In one of the most prestigious medical colleges, director Abhay Kumar, through roughly 1000 hours of footage, brings out the disturbing, yet not surprising, reality of student life in India in Placebo. It was to understand the cause of his younger brother Sahil’s self-inflicted injury that Abhay had initially set foot on the AIIMS campus. ...
Writer-director Barnali Ray Shukla debuted with Kucch Luv Jaisaa in 2011. In two consecutive years, 2013 and 2014 her scripts were long-listed for the SUNDANCE-Mahindra Script Lab, one of which she will be making as a feature film in Bengali, next year. She’s currently traveling with her documentary Liquid Borders, which has been doing terrific rounds across ...
What’s it like being human, after all? Things are changing from how they once were. For long, mainstream media, storytelling and the homogeneous world we live in told us we are working towards a society where differences were either being appreciated, or disrespect towards them was being questioned. But now, from the Hindu identity to ...
Inspired from the real-life story of gangster Abdul Latif, Raees chronicles the rise of a small-time bootlegger who goes on to monopolise the illicit liquor business in Gujarat. It’s a well-written and acted crime thriller that marries conventional and contemporary styles of storytelling, pitting a larger-than-life persona, a Gujarati crimelord Raees (Shahrukh Khan) against an adamant, honest cop ACP ...
The Indian independent scene is looking vibrant than ever, with new storytellers and unique ideas surfacing in the space. The year that went by, saw a fine assortment of films from varied genres. These aren’t festival favorites alone but have resonated with audiences and film fans, locally and globally. Flickside picks some of the bravest, experimental and most engaging Indian indie films to ...
Irshad Kamil is one of the most prolific lyricists of modern day Bollywood. His command of lyrics, particularly when it comes to loneliness and isolation, is no match to his contemporaries. Tamasha, Rockstar, Jab We Met, Highway, Sultan and Aashiqui 2 are fine examples of this. Let’s take a look at some of his best works, especially ...
John Lee Hancock’s The Founder is about the world’s largest fast-food franchise and is ironically reminiscent of the newly elected US President Donald Trump. While it instantaneously makes you hate the brand for its dirty methods of doing business, it acts as a reminder on how men like Trump have always existed among us, who sell ...
There is a reason behind our unconditional love for Star Wars. At the time it came out, the term CGI wasn’t used often. Technology was primitive and films loaded with visual effects were rare. But George Lucas made the impossible possible by putting on display his rich imagination with groundbreaking visual effects. Not only did it ...
It’s hard to put down in words the experience of seeing Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight. It is, simply stating, a groundbreaking film. It amazingly gets under your skin and never lets go. From the first scene to last, it stays raw and thoughtful. Adapting Tarell Alvin’s play In the Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, the director encapsulates ...
Shlok Sharma shot his debut feature in 16 days, entirely on an iPhone, which, in itself, is pretty remarkable. Haraamkhor is playfully amusing with severely dark undertones, carried completely, and at times kept afloat, by its commanding performances. While Nawazuddin Siddiqui does what he does best, here as a predatory teacher, it isn’t unlike what we’ve seen ...
Meet the Patels is the closest you’ll ever come to knowing what actually goes behind the proverbial big, fat Indian wedding. Marriage is a full blown family affair in India. And Meet the Patels is proof. It trails the life of soon-to-be 30, Indian-American Ravi Patel torn between the love for his parents and life’s ...
2016 was one of the most successful years for Kannada cinema in recent times with record number of films getting released, and quite a few setting and breaking box-office records. Many new filmmakers came up with unconventional scripts and offbeat stories made with minimal budgets and returned home winners, continuing the trend of past couple of years which ...
Here are some of my most favorite lyrics penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya, one of Hindi cinema’s most sought after songwriters today. 1. Bulleya (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) It is impossible to come up with a more apt description for Bulle Shah than Ranjhan de yaar (friend of lovers). Ayan’s restlessness and yearning for contentment form the ...
This article is part of an ongoing knowledge series on ‘lessons in filmmaking for aspiring directors.’ Today, our experts talk about common mistakes first-time filmmakers make and tips to avoid them. Indie directors, who’ve been feted at festivals and appreciated as much by audiences, share advice from their own filmmaking journeys to equip you better as ...
Shwaas (2004) was a landmark film in the history of Marathi cinema. It became the first Marathi film in 50 years to have won a National Award, after Shyamchi Aai. Shwaas was also India’s official entry to the Oscars in the foreign film category that year. Three of the past 10-12 Indian films submitted to Oscars were Marathi and ...
Dipankar Sarkar
