EUFF set to return with its on-ground edition

October 31, 2022

The European Union Film Festival (EUFF) is back with its on-ground edition after two years of the pandemic. The 27th edition of the festival will be hosted in New Delhi from 4 – 13 November, 2022. The festival will screen 27 movies from 27 EU member states in 23 languages....

‘KD: The Devil’ has all the makings of a major blockbuster for Kannada cinema

October 24, 2022

The Kannada Film Industry is on a roll. Over the last year or so, the industry has emerged as a force to be reckoned with. From ‘KGF 2’ to ‘Charlie 777’ to ‘Vikrant Rona’ to the most recent ‘Kantara,’ the industry has been delivering one blockbuster after another. In fact,...

A Curtain Raiser to Italian Embassy Cultural Centre’s Pasolini Retrospective

October 17, 2022

Italian Embassy Cultural Centre is hosting a week-long Pier Paolo Pasolini retrospective in collaboration with the India Habitat Centre from November 2-9, 2022. As part of the retrospective, seven of Pasolini’s best-known films (6 feature films and 1 short film) will be screened. Along with introducing each of the 7...

Dan Coutts’ ‘Heading West’ had its Asia Premiere at Jodhpur RIFF 2022

October 10, 2022

While the Jodhpur RIFF is primarily known for its live music performances, the festival occasionally also screens interesting films about artists and bands who have performed at the festival over the years. This year, Dan Coutts’ film titled ‘Heading West’ was screened as part of the festival’s 13th edition at...

‘Ponniyin Selvan: I’ is a sprawling period piece that also serves as a lesson in history

October 3, 2022

Mani Ratnam’s latest directorial ‘Ponniyin Selvan: I’ is the first part of the Ponniyin Selvan saga based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan,’ which is regarded as the greatest novel ever written in Tamil literature. The film which has suddenly stirred deep interest in the Cholas basically tells the...

Italian Embassy to screen 6 contemporary Italian films in October

September 26, 2022

In its continuing effort to boost the cultural ties between India and Italy, the Embassy of Italy is hosting the first ever Italian Film Festival in collaboration with ANICA (Italian Film Commission). The screenings will take place simultaneously in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru from October 13-15, 2022. The festival...

10th SIIMA Awards witness the best of South Indian cinema

September 19, 2022

I was recently invited to attend the 2022 South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) in Bangalore. Celebrating a decade of SIIMA, the 10th edition of the festival was held on 10 - 11 September, 2022. The ambiance remained electrifying throughout the two days as the biggest names in Indian showbiz...

The Rings of Power brings together the best of Tolkien and Peter Jackson

September 9, 2022

J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings saga (comprising The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and other unfinished works) is inarguably the pinnacle of modern fantasy writing. It also has a certain seminal quality that’s all encompassing as far as epic fantasy is concerned. And...

GAME OF THRONES SPINOFF ‘HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’ IS ALL ABOUT SUCCESSION AND PATRIARCHY

September 2, 2022

Game of Thrones ended up as an epic fantasy series about dragons and the dragon riding Targaryen queen, Daenerys Stormborn. But the saga began as a drama about feudal families and their fiefdoms. In fact, the entire first season was part family drama, part palace intrigue. It was only later...

‘SECRETS OF THE KOHINOOR’ UNRAVELS MYSTERIES

August 20, 2022

Following last year’s ‘Secrets of Sinauli: Discovery of the Century,’ Manoj Bajpayee reunites with Neeraj Pandey for ‘Secrets of the Kohinoor’—the second installment of the discovery+ ‘Secrets’ franchise. Directed by Raghav Jairath, the docuseries features interviews of historians, diplomats, authors, diamond experts, etc., such as Irfan Habib, Navtej Sarna, Shashi...