Tag: films

Laughing carefully

Anusha Rizvi’s The Great Shamsuddin Family is billed as a comedy. So why does it leave you unsettled? Apoorvanand Dolly Ahluwalia (Asiya) and Farida Jalal (Akko) in a still from the movie. Set within one house, and one day, the film maps how personal choices—marriage, migration, belief—are influenced by a wider climate of suspicion. If you wish… Read More Laughing carefully

Dilip

The puppet-masters behind the Bangladesh genocide of 1971: Interview with Ramesh Sharma

Earlier this year, Bangladesh asked Pakistan for a formal apology for the 1971 war crimes. But responsibility for the massacre of civilians does not rest with Pakistan alone. Ramesh Sharma’s latest documentary ‘Chronicles of the Forgotten Genocide’ looks at the role of the US in the violence that accompanied the birth of Bangladesh. The Emmy-nominated filmmaker… Read More The puppet-masters behind the Bangladesh genocide of 1971: Interview with Ramesh Sharma

Dilip

A radical act of cinematic restraint: How to understand the ending of ‘A House of Dynamite’

Total destruction cannot produce narrative. You can’t tell a story about the end of all stories. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists In the final frames of Kathryn Bigelow’s nuclear thriller A House of Dynamite, nothing explodes. The intercontinental ballistic missile has not made impact, the countdown is almost over, and the screen simply fades to black.… Read More A radical act of cinematic restraint: How to understand the ending of ‘A House of Dynamite’

Dilip

We Did OK, Kid: Antony Hopkins looks back on a tumultuous life

As the actor approaches his 90th year and publishes an autobiography, he reflects on his early years on stage, being inspired by Laurence Olivier, becoming a Hollywood star and conquering his demons Steve Rose ‘What’s the weather like over there?” asks Anthony Hopkins as soon as our video call begins. He may have lived in California for… Read More We Did OK, Kid: Antony Hopkins looks back on a tumultuous life

Dilip

Two years after the massacre, I look back in disbelief. I, too, missed the October 8 surprise / ‘If 1948 was a war of Independence, the current war could be the one that ends Israel’

NB: I respect this writer and this film maker for speaking the truth as far as their resources allow. The term community of crime is something terrifying because it reflects the truth about the fragility of human consience; and the power that ideologies possess to pervert the conscience into its opposite; to literally create communities… Read More Two years after the massacre, I look back in disbelief. I, too, missed the October 8 surprise / ‘If 1948 was a war of Independence, the current war could be the one that ends Israel’

Dilip

The Documentary That Found Humanity by Interviewing 2,000 People

A very beautiful documentary on what makes us human. Human is a 2015 documentary by French environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The film is almost entirely composed of exclusive aerial footage and first-person stories told into the camera. It was the first movie to premiere in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations, to an audience of 1,000 viewers, including the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Human… Read More The Documentary That Found Humanity by Interviewing 2,000 People

Dilip

Remembering Guru Dutt in his birth centenary year: A resurrected genius

Visionary filmmaker of eight Hindi movies, Guru Dutt (1925 – 1964) whose socially conscious work explored various human experiences left a cultural impact that continues to inspire generations. Jinhen Naaz Hai Hind Par – Guru Dutt, Mohammed Rafi, Pyaasa Song By C. Uday Bhasker / Sapan News As film aficionados around Southasia and the diaspora remember… Read More Remembering Guru Dutt in his birth centenary year: A resurrected genius

Dilip