Fresh Take | The Indian Express

To Jauhar or not to Jauhar? Swara Bhasker’s words expose our obsession with women’s honour

The real estate fever dream: Why leave India when you have 'India Premium'? Subscriber Only

The great Bollywood divide: What Indian movies lost between 2001 and 2026 Subscriber Only

In 2001, films as different as Lagaan, Gadar and Dil Chahta Hai could become everyone’s films. In 2026, the audience itself has split into a thousand little tribes.

India is protesting again. But this time, it's personal

Why your dad refuses to use Blinkit—and what we lost to 10-minute delivery apps Subscriber Only

Spotlight

Ranbir Kapoor’s cult classic taught us how to find love, but not what comes nextSubscriber Only

As relationships become increasingly centred on independence and compatibility, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani leaves us with a question it never had to answer: how do two people build a life without losing the ones they built for themselves?

What once looked like closure now felt like the film had ended at the exact moment Bunny and Naina’s relationship became complicated.

Read More Fresh Take Articles

Aug 20, 2026

Attendance vs Internship: When building your CV costs you classes Subscriber Only

A degree gets you the qualification. An internship gets you the experience. But when both demand the same hours, which one is a student supposed to choose?

CrisAug 18, 2026

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. was problematic, but ours: What our favourite shows got right — and wrong Subscriber Only

From F.R.I.E.N.D.S. to ’80s Bollywood, every generation eventually discovers the problems hiding inside its favourite culture.

Vaishnawi SinhaAug 13, 2026

The many lives of azadi: 79 years after Independence, what does freedom mean to Gen Z? Subscriber Only

The slogan has changed hands, but never lost its meaning. For Gen Z, azadi is freedom from inherited expectations — and the freedom to imagine a different future.

Vagmi JoshiAug 11, 2026

The song nobody sang: Is AI killing music, or just removing the human? Subscriber Only

From playback singing to remakes and reels, Indian popular music has been separating the song from the person behind it for years. AI may simply be taking that logic to its endpoint.

Divya GoyalAug 8, 2026

Will Jantar Mantar protest and Satluj ban make it to school textbooks? Subscriber Only

If these moments shaped a generation's understanding of democracy, should future generations learn about them in school too?

Ichha SharmaJul 30, 2026

When students spoke up at Jantar Mantar, universities fell silent Subscriber Only

The Jantar Mantar protests weren't just a test of the government. They exposed an uncomfortable question for India's campuses: what is a university's role when its own students lose faith in the system?

Jul 28, 2026

India’s Got Latent and the 60-second feminism test Subscriber Only

India's Got Latent gave the internet its latest culture-war flashpoint. But reducing feminism to one teenager's anger was never going to lead to a meaningful conversation.

Jul 25, 2026

Newsroom vs Courtroom: The trial that happens before the trial Subscriber Only

Long before a judge weighs the evidence, television studios and social media often deliver their own verdict. What does that mean for the constitutional promise of a fair trial?

Vaishnawi Sinha, Swapnil JoglekarJul 21, 2026

After CJP protests, India is angry. Why are we still asking the wrong questions? Subscriber Only

Delhi's streets were filled with people protesting paper leaks, unemployment and corruption. Online, the debate centered on influencers, celebrities and ideology. Perhaps that's the real story.

CrisJul 18, 2026

The Haaland effect: When football goes viral beyond football Subscriber Only

The World Cup still creates stars. But in the age of reels, memes and algorithms, footballers are winning millions of fans long before people watch them play

Jul 16, 2026

Young India is done calling every setback a ‘skill issue’ Subscriber Only

Behind the memes, the frustration and the protests lies a deeper shift: a generation is refusing to internalise failures created by broken institutions.

Vaishnawi SinhaJul 14, 2026

Love, with a caste filter: When dating apps turn arranged marriage-coded Subscriber Only

From caste filters on dating apps to Instagram meet-ups and surname politics, why is one of India's oldest social hierarchies finding a new language among young people?

Jul 11, 2026

Cancelled by your future self? The fear isn’t censorship. It’s permanence Subscriber Only

For a generation raised on searchable lives, the biggest threat to free expression isn't censorship—it's knowing every half-formed thought could live forever.

Richa ShrivastavaJul 8, 2026

Are we all just homesick? Welcome to the age of borrowed belonging Subscriber Only

As more of us leave home for work and study, we're quietly learning to borrow belonging—from rituals, friendships, meetups and online communities that help us feel rooted again.

Jul 4, 2026

When ‘hum do, humare teen’ meets the child-free generation Subscriber Only

As calls for larger families grow louder, many young Indians are asking a different question: can they afford children—financially, emotionally, and socially?

Jul 2, 2026

The 20-year fashion cycle is dead. Long live the algorithm Subscriber Only

Y2K fashion may be back on schedule, but its revival has less to do with nostalgia than with an internet that has turned every decade into an endless aesthetic.

Vaishnawi SinhaJun 30, 2026

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ exposes Indian liberals’ biggest blind spot Subscriber Only

The journey of ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ from censorship battle to near-empty theatres raises uncomfortable questions about political commitment beyond social media.

Vagmi JoshiJun 27, 2026

I’m Gen Z. Is the teenager in a Delhi slum Gen Z too? Subscriber Only

The generation we call "Gen Z" is supposed to unite young Indians by age. In reality, it often excludes the very majority it claims to describe.

Rahul PratyushJun 20, 2026

I watched Obsession with my girlfriend. Then she asked me one question Subscriber Only

Bear wished to be loved more than anyone else. My girlfriend couldn't stop wondering why that had to become a horror story.

CrisJun 18, 2026

The Accent Olympics: India’s favourite hobby is judging English Subscriber Only

From Mallu accents to American twangs, India's obsession with how English should sound reveals deeper anxieties about class, aspiration and belonging.

Jun 16, 2026

Gen Alpha may never learn what ‘offline’ means Subscriber Only

Previous generations logged on and logged off. Gen Alpha may be the first generation to grow up without ever needing to make that distinction.

Jun 13, 2026

Beyond the glass case: Gen Z is the new author of history Subscriber Only

Gen Z is not walking away from museums; it is changing what it expects from them. As heritage spaces become digital, immersive and increasingly collaborative, a larger question emerges: when everyone can participate in history,

Vaishnawi SinhaJun 11, 2026

After Samay Raina, Rs 370-biryani raises the same question about punishment Subscriber Only

The Rs 370 biryani row sparked debates over accountability and cancellation, but its most uncomfortable lesson is how easily we forgive misogyny compared to almost every other form of offence.

Jun 9, 2026

Gen Z isn’t chasing careers. It’s looking for an exit plan Subscriber Only

For a generation raised on layoffs, lockdowns and AI anxiety, one job no longer feels like security. From side hustles to passive income, Gen Z is building financial backup plans before its careers have even

Vaishnawi SinhaJun 5, 2026

Virat Kohli was right: Every cricket loss still finds a woman to blame Subscriber Only

The Travis Head-Virat Kohli controversy is only the latest reminder that in Indian cricket, the hunt for a villain rarely ends with the final wicket.