Film and TV

Manjummel; the toxic dark place where everybody remains stuck

A week after the release of Manjummel Boys, a survival thriller film based on a true story, I watched it in Delhi, far from my hometown where there was no sign of its release. I was surprised to see that Delhi’s cinemas were packed. Sitting next to me, a Tamil lady kept whispering in her daughter's ear, “Subhash’e, Subhash’e” to keep her engaged. The larger hall was resounding with laughter, cheers, and maybe silent cries too.

American Fiction: Who defines your narrative and why?

American Fiction bluntly satirises this fashionable zeitgeist and shatters its progressive myths, challenging the false pretensions of capitalism’s culture production-spanning the industries of publishing, awards, and filmmaking-that it's open to new, different voices from the margins and the underprivileged.

“As a nation, we did not have a religious identity before but now I don’t know why…”: Actor Vidya Balan

India has become “more polarised” when it comes to religion, with people desperately searching for anything that gives them a sense of “identity,” said award winning actor Vidya Balan.

Indian-American actor Avantika Vandanapu dedicates South Asian Person of The Year award to Gaza

Indian-American actor and 'Mean Girls' star Avantika Vandanapu was named the South Asian Person of the Year by Harvard University on 10 April.

South Indian films ahead of Bollywood as they aren’t bogged down by ‘astronomical’ star fees: Dibakar Banerjee

Acclaimed filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee says that Bollywood is so disconnected from its roots

Revisiting IFFR: Watching Indian Cinema in a European Festival

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Afeef Ahmed - July 1, 2021

The fiftieth edition of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam has come to a close in the last week. The festival programme was divided into two parts, ie. from...

Film fraternity wants draft cinematograph bill repealed

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Maktoob Staff - June 30, 2021

Indian film fraternity writes an open letter to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, rejecting the draft Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021 that gives the government power to re-examine certified...

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Friends Reunion: The one with all the nostalgia

Tapatrisha Das - May 28, 2021

Friends, equally loved and criticised sometimes for its choice of dialogues and actions and storytelling, still needed the reunion. Not for the cast, or for the makers, but for those who find hope in those six friends who became family, who made them feel that beyond difficulties, there's a home in a show. Somewhere the sitcom broke its glass barrier and became one with its audience.

Milestone: A journey with India’s alienated working class

Jashvender Chauhan - May 18, 2021

Ivan Ayr’s second feature, Milestone, perfectly illustrates Marx’s concept of alienation. Man becomes alienated and is no longer free when he performs labour out of coercion rather than freedom...

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Minari: Unbounded ‘American dream’

Afeef Abdulla - May 17, 2021

Minari portraits the American dream of the Korean immigrant Yi family who moves from California to their new plot of land in rural Arkansas to start farming as to...

Nomadland: A hard hitting portrayal of the unseen side of America

Ayisha Shamna - May 15, 2021

Undoubtedly, Fern is the unforgettable center of Chloé Zhao’s masterful “Nomadland,” a movie that finds poetry in the story of a seemingly average woman.

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An Oscar for My Octopus Teacher is a boost for South African film. But …

Guest Author - May 4, 2021

Liani Maasdorp, University of Cape Town and Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk, University of Cape Town The Best Documentary Feature gong for My Octopus Teacher at this year’s Academy Awards has been seen...

Irrfan Khan’s death anniversary: Wife Sutapa, son Babil share heartbreaking notes

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Maktoob Staff - April 29, 2021

On the versatile actor Irrfan Khan's first death anniversary, wife Sutapa Sikdar and their son Babil wrote emotional notes, remembering the actor and the way he chose to lead his life.

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Oscar winners 2021: the full list

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Maktoob Staff - April 26, 2021

Nomadland won big this year. The film won Best Picture, Best Actress for Frances McDormand and Best Director for Chloe Zhao. Chloé Zhao won the best director for “Nomadland,” becoming the first woman of color to win the award, and the second woman ever to win.

Mammootty and Parvathy to act in debutant director Ratheena’s ‘Puzhu’

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Maktoob Staff - March 8, 2021

Mammootty and Parvathy are set to come together for the time for a new Malayalam film, 'Puzhu' directed by Ratheena.

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Limits and politics of representation: Watching Pebbles

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Afeef Ahmed - February 15, 2021

Pebbles (Titled as Koozhangal in Tamil) came into the limelight by securing the Tiger Award for best film, at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Directed by Vinothraj P.S, The film revolves around a day of a father and small school-going son, settled in a draught ridden landscape of rural Tamil Nadu.

The Great Indian Kitchen: Why we need to reflect on role of upper caste Hindu patriarchs

Karthika Jayakumar - January 24, 2021

The Great Indian Kitchen is a recent Malayalam flick directed by Jeo Baby with Nimisha Sajayan and Suraj Venjaramoodu in the lead roles showcasing stellar performances as the husband wife duo in a quintessential savarna Malayali household that accurately portrays the division of labour among other things in Indian society.

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