PROFILE | Deepika Padukone’s Recent Roles are a Far Cry from the Characters that Made her a Star
Homi Adajania’s Cocktail (2012) was a rip in Hindi cinema. In the film, the actor Deepika Padukone’s Veronica, a spoilt brat, takes in Meera (Diana Penty) who was abandoned by her husband after he married her under false pretences. Here was a woman who wore her sexual desire and her
It’s All About Power and the Entitlement To Misuse It: Actor Sreelekha Mitra
WATCH | Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay in conversation with actor Sreelekha Mitra Actor speaks about rampant sexual harassment in Indian cinema, its normalisation across regional industries, and her personal encounters with abuse. | Video Credit: Interview: Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay; Camera: Jayanta Shaw; Editing: Samson Ronald K.; Supervising Producer: Jinoy Jose P.
COUNTER CULTURE | Vijay’s GOAT Expands Cinematic Joy While Shrinking Cinema Itself
The afternoon screening of GOAT was delayed by a bit; I expected this. The staff had to sweep the shards of confetti from between the cracks of seats and the carpeted floor from the previous show. They had been doing this after every screening, from 4:15 am onwards. It was the first
INTERVIEW | ‘It Cannot Get Dirtier, It Can Only Get Cleaner’: Bina Paul on Hema Committee Report Fallout
WATCH: National Award-winning editor and WCC co-founder, Bina Paul, believes that the feudal mindset existing in certain sections of the Malayalam film industry must go. | Video Credit: Interview by R.K. Radhakrishnan; Camera & Editing by Samson Ronald K., Produced by Jinoy Jose P. The Justice Hema Committee report released
Book Review| ‘The Menstrual Coupé’: Women’s Protest on Gender Inequality and Patriarchy
Scenes from daily life in Allepey, Kerala. | Photo Credit: Davor Lovincic/Getty Images Debates on gender equality tend to overlook lived realities. Writer and columnist Shahina K. Rafiq’s collection of short stories, The Menstrual Coupé, takes adeep dive into real life as experienced by women. It is an unabashed and
Malayalam Film Industry’s Woes Reflect Kerala’s Own Hierarchical, Feudal, and Patriarchal Structure
In recent weeks, patriarchal norms and male dominance in Malayalam cinema have come under scrutiny following the release of the redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report. This report, commissioned by the Kerala government, has highlighted the various challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee
Hema Committee Report: A Golden Opportunity to Create Safe Workplaces for Women in All Film Industries
The Hema Committee report has caused a whirlwind in Malayalam cinema and society, but if the report is to bring about lasting change, it must be seen as something more than an exposé on the industry. One must look at the report as an opportunity to create conditions that will
The Keeper of Desolation: A Hindi Story in Translation
This story is from a time that no longer exists. The traditional methods of thievery have given way to approaches that are more dangerous and lethal. Thieves no longer drill holes through walls to steal—only the memories of such activities remain. Pickpockets no longer need any tools; the teeming crowd
Kashmiri Shawl Weavers: Unsung Heroes of Art, Rebellion, and Cultural Heritage
In the annals of Kashmir’s tumultuous history, the Zaldagar agitation of 1865 is a watershed moment. On April 29, 1865, the community of Shawlbafs (traditional weavers of the famed Kashmiri shawl) hit the streets of Zaldagar in Srinagar in a peaceful protest against the high taxes levied upon them by
Book Excerpt | Kuvempu’s ‘Bride in the Hills’ Recounts Love Stories in a Caste-Afflicted Social Order
Set in the stately, forest-clad hills of Malnad in the Western Ghats during the late 19th century, Bride in the Hills tells the love stories of young men and women aspiring for a life of freedom, dignity, and fulfilment in marriage within a caste-ridden social order. Kuvempu’s multi-centred text, with its