By Sunil K. Vaidya
Did Anushka carry drinks for Virat Kohli during a Test match in England? Did she so much as attempt to pad up and join her cricketer husband on the 22-yards between the stumps? Did she banish Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane to third man so she could stand in slip cordon with Kohli? Obviously, that’s an emphatic no. Then what’s all this ruckus about a photograph that was tweeted this past fortnight? Continue reading Are trolls nastier when cricket and Bollywood meet?
By Sushmita Bose
I used to have a slight problem with Hollywood musicals. Unlike Bollywood, where song-and-dance routines are set-pieces (specially designed and, most times, inserted as a side show with no real thread, unless they are playing in the background), American films which claim to be musicals have actors suddenly breaking into a song, impromptu, in an otherwise perfectly “regular” sequence. Continue reading Great music can go a long way in elevating even a silly film
By Janice Rodrigues
Omar Nour’s life story reads like something out of a movie. He was born in Egypt, grew up in Switzerland and did his higher education in the US. While he was 29, working as an entrepreneur, he signed up for a triathlon. Today, he is a professional triathlete and one of the first Arabs to row 5000kms across the Atlantic Ocean — what is widely considered the world’s toughest row. It should come as no surprise that there is a documentary based on his ocean adventures. Continue reading How a once-obese guy rowed across the Atlantic Ocean
By Anamika Chatterjee
In 1998, just as I turned 13, my parents decided it was time for me to watch my first Hollywood film — the kind that would have characters in flesh and blood in the real world instead of animated fantasies. My father, a devout follower of Sylvester Stallone, decided it would be a good idea to watch an action film together as a family. Even though my 13-year-old heart craved rom-com, action prevailed! Continue reading Why Tom Cruise is on a mission to just remain Ethan Hunt
By Sushmita Bose
When I was a teenager, Bollywood movies were banned at home — except on rare occasions when Doordarshan would telecast “art” films. The reason was not because they were tawdry or required too much willing suspension of disbelief — but because they showcased “wrong values”. Continue reading Reality can take a hike. My fav films are about young love
By Lujein Farhat
Dinosaurs are the awe-inspiring behemoths of my childhood. I remember sliding the Jurassic Park VHS tape out of its sleeve, after swearing my three little brothers to secrecy, before popping it into the VCR for a clandestine movie night. Funny how nearly 25 years later, my not-so-little brothers and I went to the late-night premiere of the latest instalment in the series, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. One of my brothers is such a fan that his email signature is still Dr Alan Grant!
Continue reading Watching a Jurassic Park flick 25 years after the first one
By Sushmita Bose
Welcome to the movies, where the hero (or the heroine) will have to be shown getting behind the wheel at some point, or looking at a watch, or speaking on a phone, or having a cuppa at a café, or checking into a hotel, or proposing (or being proposed to) with a ‘designer’ ring etc etc. So brands jump in to offer their wares/services — and, therefore, their products get noticed. Chances are, they assume, “fans” may just turn into potential consumers. Good for a sales kick.
Continue reading How a bad product plug ruins the fun of a movie
