The Jessica Lall murder case is one of the most important events in recent Indian history. The crime committed by a politician’s hot-headed son, the shocking manner in which the investigation was handled, the way in which the witnesses turned (read: were made to turn) uncooperative, the media’s role in exposing the corruption behind certain acts and the subsequent public frenzy… all of these are pivotal incidents that reveal, and have...

How do you pick up such a ripe-for-satire-but-potentially-dangerous concept, make a feature-length movie out of it and still manage to tread the line carefully, without offending any parties or impairing your creative vision & movie? Don’t ask me – I honestly couldn’t tell you. And after seeing Tere Bin Laden, it seems you like you shouldn’t ask writer-director Abhishek Sharma either: The man has just about no clue how to...

It’s disappointing that films like Subhash Kapoor’s Phas Gaye Re Obama are made so rarely in India. Let’s face it, most of the ‘comedy’ output today is anything but that. Instead, what we have are loosely-bound skits packed with slapstick gags, banal (and more often than not, offensive) humour, idiot-plots and thinly-sketched characters. Which is why I am so pleased with Phas Gaye Re Obama. It’s a hoot: a very funny,...

  Disclaimer: I promise I will not crack any ‘jokes’ about the film being good or bad Break ke pehle or Break ke baad. You’re welcome.   Have you ever laid up at night, looking at the sky/stars/the ceiling… all alone, lost in your thoughts… and muttered to yourself, “What would happen if (500) Days of Summer received a slick, sanitized, cookie-cutter-happy-ending Bollywood remake?” If you have ever thought so, then...

Dabangg is just a showcase for its star Salman Khan. Its a sizzle reel for his acting style, his dancing abilities, his action skills and his movie-star swagger. Everything else is filler. Everyone else secondary. Which is why, Dabangg’s success or failure ultimately comes down to Salman Khan’s performance. And thankfully, he’s more than up to the task. The movie is certainly entertaining. It has a very specific aim. That aim...

I am not a big fan of black comedy. There is an inherent “cruelty” to satire/mock that makes it difficult for me to enjoy it. Shows like Office Office or movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla are built upon the sufferings of their protagonists, and I actually find it slightly squirmy to sit and watch such events unfold in front of me. So, it came as a major surprise to me when I found myself laughing while watching Aamir Khan’s Peepli [Live]....