A joke in Udta Teer suggests that an Indian Hindu cannot read Urdu. Here's why that punchline is a reminder of how easily cinema erases history, claims a language for one religion and questions who gets to belong to India.
The Ramayana casting backlash against Sai Pallavi goes beyond a disagreement over looks. It exposes India's obsession with conventional beauty, our attachment to familiar screen images and the thin line between criticism and abuse.
Vetri Maaran says he would rather choose story over lip-sync, but why should audiences have to compromise? When a filmmaker celebrated for realism dismisses a recurring technical criticism, it raises a bigger question about artistic freedom.
Sanjay Dutt said his Shekhar Tonite remarks on 'no peace in India' were part of a scripted satirical segment. The clarification has shifted attention to accountability for words delivered on air.
Actor Sydney Sweeney's latest ad has reignited the debate around women, sexualisation and the male gaze, raising questions about whether agency alone can make a commercial empowering.
Rape is forced. Jauhar, however tragic, was a choice made in the face of anticipated captivity and violence. So why is Swara Bhasker comparing the two? A closer look at the crucial distinction her argument misses.
Actor Son Ye-jin's casting in Netflix's adult-rated The Scandal has triggered scrutiny over her marital and parental status. The reaction has shifted attention from the role itself to the persistent policing of women actors' choices.
The controversy over Kriti Sanon's Raksha Bandhan outfit shows the persistent policing of women's clothing under the guise of tradition in India. It questions why cultural respect is measured by attire and calls for an end to imposing dress codes on women during festivals.
Zaira Wasim questioned the Waqf Board's role, but does a harmless school performance really need a moral debate? In a country that celebrates freedom through music, dance and expression, why are we policing how girls celebrate it?
Bollywood stars know the power of their faces, so why does that influence suddenly become "just a job" when the product is pan masala? As Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff face scrutiny over Vimal ads, we ask where stars draw their moral line. Because legality may permit an endorsement, but does that make it right?
The debate around Sai Pallavi's Sita says more about our obsession with beauty than it does about her casting. By choosing authenticity over glamour, Ramayana brings the focus back to the qualities that truly made Sita extraordinary.
Spider-Man holds a special place as the greatest Avenger. I've never understood why greatness in the MCU is measured by power. If anything, Spider-Man proves the opposite. His biggest strength has always been that he feels like one of us.
Jana Nayagan wants audiences to rage against power, but at what cost? By turning a child's rape and murder into a catalyst for its hero's elevation, the Vijay-starrer raises uncomfortable questions about how Tamil cinema continues to frame sexual violence.
Jana Nayagan's title card gave Vijay's fans exactly what they wanted: a sitting Chief Minister as the hero. But burying an old, borrowed swipe at Stalin inside it turned a well-earned victory lap into an unnecessary, cheap parting shot.
Shabana Azmi joined students during the CJP's Chalo Sansad march in Delhi on July 20. Her presence drew attention because it echoed a decades-long record of public activism.
Kangana Ranaut once told women they were more than wives, mothers and daughters. Her latest endorsement of Anandiben Patel's remarks raises one uncomfortable question: What changed?
For all the debate around Khalistan, Satluj asks a very different question. Honey Trehan's film refuses to argue ideology, choosing instead to confront the unresolved human cost of Punjab's counter-insurgency years and the accountability they continue to demand.
Honey Trehan's Satluj, inspired by Jaswant Singh Khalra, briefly reached ZEE5 before being taken down for Indian viewers. Its removal echoed the film's central theme of silencing uncomfortable truths and renewed debate around its troubled release.
On Lock Upp, Ram Kapoor said cheating in a marriage is not a dealbreaker. Fine. Whatever works for him and others. But what is it with celebrities trying to normalise infidelity in these shows?
Bollywood's biggest rebel has a new complaint: not enough screens. But when did the man who fought entitlement start sounding like he is owed one? Here's more on the curious case of Bandar and Anurag Kashyap's most twisty argument yet.
