it's all about the moneyFranchise Filmmaking Is Taking Over the Cinematic Medium — But at What Cost? The franchise model keeps getting stronger -- and this could arguably ruin cinema as a form of art and expression. By Amlan Sarkar
Bye RamThe Buzz Cut: Religious Film Spirals Into Existential Crisis as Own Community Disowns It This week in The Buzz Cut: a film is let down by its people, a mystery is finally solved, and an actor upholds gender stereotypes. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Consent To a GazeAna de Armas Expresses Concern About Nude Clips From ‘Blonde’ Spreading Online The anxiety speaks to the blurred lines between cinema and Internet culture, and the non-consensual gaze that actors are vulnerable to. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Intoxicating ToxicityHow the ‘Pan‑India’ Movie Phenomenon Embodies — And Redefines — Toxic Masculinity The trailer of 'Liger', pegged as the next "pan Indian" film shares a common theme with the others: revved up hero-worship, angry masculinity, and all the makings of a cult-following. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
You Can FailCan We Move On: From the Trope of the Feisty Small Town Girl Obsessed With Upward Mobility Though depictions of a small-town girl's dreams represent feminist progress, she is never given the ability to fail or appear vulnerable. By Aditi Murti
Level UpBollywood Is Finally Shooting Overt Sex Scenes. How Can the Process Be Ethical, Safe? Armed with crotch pads, communication skills and trauma handling know-how, intimacy coordinators can uncomplicate intimacy in Bollywood. By Rajvi Desai
Hard As NailsCan We Move On? From the Lady Cop Trope That Shows a Male‑Centric Idea of an Empowered Woman With her slaps and lathi-charges, Bollywood’s female cop takes violence against women personally – and hides the structural forces behind it. By Aditi Murti
Fraught Feminism‘Tribhanga’ Shows the Costs Women Incur For Rejecting Society’s Patriarchal Expectations Renuka Shahane offers a window into what life for single, independent women is like when they reject all restrictions on their autonomy. By Rajvi Desai