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Friday, January 9, 2026
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Beyond The Reel

Bollywood has a new Ramayana romance. All muscle and swagger

In the last 2 years, a slew of Ramayana-inspired films—Adipurush to Singham Again—have reimagined mythological characters as hypermasculine warriors. ‘It’s the preferred image for its politics’.

Firearms, forests & fugitives constant in Bollywood’s Naxal films—politics keep changing

From Ghaath and Bastar: A Naxal Story to Newton and Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa, Indian filmmakers keep coming back to Naxal themes. Who’s the hero or villain depends on who’s telling the story and when.

Karz, 1980 cult classic gave us Simi Garewal as Lady Macbeth and youth anthem Om Shanti Om

Audience initially rejected Rishi Kapoor's reincarnation movie. But like the ugly duckling that turned into a swan, Karz's fan base grew. Today it enjoys cult classic status.

‘Angry Young Men’ is not just about Salim-Javed’s journey. It’s the history of 1970s India

Amazon Prime Video’s Angry Young Men shows that biopics are being dethroned by OTT documentaries. People want more of The Romantics, Modern Masters: S. S. Rajamouli—raw and real glimpses into lives of stars.

Bollywood is finally getting sports right. Chandu Champion to Soorma, Mary Kom

Chandu Champion does justice to the comeback tale, just like Shimit Amin did with Chak De! India.

Tribal life and Christian missionaries clash in this Garo film about outsiders

Meghalaya isn't known for filmmaking. But Dominic Sangma is changing that in a state with only two movie theatres. his Garo-language film Rapture was released across 33 French cities.

Panchayat to Laapataa—villages on OTT are Gandhian simplicity or Ambedkar’s den of ignorance

From quiet feminism in Laapataa Ladies to TVF’s smash hit Panchayat, a nostalgia-infused Indian rural landscape has found a firm footing in the world of OTT viewership.

Why’s Bollywood obsessed with Tawaifs? ‘Heeramandi’ brings back the stereotypes

According to Pakistani film critic Omer Adil, filmmakers of the subcontinent have created a fantasy chimaera, a celluloid courtesan, which has nothing to do with tawaifs.

Why’s Bollywood obsessed with Vijay Mallya? Neeyat, Crew tap into a lingering fantasy

Crew trains its guns on Mallya from the get-go – showcasing his famous ‘gift packs’ and ‘welcome videos’, and dressing its on-screen stewardesses in Kingfisher-like red uniforms.

Bastar to Article 370—Bollywood propaganda movies boosting BJP soft power

As the country hurtles toward the general election, more propaganda films are set to follow: Accident or Conspiracy: Godhra, The Sabarmati Report, and Emergency.

On Camera

Mustafizur’s removal from KKR isn’t the same as boycotting match with Pakistan

Mustafizur Rahman was not representing Bangladesh; he was representing Kolkata. Singling him out simply because of his nationality shows a selective and convenient moral logic.

500% tariffs ahead for India? Trump’s lined up a big bad Bill for countries buying Russian oil

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says bill will be 'well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent'.

2025: Pakistan’s deadliest year in over a decade

Islamabad-based think-tank PICSS's new report says Pakistan saw 'pronounced escalation' in violence last year, with 3,413 conflict-related deaths compared to 1,950 in previous year.

A year-end Mea Culpa in National Interest—The Army-Islam combo doesn’t kill democracy

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.