Mr Oscar is a nonagenarian! Let us raise a toast to years of serving us with great speeches, heartfelt odes, the most retweeted selfie ever and a whole lot of genuine emotions which stir us up year after year. I guess, since all of these people are movie actors and makers, emotions flow more…
Darkest Hour | Movie Review
Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a man of the world. Ordained in true British fashion as “The Lion of England”, Churchill carried his legacy through a steadfast commitment to the sustenance and longevity of British Imperialism. Despite his innate qualities as a statesman, Churchill would always be remembered by India as the British Prime Minister who…
The Post | Movie Review | Tom Hanks | Meryl Streep
The Post is significant for the two largest democracies in the world. While in the US it has a role in defining transparent, scrupulous reporting as against the continuous jibe of being Fake News being levied against it by it’s premiere, in India it has to redefine it’s very ethics which have taken some battering…
Filming Minimalism | A Ghost Story
The occult is a subject seeped in esotery, reinvigorated only by a deep-rooted unease to understand life after death. Some religions use this inherent fear by promising a ‘later reward’ that would be bestowed upon you, given that you have lived your life righteously, while others project a bleaker future of eternal damnation like getting…
All the Money in the World | Movie Review
Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol was a Christmas classic that is widely read and enjoyed to this day. Even more than the story, however, it was his characters that have stood the test of time, becoming assimilated into the larger pop culture. Ebenezer Scrooge became the quintessential symbol of frugality and a potent…
Why we need more political documentaries in India
We have grown up hearing the glorious statement that – “India is the largest democracy.” But what does that even mean? To be honest, I had never really thought about the idea of our nation being the world’s largest democracy, but when I asked myself the aforementioned question, I came up blank. Like a diligent…
Manhunt : The Unabomber | Review | Netflix miniseries
When I say the words – ‘Terrorist’, ‘Murderer’, ‘Criminal’, the usual categories that would light up in your brain would be turban-clad Arabic men wielding guns on some hapless civilians or journalists. We feel gratified by the sense that we are more civilized and well-bred than those clinically insane and morally corrupt individuals who we feel hard-pressed…
Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle | Movie Review
Talk about classics from the 90s and Joe Johnston’s runaway adventure Jumanji would make it to every single list. Besides the indellible comic timing of Robin Williams who played Alan Parrish in the film, the film had everything that a family could enjoy together. Imagine playing a board-game with your family, being engrossed in it…
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