Modi’s movies
THE world knows India through its movies. For more than a century, most of South Asia has been humming Bollywood tunes, mimicking Bollywood actors and awaiting the next blockbuster with…
Movies’ new taste for human flesh, and even kids aren’t safe
Hollywood is often accused of "eating itself" - forever recycling its back catalogue with endless remakes and sequels. But this year's Cannes film festival is witnessing another kind of creative…
The space debris threat
The International Space Station (ISS) has been featured in several Hollywood movies, from being hijacked by a hostile alien in Life to being ripped apart by space debris in Gravity.…
Rome’s ‘behishti darwaza’
Many in my generation had seen Rome for the first time with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. And they fell in love with the Eternal City. ‘Roman Holiday’, of course,…
Zones of interest
ONE of the more thought-provoking movies to emerge in the past couple of years, from a western film industry that thrives on pointless fantasies, redundant remakes and superfluous sequels, was…
Connecting with South Asia
PAKISTAN’S bond with South Asian nations is weakening despite shared cultural heritage and historical ties. The enduring India-Pakistan rivalry has also affected Pakistan’s relations with other South Asian countries, especially…
A narrative of life
Is it for real? Is it fiction? Is it a dream? Is it an illusion? Is it happening? These are some of the shake-your-head queries that one asks oneself. We…
Kapoors of Bollywood meet Modi
“EVERYONE acts every day of their lives,” said Marlon Brando. Think about it. The air hostess acts with her plastic smile. The politician acts with his double-faced lies. The shopkeeper.…
The country of the ‘leftovers’
‘Abey yaar!’ – a phrase ubiquitous across the country. This is our safe-for-work alternative to other words to show our frustration when things go awry. ‘Abey yaar!’ in the 2000s…
Ties that bind
The cooperation between Pakistan and China in media and culture is deeply rooted in history, and strengthened by political, economic, and strategic collaborations. Diplomatic ties between the two countries were…
