Chernobyl: A disaster which was waiting in the wings
“What is the cost of lies? It is not that we mistake them for the truth. The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, then we no longer recognise the truth at all.” These are…
I’ve never been (Un)happier: Shaheen Bhatt’s candid story
This is a short book written by 29-year old Shaheen Bhatt, who has spent most of her adult life dealing with clinical depression. Shaheen Bhatt has an enviable pedigree. She is the daughter of celebrity parents: Mahesh…
Badla: Sujoy Ghosh’s taut thriller
It is after a long long time that I have seen an audience break into applause spontaneously at the end of a movie. The last time I witnessed that was in a Leicester Square cinema hall in…
Gully Boy: The divide and the angst
A young driver watches the owner’s daughter rush into the back seat of the plush car, her eyes streaming with tears. He shuts the door and drives the long drive back home in the silent night, craving…
Usha Uthup: The bad girl with Kanjeevaram sneakers
Dressed in a gorgeous Kanjeevaram silk saree, her trademark big bindi adorning her forehead, she climbs up the stage gingerly. She is 71 and her hair has streaks of grey. She looks the complete antithesis of what…
The Jaipur Literature Festival: A carnival to remember
Resplendent peacocks welcome you as you enter the gates of Diggi Palace. And then you are subjected to an airport style scan and frisking — only done a lot more politely and quickly. The vibrant colours of…
Jeffrey Archer: I’m more a story teller than a writer
Jeffrey Archer sells more copies of his novels in India than in any other country in the world. He narrates an amusing anecdote where he stepped off the plane in Mumbai and was on a taxi to…
Movies are like a kidnapping: Books versus their film adaptations
Do authors like to see their work portrayed on celluloid? And when that is done, are they satisfied with the final product? Of course, they do want the film based on their book to succeed. But isn’t…
Jiya jale: Gulzar and his lyrics
Writing subtitles for Hindi film songs can lead to hilarious situations. Famously, the song from Mangal Pandey: The Rising called ‘Mangal mangal’ was translated as ‘Tuesday, Tuesday’! But imagine the chagrin of the person who has to…
Tumbbad: A fable of greed
Gloomy grey skies, incessant dreary downpours and an eerie emptiness that echoes through the length of the film. An abandoned waada enveloped in green moss, antique locks which creak and resound in a lonely house, flickering lanterns…
