Zoya Akhtar
This month Indian Cinema was full of blockbusters, hits and artistically acclaimed films.
Musanna Ahmed takes a look at some of Bollywood’s recent releases, such as Ghost Stories, Chhapaak and Panga!
Some may preemptively dismiss Gully Boy as a rip-off of 8 Mile but there’s far more here than just another underdog hip-hop story.
While fairytale romances feature in tons of Bollywood films, Lust Stories gives insight into the modern Indian woman and the role she plays.
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.