Indians need chicken biriyani, not chicken soup, for the soul. While it is no secret that Indians love chicken biriyani, it became official when chicken biriyani topped the list of most ordered items in India during the pandemic. The biriyani’s origin story is debatable; it either came to North India from Persia with the Mughal […]
Don’t waste your gift of sight for just looking at your phone. At a recent show, a comic’s joke that he liked panhandlers who ask him for money because they are the only ones who “look” at him, and make him feel visible, barely elicited a laugh. But it got me thinking about the statement’s
One-line review: A drunk in love, Adam Sandler, packs a mean punch. Punch Drunk Love was PTA’s escape after the long and heavy Magnolia. He wanted to make a short romantic comedy (inspired by Jacques Tati). But we know a PTA film can never be that simplistic, so we have a crazy love story aided
PUNCH DRUNK LOVE (2002) Read More »
Death is the only failure-proof event in life. The fear of failure’s success rate in making people lead regretful lives is unmatched. But not all failures are born equal. What is failure? Failure can be tangible or intangible. Tangible failure involves measurable losses, like going bankrupt, losing a home, or failing an exam. On the
FAILURE PROOFING YOUR LIFE Read More »
One-line review: A buddy movie for the ages about hope and happy endings. The universal fan-favorite Shawshank Redemption needs no review almost three-decades after its release, so this piece explores why the movie still resonates with the audiences: it’s always showing on some channel and yet always difficult to skip. The film’s shaky journey from
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) Read More »
One-line review: An adult coming of age story, aided by a kid. Mike Mills’ new black and white offering feels like a documentary, a faithful recording of a memorable period in radio journalist Johnny’s (Joaquin Phoenix) otherwise routine life. Johnny decides to help take care of his young nephew Jesse (Woody Norman) when his mom
C’MON C’MON (2021) Read More »
Choose complex emotions like joy to guide your life. Osho, the late Indian godman, says labeling emotions is dangerous because it makes you only seek out the ones you like. Instead, he suggests we observe emotions like someone sitting atop a hill watching the weather change. Is that sage advice (pun intended)? Mindfulness techniques also
One-line review: Entertainment (not CGI) fuels this smashing Malayalam superhero movie. Minnal Murali, Kerala’s first superhero movie, is a pan-Indian and global hit. Netflix almost over-promoted the film, but MM lives up to the hype. This is because, at its core, MM is a wholesome family entertainer that would have worked even without the superhero
MINNAL MURALI (2021) Read More »
You, too, can learn to wield shame, the double-edged sword. Shame, that universal emotion, is a double-edged sword. Shame overlaps with the law to some extent. For example, being arrested is shameful. But human nature is too complex to be entirely governed by law, and shame is useful in keeping society humming along. The fear
Dealing with shame Read More »
One-line review: An impressionist painting of love in the 70s. What is the stamp of a PTA movie? Most films of the small group of writer-directors are easily recognizable, like Woody Allen and Tarantino’s unmistakable dialogue, and in Allen’s case, the Woodyesque leading man. Others work in similar genres like Del Toro, Tim Burton, or
LICORICE PIZZA (2021) Read More »