(SRK thanking his fans for Pathaan’s success). India’s superstar, Shahrukh Khan (SRK), after lying low for four years following a spectacular flop, is back with a bang with his new film, Pathaan. The film’s record-breaking journey worldwide cements his status as probably the last of India’s superstars. I say last because, with the multitudes of […]
NEVER WRITE OFF INTELLIGENCE: SRK’S BACK Read More »
Stop thoughtlessly undercutting thoughtfulness. At a recent Thanksgiving, my thoughtful friend, who always hosts dinner, outdid herself. There were almost twenty-five guests, including several kids. Not only did she organize games for the kids, but she also gifted them personalized mugs with their names stenciled on them. Then, to ensure they could use their mugs
UNDERCUTTING THOUGHTFULNESS Read More »
One-line review: Your heart is the only compass you need to navigate through life. The audience broke into spontaneous applause both times I watched The Fabelmans. And they couldn’t have been more different each time; senior citizens the first time and young New Yorkers the second time. That’s the beauty of Steven Speilberg’s autobiographical film,
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One-line review: Breaking up is hard to do, and take. London Irish (his own words), playwright and writer-director Martin McDonagh returns after five years, reuniting with his In Bruges (2008) duo: Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell. The film is a sweeping account of an inexplicable breakup between two friends that leads to dire consequences for
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (2022) Read More »
Why do the rich clamor the loudest for free lunches? A recent New Yorker piece on Jack Welch’s retirement perks made my blood boil. Despite his net worth of nine hundred million and a yearly pension of almost eight million, Welch’s perks included a free NYC apartment and deals at the restaurant in the building.
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One-line review: A warm quilt expertly woven with all shades of emotions. Jan E. Man, with its threadbare plot and non-star cast, was initially filmed for streaming platforms. But the film’s scope grew during shooting, and the producers worried that without any big stars, Janeman would not get the eyeballs it deserved on the streaming
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I just binge-watched two seasons of Delhi Crime, the hit Hindi series on Netflix. Each season traces how Delhi’s top cop Vartika Chaturvedi, a superb Shefali Shah, and her trusted team solve a heinous crime with their limited resources. Its first season won the Emmy award for outstanding drama series, the first for an Indian
DELHI CRIME: EMPATHY IS IN THE DETAILS Read More »
One-line review: A film about the time when royal drama meant bloodshed with swords. Director Mani Ratnam must surely have wrestled with how to make this film. Should he cater to the Tamil audiences familiar with the beloved book on the Chola dynasty, on which the film is based? Or should he make the film
PS-1 (2022) (TAMIL) Read More »
Chocolate makes you a believer in humanity. When I was a kid, chocolates were a luxury in India. Sweets were usually hard candy and toffees. My earliest memory of chocolate abundance is a bag of chocolate eclairs someone gifted my dad. I had never eaten anything like them before and boasted to a friend that
RANDOM CHOCOLATE MUSINGS Read More »
A friend gave me a tiny crystal vase the size of my thumb. It was perfect for my little NYC studio, but finding a flower to fit it was challenging. So the vase sat in a corner, gathering dust, awaiting its turn for the trash bin. That was until I discovered a tiny park on the
YOU NEVER KNOW WHO’S LOOKING Read More »