Movies

The first woman detective franchise in Bengal

Running on the streaming platform Hoichoi, the first woman detective franchise in Bengali, Damayanti could have done with much less talk and more imagination in its telling, w...

Read More

The Unforgettable One

On her 72nd birth anniversary, film historian Dhruv Somani, looks back with affection at the most impactful films of Parveen Babi. One of the most beautiful faces from the ...

Read More

Desperately Seeking Kim

Film historian Dhruv Somani, tracks down Kim who had vanished from the Bollywood scene, for an exclusive, freewheeling chat-fest. Kim Yashpal dropped her second name, left he...

Read More

Hiralal: A rare biopic on a pioneer of Indian cinema

The fascinating life of Hiralal Sen probably needed more visual flair, writes Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri However, despite its staginess, there is no denying that Hiralal is an im...

Read More

The South Wave

Film historian, Dhruv Somani, rewinds to the time when there was an influx of heroines from Southern cinema to Bollywood. There was a time when Hindi cinema banked considerab...

Read More

The peerless entertainer

Film historian Dhruv Somani, pays tribute to Nasir Hussain, wizard of the undervalued romantic musicals of Bollywood. Nasir Hussain commenced making films during the era of t...

Read More

Prem Tame: Love’s Labour Lost

Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri writes that an inspired final act and a brilliant soundtrack cannot overcome the shortcomings of vapid characters and a meandering screenplay that does ...

Read More

Days of qawwalis

Film historian Dhruv Somani asks why have the qawwalis, once a big draw in the Bollywood movies, have gone with the wind today? Once, the qawwali maintained a sacrosanct plac...

Read More

Bengali Film Review: Dictionary

Well-known playwright, theatre activist/director, and film-maker/actor Bratya Basu’s film is well-intentioned but suffers from a muddled execution, writes Shantanu Ray C...

Read More

Once upon a foggy night

Film historian Dhruv Somani, re-assesses the 1964 suspense thriller Kohraa, which he asserts is grossly undervalued. I happened to watch Rebecca (2020) on Netflix starring Li...

Read More

MOVIES: FAIRY TALE FALTERS IN AJOGYA

"Despite the charm of a fairy tale reference, Kaushik Ganguly's Ajogya struggles with a ...

June 11 2024

ALTERNATIVE ENTERTAINMENT: SHYAM BENEGAL’S MANTHAN

Thanks to the efforts of the Film Heritage Foundation, Shyam Benegal’s masterpiece...

June 9 2024

THOUGHT FACTORY: SILENCE IN THE FACE OF OPPRESSION

In an era of unprecedented division, the gap between mainstream and alternative opinions...

June 8 2024