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Saraswati Datar
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Babita Singh Reporting and Gandhari have many similarities but differ in intent, execution
September 12, 2026 08:08 IST
Gandhari and Babita Singh Reporting share many elements in common. Both films had a female protagonist who is considered weak, helpless or underestimated.
Sat, Sep 12, 2026
From Main Vaapas Aaunga to Dhurandhar: How Bollywood changed who the real enemy is
August 17, 2026 08:11 IST
Though Pakistan was always and perhaps rightfully portrayed as a threat to our security, some filmmakers and actors are choosing to produce, direct and act in films where the threat is repeatedly determined by religious identity.
Mon, Aug 17, 2026
Dil Chahta Hai: Farhan Akhtar gave us three flawed, evolving men, and zero mards
August 10, 2026 18:34 IST
As Dil Chahta Hai completes 25 years, revisit how Farhan Akhtar’s cult classic went beyond friendship and male bonding to explore love, heartbreak, growing up, family and the changing aspirations of urban youth.
Mon, Aug 10, 2026
Alpha: YRF Spy Universe turns Alia Bhatt, Sharvari into its most compliant agents
July 11, 2026 08:03 IST
In Alpha, Alia Bhatt and Sharvari are viewed entirely from a male gaze, with the camera lingering on their finely chiselled bodies as they don bikinis while being on the run, dance in the streets of Spain, or in an end credits song that is a textbook example of objectification.
Sat, Jul 11, 2026
Lagaan and Gadar Ek Prem Katha: 25 years later, have we become more violent?
June 16, 2026 08:18 IST
25 years of Lagaan and Gadar: At a time when India had just fought a war and lived through Partition's long shadow, why did its cinema choose empathy over rage, while today it struggles to do the same?
Tue, Jun 16, 2026
Maa Behen: The male gaze, female rage and Madhuri Dixit’s choli
June 08, 2026 07:40 IST
Perception, Maa Behen tells us, is the prison women in a patriarchal society are forced to live in and over generations, we have normalised the restrictions imposed on us.
Mon, Jun 08, 2026
Pati Patni aur Woh Do: Do we need another film minimising adultery as a comedy of errors?
April 28, 2026 08:06 IST
Ayushmann Khurrana, the poster boy for progressive comedies that spotlight prickly social issues, will seemingly play a sperm donor of a different kind in this film.
Tue, Apr 28, 2026
Bhoot Banglas: Indian cinema’s haunted homes and the tropes that are meant to spook us
April 17, 2026 08:32 IST
It’s usually one standalone home that is the source of evil and fear, whether large, like in Bhool Bhulaiyya or small, like the apartments in Bhoot and 13B.
Fri, Apr 17, 2026
Victim, vamp or just plain wicked? How Bollywood’s female antagonists have evolved over the years
April 05, 2026 10:00 IST
What makes negative female characters interesting is that they defy the rules and restrictions placed on a woman and the constant pressure to appease and be pleasing.
Sun, Apr 05, 2026
Catalysts, love interests or aids in adulting – This Women’s Day, can we hope Hindi cinema allows for more equality on the big screen?
March 08, 2026 06:25 IST
As we celebrate Women’s Day and recognise the contributions and achievements of women, let our cinema also reflect the equality and opportunity we demand off-screen.
Sun, Mar 08, 2026
Kohrra Season 2 is a horror story that unfolds as a police procedural
February 15, 2026 09:40 IST
Kohrra Season 2 shifts its focus to family and society, telling us a story that begins with a murder but eventually spreads like the fog it refers to, enveloping us in the horror of existing in a country where injustice and inequality are as pervasive as the air around us.
Sun, Feb 15, 2026
‘From Kabir Singh’s obsession to Shankar’s petrol bombs’: 5 Bollywood-inspired ‘Toxic Tropes’ to avoid this Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2026 08:18 IST
This Valentine's Day, we bring you five different categories of red flags in our cinema and life who continue to be deemed worthy of love or main character energy.
Sat, Feb 14, 2026
Why Border 2’s heavy reliance on nostalgia prevents it from finding its own soul
January 29, 2026 08:04 IST
Border 2 relies heavily on moments, music and memories from Border to establish relevance and strike an emotional chord with audiences. The Sunny Deol-Varun Dhawan-Diljit Dosanjh film succeeds as a tribute, but fails to answer why we still make war films in 2026.
Thu, Jan 29, 2026
Bollywood 2025: Violent men, silent women, and sequels nobody asked for – a year-end report card
December 30, 2025 08:10 IST
Bollywood's 2025 was dominated by hypermasculine heroes (Dhurandhar and Chhaava), unnecessary sequels like Mastii 4 and Housefull 5, and sidelined women. A few outliers like Homebound and Superboys of Malegaon offered rare silver linings.
Tue, Dec 30, 2025
Family Man Season 3 gives us a hero on the run and a villain with main character energy
November 27, 2025 08:00 IST
The Family Man Season 3 made a strange choice of putting Srikant Tiwari (Manoj Bajpayee) on the back foot, and giving us a villain who was written and filmed like a hero.
Thu, Nov 27, 2025
Delhi Crime Season 3 asks a very important question: If girls are invisible or unwanted, do they really go missing?
November 21, 2025 08:10 IST
Delhi Crime Season 3: Through the characters of its victims and perpetrators, Season 3 of the show explores how a patriarchal society conditions men and women to assume roles of dominance and subservience virtually from birth.
Fri, Nov 21, 2025
Awkward conversations and constant interruptions, Kajol and Twinkle Khanna’s show has nothing much to say
November 17, 2025 08:27 IST
The topics on Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle appear to have been picked up with SEO keyword search. This segment begins after over half the episode is done, and usually plays out like an awkward conversation in a family gathering.
Mon, Nov 17, 2025
Maddock Horror Comedy Universe gives us a stree, but never a saviour
October 26, 2025 07:46 IST
Maddock Horror Universe, which advocates for balance - whether between genders, progress and preservation, or diverse social groups - has created stories that allow male stars to shine and play saviour. Hopefully, Shakti Shalini can address that.
Sun, Oct 26, 2025
Homebound: Neeraj Ghaywan explores how language becomes an instrument of oppression in his heart-wrenching second film
October 03, 2025 08:05 IST
Homebound: Neeraj Ghaywan's film asks if you cannot find acceptance in your own country, then where else can you find home?
Fri, Oct 03, 2025
The Ba***ds of Bollywood: Aryan Khan’s debut show lacks a ‘lakshya’
September 26, 2025 08:02 IST
The Ba***ds of Bollywood: There is also a lot of hard-to-believe stuff, or information that seems unnecessary, even in an over-the-top show.
Fri, Sep 26, 2025
War 2’s tragic flaw is that it can’t decide who Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR are at war with
August 22, 2025 08:05 IST
War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR and Kiara Advani in pivotal roles, needs a better story, but more importantly, a better villain.
Fri, Aug 22, 2025
At Zakir Khan’s historic Madison Square Garden event: ‘Sakht launda, narm dil’
August 20, 2025 18:45 IST
It was the first time that an Indian standup comic Zakir Khan had performed at the esteemed venue in Hindi, filling the massive stadium with over 15,000 people who had travelled by train, car, and even flown into New York to be a part of this historic event.
Wed, Aug 20, 2025
From low-key to larger-than-life, the many faces of Indian spies onscreen
August 15, 2025 09:04 IST
Indian cinema and OTT content have given us multiple characters who work anonymously to save our country from peril. Some are focused on gathering intelligence in undercover roles, others have the license to kill, and some, like the YRF spies, can dance, romance and fire a bazooka, all with equal ease.
Fri, Aug 15, 2025
Kyunki saas bahu and suffering never go out of style
July 29, 2025 07:57 IST
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which was meant to celebrate Indian joint families and the values that hold us together, had characters across generations commit indiscretions and even sexual offences.
Tue, Jul 29, 2025
Is Metro In Dino a celebration of modern love or yesteryear values?
July 13, 2025 08:51 IST
Life in a Metro was more emotionally complex and progressive, though it was made 18 years ago. It made room for anger, lust, love, ambition, desperation, sacrifice, and compromise without judgment or concern about things getting too dark.
Sun, Jul 13, 2025
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