Reluctant Actor, Born Director: Arnab Makes His Bollywood Debut at 24
Arnab Chatterjee, a 25-year-old filmmaker from Kolkata, makes his Bollywood debut with Murderbaad. A MetFilm School graduate, he shuns acting offers to focus on writing, directing, and producing. Without industry backing, he casts fresh talent and challenges the star-studio system, aiming to bring meaningful cinema back to theatres.
Censor Board’s Double Standards on Phule: Protecting Propaganda, Silencing Revolution
The release of Phule, a film on Jyotiba and Savitri Mai Phule, has been delayed due to objections from the Censor Board and protests by Brahmin groups. Despite celebrating the couple’s revolutionary legacy, the film faces resistance for critiquing Brahmanism, highlighting ongoing struggles over caste, history, and narrative control in India.
Election Season Special: New Film Pushes Divisive Agenda Through Historical Distortion
Films are a very powerful medium which creates a social understanding in various ways. Till decades ago we had films which reflected social realities and...
Research, Respect, Reality: The Missing Ingredients in Today’s Indian War Films
A recent viewing of the film Fighter made many connoisseurs wonder whether Bollywood will ever stop flirting with a serious subject like war. The...
Mithun Chakraborty as Kabuliwala: A Misfit in the Tapestry of Tagore’s Timeless Tale
Sandip Ray, eminent journalist Roshmila Bhattacharya, and I were discussing Bengali cinema at the Ray residence. I informed them that I was unhappy with...
The Common Man on Screen: How Raj Kapoor Championed the Indian Proletariat
Raj Kapoor disagreed with how director Basu Bhattacharya wanted him to react to Waheeda Rehman's lip-synching, Aa Aa Bhi Ja in Teesri Kasam. He asked cinematographer...
