A few weeks ago, an uncle told us who were gathered around a dinner table, that movies were a waste of time. The very same week I had watched two movies, Kumbalangi Nights, which is an eloquent answer to the question, “why watch movies?” and Kalank, a sagging melodrama…

Caravans are the in thing in politics, at least the American kind, these days. And in that context, it brings distasteful feelings whatever end of the political spectrum you are on. So it was a relief to see a great caravan or “Karwan”, a recent Hindi…

A long time ago, probably sometime in the 1990s, after watching what I thought was a well-made crime drama or revenge thriller, I asked my father what he thought of it. I don’t remember the movie, but I remember what we had just…

A scene early in the movie, Maheshinte Prathikaram, shows the father of the protagonist playing…

Democracy and its pitfalls

The win of the no vote in the Colombian referendum, the victory of the yes vote on Brexit are stark reminders of the limits of direct democracy. In both cases, both sides represented legitimate frustrations with the issue they were voting on. But it is hard to visualize a world where either result…