Tuesday, Oct 04, 2022
Journalism of Courage
Sampada Sharma
Sampada Sharma is a Copy Editor at Indian Express Online's entertainment section. She has been writing for Indian Express Online since 2017. She has a keen interest in old Hindi films, and the new ones too. She spends her weekends watching international web shows. Sampada also hosts a podcast called Movie Police which discusses bizarre films and shows. She can be reached at sampada.sharma@indianexpress.com or you can follow her on Twitter @sampadasharma29
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More From Sampada Sharma
Rajesh Khanna’s Anand and Jaya Bachchan’s Mili are exactly the same movie. Here’s how
The ethos and the style of a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film is pretty distinct but in the case of Anand and Mili, the plots are very similar too.
Sun, Oct 02, 2022
Raj Kapoor’s Satyam Shivam Sundaram pretends to question society’s beauty standards while it uses its leading woman to titillate the audience
Satyam Shivam Sundaram tries to pretend that it is the story of a woman who is perceived as 'not-so-beautiful' by the society due to an accident that scarred her face, while it constantly sexualises the same woman.
Sat, Sep 24, 2022
Amol Palekar-Zarina Wahab’s Gharaonda explains why love doesn’t always win against money
Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab starrer Gharaonda closely examines the endurance of a romantic relationship in the face of the biggest real-world problem - money.
Sat, Sep 17, 2022
Little Things has a new prequel season, Dhruv Sehgal-Mithila Palkar say it’s ‘something similar, but also something different’
Little Things: Jab Dhruv Met Kavya is a prequel series that is now streaming on Audible. The show charts how Dhruv and Kavya met and fell in love with each other.
Wed, Sep 14, 2022
Gulzar’s Mere Apne talks about the epidemic of loneliness that swallows people of all ages
In the last five decades, a lot of discourse around Mere Apne has discussed the film's political stance. But the film also spoke about the epidemic that has swallowed our society and everyone living in it -- loneliness.
Sat, Sep 10, 2022
Way before Ranbir Kapoor’s coming-of-age movies, Jaya Bachchan truly embodied the carpe diem spirit in Uphaar
Ranbir Kapoor's movies like Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Tamasha had him playing the man who breaks the norm and does what he wants and in Jaya Bachchan's Uphaar, we are given a similar message, but with a caveat.
Sat, Sep 03, 2022
The Lord of The Rings The Rings of Power review: Awe-inspiring show isn’t meant for casual viewers
The Rings of Power understands that not everyone might be familiar with the source material so it tries to give you short lessons as it introduces the different worlds but despite that, you could feel a little overwhelmed from time to time.
Fri, Sep 02, 2022
Rajesh Khanna passed the baton to Amitabh Bachchan with Namak Haraam: ‘I knew my time was up’
Namak Haraam signifies that transitional moment where Amitabh Bachchan announced that his time had begun, and even Rajesh Khanna took note.
Sun, Aug 28, 2022
Chhoti Si Baat isn’t the feel-good Amol Palekar film you remember, it proudly flaunts that stalking is the way to a woman’s heart
The men and women of 'realistic films' like Chhoti Si Baat travel in buses and gossip during lunch breaks, so the idea of stalking a woman here becomes even more threatening because it isn't shielded by cinema's fictional grandeur.
Sun, Aug 21, 2022
Indian Matchmaking Season 2 first impression: Sima Taparia’s ‘demanding’ clients still don’t want to ‘compromise’
It would be reductive to call Indian Matchmaking a 'guilty pleasure' as it casually glorifies toxic practices that Indians have been conditioned to follow for decades, even centuries.
Wed, Aug 10, 2022
Rajesh Khanna and Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Bawarchi caters to the biggest fantasy of the Indian audience – a family that gets along
In 2022, Bawarchi is 50 years old and it still caters to the same fantasy - of living with a family that's perfectly cohesive, that has risen above its domestic disputes, and where love conquers all.
Sun, Aug 07, 2022
Mumtaz and Rajesh Khanna’s Aap Ki Kasam acknowledges that life doesn’t always give you a second chance
On Mumtaz's birthday, here's looking back at one of her most successful films with Rajesh Khanna, Aap Ki Kasam.
Sun, Jul 31, 2022
Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker celebrates toxic work culture to the point that it’s painful to watch
Mera Naam Joker's core thought of being sacrificial might have come from a place of magnanimity, but watching it now makes you think that not prioritising self-care is probably the most unhealthy trait that we have inherited.
Sun, Jul 31, 2022
Manoj Kumar understood the ‘soft power’ of patriotism in movies, how Bharat Kumar came into being
On Manoj Kumar's 85th birthday, here's recalling how he became known as Bharat Kumar in Hindi cinema.
Sat, Jul 23, 2022
Ronnie Screwvala talks about patriotism in movies, calls it ‘soft power’ of India: ‘It connects with the youth’
The upcoming slate of Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP movies includes many patriotic movies - Vicky Kaushal starrer Sam Bahadur, Kangana Ranaut starrer Tejas, Ishan Khatter starrer Pippa and Kartik Aaryan starrer Captain India.
Thu, Jul 21, 2022
Vidya Sinha-Amol Palekar’s Rajnigandha explains why the fear of being lonely doesn’t let you to get out of a bad relationship
The fear of being lonely has always been a relatable concept, and this core thought of Basu Chatterjee's Rajnigandha gets your attention from the start.
Sat, Jul 16, 2022
Gulzar’s Aandhi is not just ‘that film on Indira Gandhi’, Sanjeev Kumar-Suchitra Sen explore how lack of ambition can ruin relationships
Aandhi is remembered for being 'that film based on Indira Gandhi's life' but there is more to this Sanjeev Kumar-Suchitra Sen film. The Gulzar-helmed movie released in 1975.
Sun, Jul 10, 2022
Guru Dutt believed he was making ‘insubstantial’ cinema before Pyaasa, the film released him from ‘solitary confinement’
On Guru Dutt's 97th birth anniversary, here's revisiting the time when Dutt felt like he had been let out of prison while making Pyaasa.
Sun, Jul 10, 2022
Dilip Kumar: How the ‘first Khan’ gracefully transitioned into his second innings, created a blueprint for star-actors
On Dilip Kumar's death anniversary, here's looking back at how the 'first Khan of Bollywood' created a blueprint for success with his second innings.
Fri, Jul 08, 2022
Raj Kapoor did Teesri Kasam for one rupee, Waheeda Rehman did it for free but the film still ruined lyricist-producer Shailendra
Much like its lead characters, Teesri Kasam was a victim of its fate. Because watching it today, it is hard to decipher why a film with such emotional depth, popular music and stellar actors did not get accepted 56 years ago.
Sat, Jul 02, 2022
Sanjeev Kumar-Rehana Sultan’s National Award-winning film Dastak examines loneliness in Bombay through the prism of morality
Rajinder Singh Bedi's Dastak examines the idea of urban isolation for a woman who is not allowed to work, and is jailed inside her apartment.
Sat, Jun 25, 2022
Why Rajesh Khanna-Sharmila Tagore’s Avishkaar is the antithesis of Bollywood romcoms
Hindi cinema has made rom-coms by the dozen, but inspecting the ugly reality of a close relationship has always made us extremely uncomfortable. Basu Bhattacharya's 1974 film Avishkaar does this in a delicate way.
Mon, Jun 20, 2022
The Boys’ Jack Quaid quotes The Incredibles to explain the show’s Temp V situation: ‘When everyone’s super…’
With the introduction of Temp V, The Boys has blurred the lines between the good and the bad guys. Actor Jack Quaid explains how it might alter the events of this season.
Thu, Jun 16, 2022
The Boys’ Claudia Doumit opens up about Victoria Neuman’s manipulative nature: ‘She is seeking that power’
Victoria Neuman, played by Claudia Doumit, has emerged as one of the most impactful characters in the third season of Amazon Prime Video series The Boys.
Thu, Jun 16, 2022
Will The Deep get booted out of The Seven again? Actor Chace Crawford says ‘matter of time before he messes things up’
Actor Chace Crawford describes his The Boys character The Deep as a narcissist who sometimes acts like a lovable buffoon.
Thu, Jun 16, 2022