Do BetterOscars Will Require Films to Meet Inclusion Standards to Qualify for ‘Best Picture’ It’s a misguided, symbolic attempt that further legitimizes those already in power, rather than fostering real, long-term inclusion. By Rajvi Desai
It's Your Problem‘Gunjan Saxena’ Puts the Onus of Tackling Sexism on the Indian Air Force, Not On Its Protagonist The film expertly decodes masculinity contest culture in male-dominated professions, without over-dramatizing or tokenizing the real Gunjan Saxena. By Rajvi Desai
What Is The Matrix?‘The Matrix’ Was Always About the Trans Experience, Confirms Lilly Wachowski “I’m glad that it has gotten out that that was the original intention. The world wasn’t quite ready for it.” By Rajvi Desai
Pointless Prodigies‘Shakuntala Devi’ Leans Into Tired Indian Tropes of Boastful Intelligence and Parental Control Intelligence is a pursuit of showmanship, rather than scholarship, in this depiction of the world-record holding calculation whiz. By Aditi Murti
The Stars Are Not AlignedThe Ironic Appreciation of ‘Indian Matchmaking’ Signals an Ideological Blind Spot 'Indian Matchmaking' paints arranged marriage as a spectacle to marvel at, to laugh at, but never an issue to reckon with. By Rajvi Desai
Deeper Than The Wounds‘I May Destroy You’ Shows How Dealing With Trauma Can Be Messy, Ugly Coel's show underscores how trauma survivors need care, support and attention, regardless of how ugly their healing process might be. By Rajvi Desai
Who Owns The NarrativeHalle Berry Should Not Play a Trans Man Until a Trans Man Can Play Halle Berry It matters who controls the narrative, and how that narrative gets showcased. By Aditi Murti
Who Wrecks The Home?‘Rasbhari’ Is a Tongue‑In‑Cheek Look at How We Demonize, Justify Infidelity The series explores infidelity as a woman's war, and monogamy as a woman's protectorate. By Aditi Murti
Damage ControlTV Shows Are Retrospectively Removing Blackface Scenes. It’s Not Solidarity, It’s a Ploy for Relevance. How do we deal with the problematic pop culture of the past, especially when it has entrenched itself into the nostalgic crevices of our psyche? By Rajvi Desai
The Reluctant Caretaker‘Aarya’ Highlights the Impossible Choices Women Are Forced to Make The new series explores how women's lives hang in precarious balance when the men in their lives choose crime. By Aditi Murti
For Diversity's SakeMindy Kaling’s ‘Never Have I Ever’ Caricatures Indianness, Glorifies Clichés The show lacks any real nuance or complexity when it comes to dissecting what it means to be Indian. By Paroma Soni
Not Just A Slap‘Thappad’ Shows the Subtle, Intimate Power Plays that Rob Women of Respect And the dynamics that rob women of their ability to stand up for themselves. By Rajvi Desai
Long Way To Go‘Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan’ Shows Imperfect, Ugly Process of Unlearning Homophobia That said, the movie reduces homosexuality to a gimmick, with Ayushmann Khurrana as the cringeworthy showman. By Rajvi Desai
What IndeedKaran Johar’s ‘What The Love?’ Forges Fairytales, Not Relationships or Wokeness — but That’s Fine Like all reality TV of its ilk, the show merely satisfies our hunger for one-stop-fixes and painless happy endings. By Aditi Murti
B.A.S.I.CIt’s Okay: to Like Mainstream Movies, Music, Books, and Culture Life is short and lording your superior taste over other people doesn't sound half as good as a "Modern Family" re-run. By Aditi Murti
SMHOscar Nominations Are Out, And They’re Overwhelmingly White and Male — Again Because the previous 91 times white men dominated the Academy Awards weren't enough. By Liesl Goecker
The Case Goes On‘Chhapaak’ Avoids Trauma Porn, Focuses on Legal Nightmare for Survivors Director Meghna Gulzar delivers a sensitive depiction of a survivor attempting to move on despite a painfully slow justice system. By Aditi Murti
Surprise SurpriseIs This Normal? “I Have a Compulsive Need to Read Spoilers” Control freaks, or people who are averse to “big emotional experiences,” usually try to find comfort in spoilers. By Pallavi Prasad
