Sunday Long Reads: Story of Kathak exponent Roshan Kumari, revdi’s journey, trans actors from India and Pak, and more

Interviews have always bothered the 84-year-old. Not only because she can’t stand questions like “where were you born?” or the more personal ones like “why did you never marry?”, but also because if she does agree to discuss her life and art, she finds it distressing to re-relive the pain of the years gone by.

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How India has always distributed revdis as an act of benevolence and inclusivity

Revdi (Credit: Rana Simranjit Singh)

The Prime Minister’s recent comment on political parties doling out “revdis”, or free/subsidised goods and services, basically freebies, in lieu of votes, got me thinking about the sweet/candy in contention.

With the onslaught of cheap packaged chocolates, revdi is now losing its relevance. It was once a most coveted gift with good shelf-life and portability. Revdi, in fact, is a surviving indicator of the fine sugar-craft of ancient India since the time when sugar wasn’t even known to the Western world.

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‘Bridgerton’ season 2 star Charithra Chandran on why she may never be cast as a lead in Indian films

A still from Bridgerton season 2 (Source: Liam Daniel/Netflix)

In its second season, Bridgerton gave audiences a love triangle that involved a bee sting, a bangle and a gazebo. Edwina Sharma is wooed by Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, only to later discover that it is her elder sister Kate whom he truly loves.

The season, Netflix’s most-watched series at the time of its release, launched British-Indian actor Charithra Chandran, 25, in the role of Edwina as part of its culturally diverse cast. She plays “the diamond of the season” in a story arc that moves from her courtship to her making peace with the fallout of her relationship. Chandran has previously appeared in the Alex Rider (2020-) series as Sabina Pleasance.

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Cheetahs are set to arrive in India, what the big cats have to say

August 10 was World Lion Day. (Credits: Ranjit Lal)

For the first time ever, in recognition of International Tiger Day (July 29) and World Lion Day (August 10) and the impending arrival of cheetahs to Kuno, DiJ got the “big four” members of the cat family to share their views on the matter.

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Meet Negha S and Alina Khan, two trans actors, from India and Pakistan, who are changing the narrative

Alina Khan (Photo Stephanie Cornfield) and Negha S

Among the things the new Tamil film Gargi gets right, besides Sai Pallavi, is casting a real-life trans person in the role of a trans judge (Sudha S), who, presiding over a rape case, rebuts a male advocate in a most dramatic yet necessary way: “What you think is abnormal is what I see as a balance. I know where it hurts a woman, I know where a man’s arrogance stems from… Both! I am the best person to decide the case.” This is a rare instance of the reel reflecting the real. There are, at least, three trans judges in India, one of whom has challenged the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019.

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The Emmy-winning Delhi Crime team on returning to set for a new season

Season 2 of Delhi Crime is set to release on Netflix on August 26 (Courtesy: Netflix India)

EVEN as actor Shefali Shah has been basking in the back-to-back success of her feature films Jalsa and Darlings, her excitement over returning to screen as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi in Delhi Crime Season 2 is palpable. “I’m obsessed with Vartika. She will be with me even when I’m old and suffering from arthritis. She changed my life. What she and Delhi Crime did to my career, all these years of work had not,” says Shah, flanked by her co-actors during the interview. Rasika Dugal and Rajesh Tailang play the roles of IPS trainee Neeti Singh and inspector Bhupendra Singh, respectively, in the show.

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