Bollywood
While Photograph is frequently too slow to engross yourself in, it’s unique and intriguing enough to carry interest.
Despite few releases due to Avengers and politics, cinemagoers were served with two major Bollywood releases this month: Romeo Akbar Walter and Kalank.
Film Inquiry’s Musanna Ahmed looks at the biggest Bollywood releases of March 2019 in his first Bollywood Inquiry column.
Padmaavat is a misguided attempt by director Sanjay Leela Bhansali proving that you can get struck by lightning if you try to capture it in a bottle twice.
Qarib Qarib Singlle is perfect thanks to the undemanding running time, whimsical characters, and fresh elements to a classic formula.
This year’s Mumbai Film Festival saw some fascinating themes running through its vast line-up, such as the complex and often damaging notion of family, classism, the impact of war, not to mention the booming Indian documentary space.
Some films just break your heart. They wheedle their way in with a warm embrace, and find a way to really stay with you, leaving you with deep a sense of loss, and yet, gratitude. A Death in the Gunj is one such film.
You would be hard-pressed not to find a panel discussion on the topic of ‘Women In Film’ at most leading global film festivals at present, given it’s an issue that has come into increasing focus in recent years. In the Hindi film industry particularly, matters of the portrayal of women and the disparate treatment of actresses have similarly become popular talking points. In its on-screen portrayal of women, Hindi cinema’s approach has historically been quite dire, with women traditionally being depicted as subservient and submissive, with their entire role predominantly being about the male lead.
Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Nargis, Dev Anand, Vyjayanthimala, Guru Dutt, Madhubala, Raaj Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Meena Kumari, Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone. To a majority of westerners these names will have very little resonance, if any at all. For many cinemagoers on the Indian subcontinent, however, these highly-revered and much-followed household names together epitomise the most significant cultural product in the region: