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Top articles
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The Householder: does "spiritual India" mean anything?
What is the typical Western question? Perhaps this one: “Do you believe in God?” The West has a long history of belief, but also of doubt. And people from the West have long since gone East, most notably to India, to find the answer to that question....
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Family Matters
T here are two « mysteries » in Rohinton Mistry’s 2002 novel Family Matters. One concerns the character of Nariman Vakeel, the 79 year old Professor suffering from Parkinson and osteoporosis, who lives with his two adult unmarried step-children, Jal and...
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Sagina: a freedom beyond politics
Sagina (1974), a hindi remake of the bengali Sagina Mahato , shot by the same director (Tapan Sinha) four years before, is a reflexion on work exploitation, oppression and revolution. The story is set in the “tea gardens” of North-East India, in the forties,...
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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Cannes bad taste
For me the yearly Cannes festival is not much more than an industry's self-celebration which is probably best left unwatched, but these days, it’s difficult to miss Cannes photos and interviews even if you’re only slightly interested in Bollywood. Aish...
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Love in Kuch kuch hota hai
Hi, I've found this text written a long time ago probably after having seen KKHH one of the first times! Enjoy! Where does the poignancy of love come from? This love in need of love, this need which screams in the face of the loved one “I will make you...
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I love Rani Mukherjee's smile!
For a long time now I have been wanting to actually speak about Rani Mukherjee: suspicious, no? I had been doing these comments about all these books and films, which have nothing to do with her, and at the back, there had always been that lingering need...
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Meenaxi, tale of 3 cities: Bollywoodian befuddlement!
« Meenaxi, tale of three cities » by M.F. Husain (2004), is exactly that, a Bollywoodian befuddlement. The film is a pathetic attempt at building “something else” than a traditional love-story, and, because of lack of inspiration or lack of artistic common...
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Ayesha Takia: in search of her soul!
One might say the 21 year old glamgirl called Ayesha Takia is rather young to be commented upon at great depth; one would be wrong, because there is a great deal to be said about and around her. Let’s start with the beginning: a few months ago, I wrote...
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Amu: the need for history
Here’s an unassumingly important little film. Shonali Bose's Amu is a kind of a detective-story, with young Indian expat Kajju coming back to the country she’d left when she was 3, and discovering about her past. We follow her as she little by little...
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Untouchable
Mulk Raj Anand’s small fiction volume « Untouchable », which dates back to 1935, evokes the life of a young sweeper called Bakha, through the description of a day’s happenings, from the morning when, only half awake, and after a cold night (due to his...
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Fire on the Mountain
Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, 1977. Nanda Kaul, an old solitary lady lives in her house on the mountainside. Something depressing about her presence there, as if she was hiding away from some family secret. The house: a witness of generations of Colonial...
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Akshaye Khanna: why is intelligence so sexy?
As soon as one pronounces the name “Akshaye Khanna”, a picture springs up, and one sees that curvy mouth, that dimpled chin, those square jaws and above all, the dark cunning eyes that half-smile, half gauge, as if to make sure the track is clear. Hmm,...
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Is 34 the age of wisdom?
I was wondering whether I should « do » something for Ash’s birthday… Well, as you can see, I am, in spite of misgivings coming from … various parts. Looking for something to say, I have watched some videos again, and… there! I thought that if you didn’t...
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Welcome to B(H)ollywood! (Ta Ra Pum Pum)
Er… I thought I would have stopped reviewing films like this one ! But Ta Ra Pum Pum by Siddharth Anand is interesting in fact, as a Bollywood phenomenon (are those of you who read me not tired of this treatment of Indian films?!). BUT: before I go any...
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3 Dewaarein: can a film-director avoid committing himself?
3 Dewaarein by Nagesh Kukunoor is a very good entertainer. Its construction is very clever, its rhythm flawless, the actors are truly first class, the suspense is exciting, the photography is excellent… One spends a very rewarding 120 minutes. But…it’s...
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Rang de Basanti: is sacrifice enough?
Rakesh Mehra’s cult movie left me in two minds. I certainly appreciated the fact that for Indians in today’s society, something urgent and drastic has to be done if the democracy must move away from the scourge of corruption and nepotism. We’ll come back...
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Hum tumhare hain sanam
Is friendship possible between men and women? This is the question which sprang to my mind while watching Hum tumhare hain sanam. Old question, of course, but well, since it seemed to have been important for the director (K.S. Adhiyaman), and that his...
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The god of small things - and a criticism of Bollywood
Of Arundhati Roy’s very personal novel, no doubt much has been said. In the edition that I have, reviews have been put on the first pages, celebrating its magic, its mystery, its powerful rhythm, its innovative structure. Well, I must say I was slow at...
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Socha na tha, a successful little romance
As boy-meets-girl Bollywood stories go, well, I don’t know whether I’ve not seen the best so far (1)… Socha na tha, directed by novice director Imtiaz Ali in 2005 (he’s done Jab we met since), and starring beginners Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia shows that...
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Kareena Kapoor: her strength ...and her weakness
When I think of Kareena Kapoor, what comes to mind first is her strength, her instinct, her femininity. She strikes me as unabashedly feminine, pleased with her sex, proud of her sex. Her physique is very feminine, and first those amazing lips of hers,...
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Anupam Kher, the adorable comedian
Film after film, I have learnt to rejoice when they feature this delightful comedian, Anupam Kher. He went at first unnoticed, in the shadows, at the back. He was part of the sets. Then role after role, I remember I started smiling to myself: hey, it’s...
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Crying
Very quickly after I had started watching Bollywood movies, I started crying, often at the end, and I felt somehow justified in my crying, pleased in my crying. I can’t even remember when I last cried, or if I ever cried, after having watched an occidental...
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The phenomenon Abhishek
I’d like to share a few words about Abishek Bachchan. I must say he’s not my favourite actor, he’s probably not a very talented actor (as yet), but what interests me is that he’s a Bollywood phenomenon. That combination of past and future. Heritage and...
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Society vs genius (Pyaasa 1957)
Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa (thirsty) is so consistently lauded that it’s rather daunting to start talking about it. All the reviews I’ve read about it were superlative. Everybody says what a landmark it has been, what wonderful music it displays, what poetry...
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Is Aishwarya Rai a good actress?
And does she get the reviews she deserves? Looking through them, it seems to me she’s either derided for being too bland, too superficial, or she gets the surprised concessions of people who think she’s “in fact a good actress” – obviously her merits...