Slow Motion Mein It is a grandiose idea—linking the fate of a man called Bharat to the story of India. If Ali Abbas Zafar wanted to pull it off, maybe he should…

At a coffee shop in the heart of the showbiz district of Mumbai, a young man dives at Geetanjali Kulkarni’s feet, murmuring how big a fan he is of her…

Art Has No Religion Characters in Zaigham Imam’s Nakkash, say with an air of fear or apology that the “mahaul” has changed. Which means that in Varanasi, where it was not unusual for…

Taking a giant step back on the issue of women’s rights, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (a woman!) signed into law an abortion bill that could punish doctors who perform abortions with life imprisonment. She is…

Babe In The Hood The first original Indian film that Netflix presents is Chopsticks, directed by Sachin Yardi, whose writing credits include the Kya Kool Hain Hum films, and he directed something called C Kkommpany, so obviously…

Decker’s Dilemma David Baldacci’s unusual creation, Amos Decker, the man with a perfect memory, returns in the fifth book of the series—Redemption. For those who may not have encountered Decker before, a football…

The Talking Typewriter  There is a funny bit in Linwood Barclay’s A Noise Downstairs, where a man has to explain to his son what a typewriter is, because, looking at the noisy…

How To Catch A Terrorist This intelligence officer finally corners the man he has been tracking; he has been warned that pursuers are on the way to the location, but…

All’s Well In Botswana It’s been twenty years and nineteen books—neither Alexander McCall Smith’s Botswana, nor his “traditionally built” heroine, Precious Ramotswe, have changed much. In the latest No. 1 Ladies…

Bade Miyaan Deewane This week’s release De De Pyaar De is about an older man falling in love with a much younger woman. In most Indian films, older actors romance younger and…