Anyone who has ever tried to penetrate the world of children’s book publishing will tell you what a daunting task it is. A few fortunate ones, like Pooja Makhijani ( Mama’s Saris) and Uma Krishnaswami (Monsoon) make it to the mainstream, ...

My Name is Khan has the ambitions of an epic. It wants to be an odyssey set in America; something hatke, something award-inspiring. In Johar’s hands it ends up being a mainstream Bollywood offering. Had movies like A Wednesday and 3 Idiots never been made, it may have even stood ...

How is it that a movie with grim themes (academic pressure, student suicides, frustrated ambitions) can make you feel uplifted and hopeful as you leave the theater? Director Rajkumar Hirani accomplishes this neat trick in 3 Idiots, the blockbuster ...

After taking the new kid on the block to soaring heights of success with Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, the capricious fame gods brought Ranbir Kapoor crashing down to earth with Rocket Singh. On paper ...

A motley group of would-be travelers waits for visa approvals at an Indian visa and passport office in an unknown city. When a massive earthquake strikes, they are thrown together in a struggle for survival. Quickly, roles are delineated; the leader, the caregiver, the rebel. After an abortive attempt at ...

The camera lovingly follows the contours of an underwater paradise. Incurious fish gently swim away from the light as the camera glides over sting rays, around coral and through populous grottos. As the credits roll, Shreya Ghoshal’s powerhouse voice begins the opening notes of the Bondesque song “Rehnuma.” It is ...

Wake Up Sid can be described in half-a-dozen words: Rich Spoilt Slacker Dude Grows Up. This much-used theme has been the premise of several multiplex movies starring (the now-aging) Saif Ali Khan, who passes on his mantle to the younger, hunkier Ranbir Kapoor.The movie is set in Bombay, not Mumbai, ...

Once the staple of the stable, the Yashraj romantic comedy has seen a sad decline after the reins of production passed from the hands of papa Yash Chopra to son Adi.It’s true that there is a dearth of good screenplays in Bollywood, but if the most influential production house in ...

Writes Lehkikaa -Mythili Prakash’s debut of the Drishya Kaavyam production was eagerly awaited by the serious rasikas of Bay Area, CA. It was indeed a treat to the eyes; almost every piece had the dancers in different costumes, and every group piece was a visual delight. The pace throughout was…well, ...

Sonu Nigam, sorry, Sonu Niigam, is a consummate showman. His musical riffs, his banter with the audience, his creative mash-ups of old and new Bollywood numbers are part of a shtick he has perfected.