Reviews of the latest (and sometimes not-so latest) independent films from South Asians everywhere.
Urban existentialism in a Turkish tragicomedy
Rahul Desai writes about a game-changing Turkish drama that premiered at the 2018 Tokyo International Film Festival.
For the “love” of Gully Boy
An essay on the language of the "love story" at the core of Zoya Akhtar's GULLY BOY.
The modern workspace movie
Through the cultural prism of three distinct but similarly "spaced" movies, Rahul Desai looks at the role of the workspace in modern cinema.
Flashback: Monsoon Shootout
A flashback to Amit Kumar's "Monsoon Shootout" - an intriguing, rough-at-the-edges film that was released five years after it was made.
Manmarziyaan: Let your soul fly
Pankaj Sachdeva delves into the politics of love and cinematic inspiration in Anurag Kashyap's Manmarziyaan (2018).
Food Lessons from Hindi Cinema in 2018
A unique Hindi cinema year-ender for 2018 by Pankaj Sachdeva detailing an old Indian favourite: Food in films
iiF Awards, Hindi Cinema, 2018
The fourth edition of our custom-made iiF Awards is here. Rewarding the best and worst of Hindi cinema in 2018.
The immortality of grief
A rock-climbing documentary and a space biopic collide to form a celestial body of fragile humanity.
Film Review: Sudani From Nigeria
A lawyer and movie enthusiast writes about why Sudani From Nigeria, a cross-cultural Malayalam title, is both a personal film and a communal experience.
Laila Majnu: Love is Madness
Pankaj Sachdeva dissects the Imtiaz Ali-written undertones of Sajid Ali's Laila Majnu (2018) - an underrated film elevated by one of the best male performances of the year.
Gulabi Gang: What questions to ask, and when
A throwback to Nishtha Jain's illuminating 2014 documentary GULABI GANG -- not to be confused with the vapid Madhuri Dixit starrer Gulaab Gang -- by award-winning film critic Tanul Thakur.
Once Again: Pehli Baar Phir Se
Pankaj Sachdeva explores Kanwal Sethi's mature, atmospheric "Once Again" - a Netflix release starring Shefali Shah and Neeraj Kabi.
Raazi: If the heart agrees
By Pankaj Sachdeva Meghna Gulzar's Raazi is the story of Sehmat (Alia Bhatt) who is a daughter, a wife, and a spy. The film is based on Harinder Sikka's novel Calling Sehmat which itself was inspired by real events. Sehmat is the twenty-year-old daughter of Hidayat Khan (Rajit Kapur) who dedicated his life to the service of his nation. He asks Sehmat to get married to a Pakistani major's son Iqbal (Vicky Kaushal) so that she can spy on the secret plans of the other nation's army and relay them to the Indian intelligence. Sehmat is raazi (in agreement) to do the same and becomes a raazi (keeper of [...]
The Indian Venal Code
Rahul Desai writes about activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj's controversial documentary, Martyrs of Marriage.
Throwback: Gour Hari Dastaan (2015)
We look back at Ananth Mahadevan's 2015 biopic on freedom fighter Gour Hari Das - a film driven more by its social relevance than overall craft.
Film Review: For Here Or To Go?
Our review of the Ali Fazal starrer, For Here Or To Go? - a small crossover film that played at MAMI 2015 and releases in Indian cinemas this week.
October: Fragrance of Jasmine
Pankaj Sachdeva reads between the lines in Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi's beautifully fragrant world of "October".
What Women (don’t) Want
A throwback to Angry Indian Goddesses, the angry 2015 feminist Indian film helmed by a male director.
