As the OTT world witnesses some much-awaited releases today and in the next couple of days, gear up for thriller, action, romance and more.
Netflix
Jersey
Follow the journey of Arjun Talwar, essayed by Shahid Kapoor, as he makes his comeback to cricket after a phase of failure. Fuelled by his own dreams of representing the Indian cricket team and his son’s wish for a cricket jersey, he fights all odds.
“The humour and emotionally stirring moments stem from the core of the characters and what they have chosen to do. Each of the primary characters has an arc of his or her own,” writes Archika Khurana for The Times of India.
2. RRR
Fans are in for a surprise as RRR hits Netflix screens 12 days earlier than the announced date. The film portrays the significant roles that revolutionaries Komaram Bheem and Alluri Seetharamaraju played in the fight for India’s freedom.
“Rajamouli manages to pull off something people have been pining for – a commercial, action drama that will keep you thoroughly entertained – which it does,” writes Neeshita Nyayapati for The Times of India.
3. Who Killed Sara? Season 3
When Sara dies in a freak accident involving parasailing, her brother Alex is arrested as a prime suspect. When he is finally released from prison, he is bent on finding out what really happened, and who was behind his sister’s death.
Amazon Prime
4. Panchayat Season 2
Like the first season, Season 2 is woven around the lives of the people in the village of Phulera. The episodes explore how Abhishek Tripathi, despite being an engineering graduate, becomes secretary of the panchayat and must now make a choice between aiming higher or staying back in the village.
“Apart from delivering the laughs, the show challenges you to think, introspect, and by the end, hold back your tears too,” writes Abhimanyu Mathur for Hindustan Times.
5. Lovestruck High
What do you do when you can’t find love as an adult? Well, you go back to high school! Narrated by Lindsay Lohan, the show features how 15 UK singles are sent to relive high school, complete with prom, talent shows, and more.
MUBI
6. Deception
Follow Philip, an American writer who is living in London and his dysfunctional relationships with the women in his life, some of whom he has dreamed up.
Watch the life that Philip leads unravel in his bachelor pad, where work is mixed with pleasure.
Apple TV +
7. Now and Then
When six college friends had a weekend of partying, little did they know that it would end with one of them dead. Twenty years later, the remaining five are reunited against their will by a threat. Will they survive it? Watch the thriller unfold.
8. The Prehistoric Planet
Go back in time and watch the mysteries of the Earth and how dinosaurs roamed at their will. Fasten your seatbelts as you are taken into deep waters and endless lands to uncover mysteries of the prehistoric planet.
The award-winning documentary combines modern discoveries with an era gone by, giving you a peek into life as we never knew it.
Disney + Hotstar
9. Escaype Live
One app. Six contestants. All in a race to reach success and fame. Will the promises of the app be fulfilled as virtual fame takes over human relationships? The first three episodes of the thriller series shed perspective on how much of a role social media has to play in our lives.
“Escaype Live is fascinating for the many ideas it confronts, from gender to identity, from class to the politics of internal borders,” writes Manik Sharma for First Post.
10. Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Based on the animated TV series of the same name, this comedy animated film features two chipmunks, Chip and Dale. While the two are going about their everyday life, they are jolted awake by the disappearance of one of the cast members from the series.
Will the duo be able to make the rescue mission successful? Find out.
If you’re looking for shows and films to get your weekend started, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s the latest on the movies and series that are taking the OTT world by storm this week.
Netflix
Stranger Things Season 4
The latest season of this ‘science-fiction-meets-horror’ series traces the happenings months after the Battle at Starcourt Mall. Fans are in for some dark thrill as Eleven and her friends continue with their mission to uncover government secrets. However, this time, there’s a twist. To add to this, the military is starting to suspect that El has a secret weapon.
“Even though each of the seven episodes of Volume 1, Season 4 of Stranger Things is practically a mini-movie, it is so gripping and mind-blowing that you do not realise you have binged it, till the end credits roll,” writes Mini Anthikad Chhibber for The Hindu.
Amazon Prime Video
2. KGF Chapter 2
Apart from the hype that surrounds the film, there are multiple reasons to make this your weekend must-watch. This instalment, set in the Kolar Gold Fields, takes a more sinister turn as Rocky — essayed by Yash — emerges as a powerful name in the region. Loved by his allies and hated by his foes, what will the future of power be?
“The film belongs as much to filmmaker Prashanth Neel as it does to Yash. Both of them have managed to deliver a sequel that seems more immersive than the first part,” writes Sunayana Suresh for The Times of India.
3. Heropanti 2
Sajid Nadiadwala’s action-comedy Heropanti 2 is your dose of mirth this weekend. When a computer genius who loves helping people is sent to Russia on a mission to kill troops, the irony is that they mistake him to be their leader. Watch an entertaining tale of action, romance, and light-hearted moments.
4. Emergency
What happens when three college students, Sean, Kunle and Carlos, return from a night of partying to find an unconscious woman in their apartment? The satirical film takes a gripping turn as the three must now decide what to do with the situation at hand.
Disney + Hotstar
5. Obi Wan Kenobi
A treat for fans of the franchise Star Wars, the series’ first season explores the timeline 10 years after Anakin Skywalker turned into the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. Through the series, fans will get a glimpse into how the Jedi Master mentored Luke Skywalker, and the fate that awaits the latter.
6. Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal
The Tamil rom-com, which released in theatres in April, now hits OTT screens with a bang. You’re in for some entertaining banter between Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
Set against the backdrop of a family belief that ‘you will die if you get married’, Vijay Sethupathi grows up traumatised by the idea of love and marriage. What happens when he then falls in love with two women? Find out!
SonyLiv
7. Nirmal Pathak Ki Ghar Wapsi Season 1
The story is woven around Nirmal Pathak, who lives a seemingly usual city life until he has to go to his ancestral village for a few days for a family wedding. The mini-vacation soon turns into him becoming an ambassador for the village and their troubles, as he tries to find solutions to rural India’s problems.
“Despite the serious subject matter, the screenplay is a perfect blend of humour, emotion, and entertainment, making it an enjoyable viewing experience,” writes Archika Khurana for The Times of India.
MUBI
8. Paris, 13TH District
A rom-com in the making, the film follows four friends as they explore the dynamics of love and sex. Will friendship survive these intricacies, and will emotional connections triumph over physical ones? Get a sense of this and more in this flick.
Apple TV +
9. ‘Carpool Karaoke: The Series’ Season 5
If the week was too tiring and you don’t want to get out of the house, here’s what we suggest. Get into the cars of celebrities in this newest season of Carpool Karaoke and groove to the tunes of their favourite playlists.
Zee5
10. Attack
Starring John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Rakul Preet, the film follows an Indian Army officer who is left paralysed after a terrorist attack. Now on his way to recovery, he sets off on his next mission, which involves defending the prime minister.
“Taut and fast-paced, the action choreography is closer to the stuff that Hollywood offers and the electric background score provides reason for the adrenaline glands to make their presence felt,” writes Anuj Kumar for The Hindu.
As you flip through the latest releases on your OTT screens, you will be met with a range of different genres. Choose to spice up your weekend with horror and thrill or take it slow with a rom-com. There’s something for everyone here.
1. Peaky Blinders Season 6, Netflix
Following Polly’s death, someone must step up as the family matriarch. With the boys at war, Ada must now take up the responsibility of heading the family and taking executive decisions for the Shelby Company.
With this new responsibility, it is a hint that Polly was right when she said a woman was always needed.
2. Intimacy, Netflix
The drama series portrays the dark side of fame and what it means to be in a position of power with your reputation on the line. When a rising politician, essayed by Itziar Ituño’s sex tape is leaked to the media, will all her hopes of power come crashing down?
3. First Kill, Netflix
To undergo the vampire rite of passage, Juliette must choose the first human she wishes to kill. Meanwhile Calliope, in the same town, must do the same as she comes from a family of monsters.
However, before the two set their sights on each other for the kill, they can’t resist the sparks that fly between them.
4. Code M Season 2, Voot
In the second season of this investigative series, Indian Army Officer Major Monica Mehra emerges the hero after protecting the Chief Minister from being assassinated. However, she later discovers that the case is more layered than she imagined and evil is within the national security force instead of outside it.
“Jennifer Winget doesn’t disappoint again in Code M 2. She perfects the body language and expressions of an army officer. The entire show rests on her shoulders. It was a pleasant change to see a woman leading the show while pinning down the baddies single-handedly,” writes Grace Cyril for India Today.
5. No Time To Die, Amazon Prime
The James Bond flick does not disappoint its fans. On a mission to rescue a scientist who has been kidnapped, Daniel Craig must follow a risky trail that is not for the faint-hearted. To add to this, there is the threat of dangerous technology that threatens the group.
“No Time To Die is best summed up as the perfect Bond experience,” writes Sunayana Suresh for The Times of India.
6. Broken News Season 1, Zee5
Step into the newsroom and watch what happens behind the scenes as two rival news channels try to reach the masses. One is only concerned with TRPs and the other believes in credible and honest information. Will truth triumph?
The Broken News Season 1
“If you are even remotely interested in the ideologies and ethics of the news industry, needless to say, this show will be enthralling for you,” writes Archika Khurana for The Times of India.
7. Pathrosinte Padappukal, Zee5
Pathrosinte Padappukal
If you aren’t in the mood to watch something heavy, join the Pathrose family for a day. This comedy-drama is a typical desi household scenario where each member has their quirks and struggles to live under the same roof, but can’t stop loving each other all the same.
8. For All Mankind Season 3, Apple TV+
What if instead of the US, the Soviets were the first to land on the moon? While the series explores this alternate fate, it also is a peek into how these two are on their way to establishing supremacy on Mars. A tale of how, in the race to space, friends turn into foes.
“What’s special about the series is the way the writers craft scenes that are so expertly written, so exceedingly intense that you might need to physically recover at the end of an episode,” writes Kelly Lawler for USA Today.
9. Salt City, SonyLiv
A complicated family dynamic, a mother who misses her children being little and siblings who have outgrown each other, the series tells the story of how sometimes the ups and downs make relationships special.
10. Money Boys, MUBI
The Chinese drama portrays the life of Fei. While he works hard to earn a living and take the money home to his family, he also hides a secret. Fei is homosexual. Will the family be able to tide over their beliefs and accept him? The series takes you through this.
The weekend is here and it seems like the weather too is in favour of you snuggling up in bed and binging on some flicks. So, will it be drama or thriller or the all-time favourite rom-com? You take your pick.
1. Masoom, Disney+ Hotstar
The fact that Boman Irani stars in this six-part psychological thriller is reason enough to tune in. Aside from that, the story traces a young girl’s quest to find the culprit behind her mother’s death. Watch as skeletons of the past tumble out of the closet.
What reviews say:
“Another thing that stands out is the action that most characters do while speaking, and the way the scenes are composed within spaces – they’re always doing something (driving, working, eating, walking, worrying), as per routine, and don’t just exist to communicate their personalities to an audience,” writes Rahul Desai for Film Companion.
2. O2, Disney+ Hotstar
The Tamil flick involves high-pressure scenes wherein the passengers of a bus are trapped underground. Nayanthara, leading actress of the South, must turn into the hero as she uses her quick thinking to come up with a plan.
What reviews say:
“For a survival thriller that mostly takes place inside a bus, the film works to a large extent. It manages to create a claustrophobic mood and tension with the aid of very good cinematography,” writes Haricharan Pudipeddi for Hindustan Times.
3. She Season 2, Netflix
As Bhumi essayed by Aaditi Pohankar dives deeper into her mission as an undercover agent, will she be mesmerised by the more dark side of the job?
In the second part of this Imtiaz Ali creation, watch as the dual agent perfects her juggling act.
4. Fingertip Season 2, Zee5
Six individuals. Six stories. One thing in common — the evils of cyberspace. Have social media and the digital age taken over our lives so much that we fall prey to them?
The series explores this while highlighting an important message, the virtual world is not the real one.
5. Jayamma Pachayathi, Amazon Prime Video
Everyone loves a woman who is not afraid to take charge and right some wrongs. So when Jayamma Panchayathi does this in her village, we cheer her on. The empowered Jayamma must rise to the occasion of helping her family survive when an event turns her life upside down.
What reviews say:
“The way the director keeps you invested in the drama is refreshing. Films like Jayamma Panchayathi are rare in Tollywood,” writes Thadhagath Pathi for The Times of India.
6. Suzhal: The Vortex, Amazon Prime Video
Set to be available in over 30 languages, the Tamil series is a Prime original and has a range of positive reviews. Along with being acclaimed for its storytelling, it also has the ability to keep the audience engaged to the very last minute.
If you have around 8 hours to spare, you might want to binge-watch this. Be warned, once you hit play, you’ll be glued.
What reviews say:
“The writing is expansive enough to accommodate the little details that elevate Suzhal many notches above the average police procedural,” writes Nandini Ramnath for Scroll.
7. Recce, Zee5
The series weaves a thread of drama and thrill as the Municipal Chairman of a town is murdered and a sub-inspector must prove himself efficient enough to solve the case. The investigation unearths more secrets of the town and the story grips you while giving you a chance to enjoy each plot twist.
8. Dharmaveer, Zee5
Through the eyes of this Marathi biographical drama, we get a sense of the politician Anand Dighe and his role in shaping Maharashtra.
The movie traces the rise of the politician and how he got the people of the state to love him.
9. Gangubai Kathiawadi, Netflix
The Alia Bhatt-blockbuster continues to top the charts in Bollywood and in people’s hearts alike. The story of a young woman who is sold to a brothel and must now either succumb to the dark of the underworld or rise above it.
The movie had garnered praise from film critics post its release on the big screens on 25 February this year. Following its Netflix debut too, it has continued to make its mark as one of the best out there.
10. Scam 1992, SonyLiv
The series needs no introduction owing to the kind of fame it amassed in the days following its release. For those who haven’t binged on it yet, don’t miss out on this work of art directed by Hansal Mehta.
Though the series was released in 2020, it continues to gather a fan following with its impeccable storytelling and the way the plot unravels.
Along with some new releases that the OTT world has just witnessed, there are also some great old shows you could catch up on. Here’s a selection of ten such Indian shows and movies for you to select from and watch over the weekend. So, dive right in.
1. Forensic, Zee5
For all the thriller fans in the house who cannot keep their noses out of mystery, here’s something that you would enjoy. Forensic follows the trail of a detective and, as you guessed it, a forensic investigator. They are on the hunt for the face behind murders across the town.
What reviews say:
“The dramatic twists and turns of the story, which are required for these genres, as well as the fact that it is unpredictable from the beginning, make it the most intriguing aspect,” writes Archika Khurana for The Times of India.
2. Doon Kand, Voot
Two sides of the same coin are what the SSP of the police force’s personality is. One side is his noble professional one, while after duty it is the other side that emerges — one that sets on the trail to seek revenge for his brother’s death. Will the truth come to light? Will the smell of revenge deride his noble persona? Watch on.
Doon Kand
3. Nenjuku Needhi, SonyLiv
The cop drama addresses a crucial aspect of Indian society — casteism. Set in the village of Pollachi, the film tells the story of one man’s quest to end atrocities against the oppressed classes. Officer Vijayaraghavan is on a mission for justice and equality.
What reviews say:
“The writing is so effective as most of the dialogues deserve applause. Just when we think that things are going overboard, the makers justify it with interesting incidents and the setting in which the characters live,” writes Logesh Balachandran for The Times of India.
4. Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Amazon Prime
With mixed reviews to its credit, Sarkaru Vaari Paata is being applauded for its storytelling and plot. Though some reviews say the writing could be smarter or the gaps in the story lesser. The plot revolves around a boy’s parents who committed suicide due to their debts, only to have the boy grow up to be a money lender. The action drama unfolds when he is duped.
What reviews say:
“The thought is hammered through a narrative that is entertaining at first, even though familiar and formulaic, but eventually gets preachy and overdrawn,” writes Sangeetha Devi Dundoo for The Hindu.
5. Kuttavum Shikshayum, Netflix
The Malayalam thriller weaves the story of how a bunch of daring cops from Kerala are out to nab the suspects of a robbery that happened in the state. The action film also portrays what goes into being part of the police force, hours of hard work and skill for clues.
What reviews say:
“Without any sound and fury, the film manages to be a scary, edge-of-the-seat thriller. For those interested in police practices, this is unconventional yet exciting cinema,” writes Anna MM Vetticad for FirstPost.
6. Avrodh Season 2, SonyLiv
India’s Line of Control (LOC) is a much talked about topic with so many significant events happening here. Those who wish to delve deep into how the border force strategically plans their moves, and how risky it is to be at this first line of defence will be amazed at this new season that portrays this.
What reviews say:
“The eight-episode series celebrates the intelligence and courage of the Indian Army as it takes the viewer through numerous operations while building up to the final triumph,” writes Samriddhi Srivastava for India Today.
7. Pelli SandaD, Zee5
An old-school romance with a sportsperson falling in love with a girl he cannot marry as her father is not in favour of it. If you are a fan of cliche romances you’re probably bound to like this one. However, if you are looking for something more, you won’t find it here, say critics.
TBI recommends
8. Chandramukhi, Amazon Prime
The Marathi romantic film that had its big-screen release on 29 April 2022, is now available on Amazon Prime. The drama tells the story of a politician who is all set to ace his political trajectory when a picture emerges and threatens to put everything at stake.
What reviews say:
“The film is Amruta Khanvilkar’s first ‘in and as’ performance and she has pumped sweat and blood into this role,” writes Mihir Bhanage for The Times of India.
9. November Story, Disney + Hotstar
The detective flick traces the story of a person who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Will he be able to prove himself innocent? Watch as his daughter takes this case into her hands.
10. Article 15, Netflix
The film was celebrated post its release in 2019 for being one of the few which focused on the issues that are faced by the Dalit community in India. It continues to amass a fan following to date.
June has drawn to an end after giving the OTT world some much-acclaimed releases. But with a new month beginning, there is so much that’s yet to come. Brace yourself for excitement galore as Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu series and movies lighten up the screens.
1. Dear Vikram, Voot Select
The political drama centres around the love story of Vikram and Nithya, the former a journalist and the latter a supporter of education. What will unfold when these two worlds collide? And will love truly triumph over everything?
What reviews say:
“The interesting part about Dear Vikram is that it tries to address different ideologies and the pros and cons of them all,” writes Sunayana Suresh for The Times of India.
2. Samrat Prithviraj, Amazon Prime
After a much-hyped release in theatres, the film is now set to debut on OTT screens. However, it has mixed reviews. The historical drama tells the story of Prithiviraj Chuhan — essayed by Akshay Kumar. Though the film set out to be a tale of valour, critics have opposing views.
What reviews say:
“The film is loud and lurid, lurching between dialogue-baazi and blandness, and staying determinedly faithful to its stated intent,” writes Shubhra Gupta for The Indian Express.
3. Shut Up Sona, Zee5
Misogyny is a prominent problem in the music and film industry. And Sona Mohapatra, a singer and composer was no stranger to this. But despite the odds, she rose to fame and delivered hits such as Ambarsariya and others. The documentary film follows her trajectory.
What reviews say:
“The documentary emphasises Sona’s powerful voice against the wrongdoings, and you find yourself drawn to her story with a lot of empathy,” writes Archika Khurana for The Times of India.
4. Anek, Netflix
The film tells the story of the conflict and political issues that exist in North-Eastern India. While the story revolves around politics in the region, it is also a reflection of how the people from the region battle the odds and make their way through life.
What reviews say:
“Attempting to unravel the complex layers of a region still considered remote and faintly foreign by a large swathe of India, is in and of itself brave, and the director who has also written the movie, takes on the challenge manfully,” writes Shubhra Gupta for the Indian Express.
5. Sabhaapathy, SonyLiv
You’ll love this Tamil comedy-drama if you are in the mood for something lighthearted. An innocent man finds himself in a soup when he lands up with cash and a lot of it! The hysterical narrative follows his journey and the choices he makes.
6. Virata Parvam, Netflix
Based on a true story of the Naxal Movement in Telangana in the 1990s, the movie is about how Rana Dauggubati tries to set things right. While this political side unfolds, there is also a love story on the side with Sai Pallavi believing that in pursuing him she will find happiness. The movie is available in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
What reviews say:
“Sai Pallavi does stand out in her character with her innate innocence that lights up the screen,” writes Manoj Kumar R for The Indian Express.
7. Keedam, Zee5
The story begins when a cyber security expert is a victim of cyberstalking herself. The Malayalam thriller will have you glued to the screen as along with an interesting storyline it shows the evils of the virtual world.
TBI recommends
8. Indian Matchmaking, Netflix
Before you say no, we would like to say that if you are looking for something easy and breezy this is a show you won’t regret. Acclaimed by some and criticised by others, the series follows Sima Taparia, a matchmaker and her antics as she tries to set people up.
9. Oru Pakka Kathai, Zee5
Ever heard of a virgin birth being a climax to a textbook love story? Well, that is what Oru Pakka Kathai has in store for its viewers. But is it a miracle or will more skeletons tumble out of the closet? Stay tuned. The film was acclaimed following its release in December 2020.
10. Shantit Kranti, SonyLiv
The Marathi web series was one of the top-performing shows following its release on the OTT platform. Three boys, three problems, one solution in their opinion: a trip to Goa. But what will happen when fate has other plans and the boys end up at a different destination?
“The Cholas are coming,” reads the caption on many posts sharing the magnificent teaser of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus, which is based on Tamil writer Kalki Krishnamurthy’s famous historical novel Ponniyin Selvan (The Son Of Ponni).
In the film, the lead role of the fierce Prince Arul Mozhi Varman (later known as Rajaraja Chola) is played by Jayam Ravi. Vikram stars as Chola crown prince Aditya Karikalan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stars as vengeful queen Nandini, Karthi stars as army commander Vanthiyathevan, and Trisha stars as Princess Kundavai.
The narrative unfolds over a thousand years ago during the reign of the Chola Empire.
But few know about this remarkable civilisation, which was among the world’s longest-ruling, but today remains largely forgotten.
In its heyday, the Chola dynasty was one of the greatest empires in the world.
A Chola Coin with the legend ‘Uttama’. Image: Wikipedia
It controlled land that was more than five times the size of Britain. And under the wing of its trailblazing rulers, art, architecture, and literature flourished.
So when did the reign of the first Chola kings start? Nobody knows exactly, but the dynasty was well established by the 3rd century BCE, a fact mentioned in one of the Ashokan pillars. Interestingly, not only did the Cholas outlast the rule of Ashoka’s Mauryan dynasty, they continued to be in power till 1279 CE i.e for more than 1,500 years.
The Chola Empire is also mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (a Graeco-Roman eyewitness account of ancient travel in 40 – 60 CE), and in Ptolemy’s Geography. According to historians, the Cholas began their journey as a little-known, if privileged, feudal clan settled on the banks of river Kaveri, and went on to attain unmatched naval and militaristic supremacy that helped them conquer islands across southeast Asia.
Between the 9th and 13th century CE, the Cholas were a force to be reckoned with. Wielding their military prowess and wealth of agricultural settlements, they reigned supreme over the trade routes and high seas of South Asia. It was probably this strategic geo-political positioning that helped the Chola Empire fuel a spectacular Tamil cultural Renaissance, a legacy that still thrives in south India.
Like the Medicis of Italy, the Chola rulers patronised all types of literary, artistic, architectural and culinary skills at the height of their influence.
The one name that shines brightest among these kings is Rajaraja I, whose reign marked the emergence of the Empire as a multi-ethnic cultural and trading colossus.
Rajaraja Chola Statue in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. Image: Wikipedia
Rajaraja I expanded the Chola empire’s northern boundary to Kalinga (present-day Odisha), and successfully forayed into Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), Maldives and the rich Malabar Coast. It was also Rajaraja I who built the majestic Brihadeeswara Temple in the Chola capital of Thanjavur.
Even today, centuries after its founding, it stands resolute, a testament to the advanced craftsmanship of that era.
Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur was built by Rajaraja Chola I. Image: Thanjavur Tourism
The two other massive edifices under UNESCO’s Great Living Chola Temples — Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikondacholisvaram (built by Rajendra I) and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram (built by Rajaraja II) — were also sculpted with just hammers and chisels. This is a stunning testimony to the Chola Empire’s achievements in sculpture, architecture, and bronze casting.
According to historian Pradeep Chakravarthy in his book ‘Thanjavur: A Cultural History’, “The Cholas used faith very carefully to rule. Everything that you expect from the government today was provided by the temple for the local community — they provided hospitals, educational institutions, employment opportunities, art and culture, and collected taxes.”
In fact, many Chola temple tanks were rainwater harvesting systems, as revealed by the recent discovery of an 8th century inscription at the Sivaganga tank, built by Rajaraja Chola I in Thanjavur. Moreover, these ancient learnings from the Cholas have helped an IAS officer in present-day Puducherry restore 178 water bodies in three months.
The Chola temple towns were also booming hubs of all manners of artisans and craftspeople. The art of bronze casting reached its zenith and led to the creation of some of the most spectacular sculptures the world has ever seen. The technique used was the ancient lost-wax technique, which ensured that each sculpture was the only one of its kind.
Interestingly, the famous dancing figure of Nataraja fully developed in this era. It is said that Auguste Rodin, the legendary French sculptor, praised the Chola Nataraja sculpture as “une chose divinement reglee” (something divinely decreed).
The complete figure of Shiva as Nataraja was fully developed during the Chola period. Image: Wikipedia
The origin of the famous Kanjeevaram silk sarees can also be traced to the time when Rajaraja I invited weavers from Saurashtra to come and settle in Kanchipuram. In fact, the ancient Chola iconography seen on the walls and pillars of Kanchipuram’s temples is mirrored in the borders of Kanjeevaram silk sarees.
Apart from this, the mighty Chola empire also saw the genesis of the Sangam age, a golden age of Tamil literature and poetry, one that influenced countries as far as Cambodia and Java. Reading these poems, stories and inscriptions reveals some fascinating insights into life under the Cholas.
Take, for instance, the padimagalir — women bodyguards charged with protecting the king from potential ambushes. Celebrated for their strength and valour, these warrior women were trained in fighting from a young age to protect Chola royalty. The poem Perumkathai also mentions ‘clever women’ acting as peacemakers between warring kingdoms.
So what led to the collapse of this great empire? The answer lies in an ancient rival, the Pandya dynasty, which had never stopped trying to conquer Chola country. By 1279, Rajendra III had lost his throne to the Pandyas, marking the end of a truly remarkable reign in India’s history.
Do Aankhen Barah Haath, a 1957 Hindi cinema classic directed by V Shantaram, which among other accolades won a National Award and Golden Globe Award, has a remarkable back story. A cannon of popular Hindi cinema, this film took inspiration from a unique pre-Independence social experiment organised by an extraordinary Jewish polymath and polyglot from Poland. (Above image of Maurice Frydman on the Left and the film poster on the right)
In the late 1930s, Maurice Frydman, who went by ‘Swami Bharatananda’ after renouncing the world and taking vows of Sannyasa, was invited by Apa Pant, the Prince of Aundh, a small princely state in present-day Maharashtra, and his father Raja Bhawan Rao [Balasaheb, titled ‘Pant Pratinidhi’], a strong supporter of the freedom struggle.
Maurice, an engineer by trade, was called upon by Apa Pant to improve the condition of impoverished villages in the princely state suffering from regular drought-like conditions.
At this erstwhile princely state, Maurice helped MK (Mahatma) Gandhi implement his ideas of local self-government, which historians famously call the ‘Aundh Experiment’.
Besides assisting Gandhi in drafting the ‘November Declaration’ in 1939, which handed over the rule of Aundh from the monarch to its residents, and convinced the Raja to abolish capital punishment, he also established a free prison or open jail in Swatantrapur village.
In this ‘open prison’, prisoners had the option of staying with their families, working on farms and were made to do work for village projects like digging wells and building schools.
“He taught them how to build houses, he taught them agriculture; he taught them all the skills they needed to live independent lives and the recidivism rate was zero. Not a single one of these people ever needed to go back to jail. I have seen interviews with these people. Filmed interviews (of them) in their 90s. They were old men, and they were crying. They just said, ‘Maurice saved us’,” said David Godman, a friend and author of ‘Be As You Are’, an edited anthology of the revered Hindu sage Sri Ramana Maharshi’s teachings, in a 2016 interview for the YouTube channel Buddha At The Gas Pump.
Years later, filmmaker V Shantaram heard about Maurice’s social experiment. Godman stated that Maurice was hired by Shantaram as a technical advisor for the film.
Despite Shantaram’s repeated requests, Maurice refused the offer and asked him not to put his name in the film credits. He also threatened to take out an injunction against Shantaram in the Bombay High Court forbidding him to put his name on this project.
“He was just absolutely an extraordinary man. And went out of his way to cover his tracks; to hide what he actually had accomplished in his life,” said Godman.
A native of Krakow, Poland, Maurice was born in 1894. This was a time when Poland was ruled by Tsarist Russia. Maurice grew up in a poor ghetto where access to public education was limited by the Tsarist administration, a fate suffered by many Jewish children in Poland.
However, he was blessed with prodigious intelligence. According to Apa Pant, “He was reading and writing in the Cyrillic, Roman and Hebrew alphabets and speaking fluent Russian, Polish, French, English and Hebrew before he was ten.” While his father wanted him to become a rabbi, Maurice went in another direction and earned a scholarship to study engineering.
“Before he was 20, he had about 100 patents to his name for his electrical and mechanical inventions, of which a ‘talking book’ was one,” wrote Apa Pant. Following his university stint, he worked in a series of research institutes, laboratories and electrical factories across Europe.
By his mid-20s, however, he had reached a phase of spiritual disillusionment after emigrating to Paris. Despite studying a variety of scriptures of the Jewish and Christian faith, he felt deep discontentment. He had no interest in organised religions and their rituals and dogmas.
Interestingly, his first encounter with the spiritual traditions of India came in the form of a second-hand copy of a book written by the Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti translated into French, which he had found on a sidewalk in Warsaw, according to Godman.
But it was during his stint in Paris when he discovered a variety of Hindu scriptures including the Vedanta texts, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and the Mahabharat.
According to NK Srinivasan, who wrote a short biography on the life of Maurice Frydman, “He found the Vedantic path suitable to quench his spiritual thirst, away from dogmatic precepts. He resolved to go to India and seek spiritual wisdom there.”
Srinivasan goes on to note, “He met Annie Besant and her protege J Krishnamurti in the Swiss Alps. He became a close friend of JK for nearly 40 years. Maurice, however, was always a serious questioner of JK’s thoughts and they had several verbal ‘duels’ in later years. Maurice organised meetings for JK in Paris and also translated some of J K’s works into French.”
But what sparked his desire to visit India was a book by Paul Brunton ‘A Search in Secret India’ where he first learnt about the Hindu sage Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi. “Maurice was now burning with desire to meet the sage at Arunachala or Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, and follow the path of Jnana. He was still tied to his work in Paris,” wrote Srinivasan.
Maurice Frydman (wearing a suit) sitting in a 1930s group photo with Ramana Maharshi. (Image courtesy David Godman)
Divine intervention
Divine intervention came in the form of Sir Mirza Ismail, the Diwan of Mysore state, who was visiting Paris on a mission to find engineers who could enhance the industrial base of his state.
Impressed by intelligence and technical brilliance, Ismail extended an invitation, asking him to set up electrical factories in Mysore state. Without hesitation, Maurice accepted the invitation and made his way to present-day Bengaluru where he began work setting up the Government Electric Factory. This factory would go on to produce India’s first electrical transformers.
Besides receiving a generous salary, Ismail also gave him a car and a house. For Maurice, though, this was a chance to meet Ramana Maharshi at Thiruvannamalai, which was about 250 km from the city. In 1935, Maurice made his first visit to the spiritual guru’s ashram.
“Maurice travelled on weekends to the ashram of Bhagwan Ramana and became an ardent disciple of Maharshi. Later Maurice stayed in the ashram for three years…The spirit of renunciation burned in the heart of Maurice. He would soon renounce everything. He wanted to take sannyasa —vows of monkhood according to Hindu traditions,” wrote Srinivasan.
Despite his devotion to Ramana Maharshi and writing a small book in English compiling his teachings, it was Swami Ramdas, who “gave sannyasa to Maurice and offered the gerua cloth with the monastic title ‘Swami Bharatananda’ – a name Maurice would use in later writings”.
The spiritual transformation was nearly complete with Maurice donning a shaved head, saffron robes and a begging bowl as well. Going further, nearly everything he earned as the General Manager of the Government Electric Factory in Bengaluru was donated to the poor.
Ismail wasn’t very fond of this transformation. But unwilling to lose a brilliant engineer, they arrived at a compromise. He would wear formal British clothing only while receiving important guests to the factory. But that dynamic changed when Apa Pant first visited him at the factory.
Association with Gandhi
Apa Pant sought Maurice’s services for three months to improve the condition of villages in the Aundh princely state. Sir Ismail rejected his request and said he could only release Maurice from his duties managing the factory at a later time. Even a letter from the Raja of Aundh requesting the same couldn’t change Ismail’s mind. Maurice, however, was having none of it and gave up his lucrative job at the factory to work in service of these impoverished villages.
It was at Aundh where Maurice met Mahatma Gandhi for the first time. According to various accounts, it was Maurice who convinced the Raja of Aundh to free his control over the 70-odd village properties, following which he drew up the November Declaration. He then wrote the constitution of the state, which formalised the transfer of power from the Raja to his people.
“An interesting side fact is that during his time with Gandhi, [Maurice] Frydman worked on and improved the design of the cotton spinning wheels that became synonymous with Gandhi and his movement,” notes this description. But his association with Gandhi didn’t end at Aundh.
Maurice’s close associate Barry Gordon, a former marine in the United States Army, wrote in an article, “He was also active in the [Gandhi’s] Sevagram movement, which continued after Independence from Britain. Maurice played a key role in the invention of several hand tools, such as spinning equipment, which was then employed by the village industries movement.”
Film poster of ‘Do Ankhen Barah Haath’: The film was inspired by Maurice Frydman’s unique open prison experiment in Aundh, Maharashtra
Shelter for Tibetans
Post-Independence, his biggest contribution came in the form of assistance to Tibetan refugees escaping the Communist regime in China post-1959.
Maurice had heard about their plight from his friend Apa Pant, who at the time was stationed in Sikkim as a political officer by the Nehru government. Despite their terrible plight after an arduous journey across the Himalayas, the Nehru government initially exercised caution about how to deal with them given this was a time when he wanted to maintain close ties to China.
As NK Srinivasan noted, however, Maurice was having none of it.
“Maurice met with the prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a close friend of Apa Pant. He requested Nehru to write to various states to provide settlement villages for these refugees and he would organise for their welfare. Nehru would not make a quick decision. But Maurice was almost adamant; met him several times and waited on Nehru for several hours and finally got an official letter signed by him to various state governments,” wrote Srinivasan.
“With this letter, Maurice travelled to several states for Tibetan refugee villages from Delhi to Karnataka. In fact in Karnataka, where he was a familiar figure with local officials and widely respected, he could obtain three villages. They are thriving Tibetan communities even today,” he added. From 1959 to 1965, Maurice worked tirelessly for their relief and rehabilitation.
Assisting him in this endeavour was Wanda Dynowska, a wealthy Polish lady and secretary of the Theosophical Society in Poland, who came to India in 1935 and was given the Indian name Uma Devi by Gandhi. For her extensive work in the relief and rehabilitation of the Tibetan refugee community, she was given the name ‘Ama-La’ or as the Dalai Lama recalled ‘mother-ji’.
Post 1965, Maurice spent a lot of his time in Mumbai, where he became a disciple of Nisargadatta Maharaj, “a sage in the advaitic tradition, much like Ramana Maharshi”. He edited and translated Nisargadatta Maharaj’s tape-recorded conversations into the English-language book ‘I Am That’, published in 1973. It includes an appendix written by him titled ‘Nisarga Yoga’ which briefly describes this form of Yoga. Maurice eventually died on 9 March 1976 in Mumbai.
Godman described him best, “Maurice is one of most extraordinary people I’ve ever come across and virtually nothing is known about him. And because of his connection with Ramana Maharshi, Krishnamurti, Gandhi, Nisargadatta, the Dalai Lama, I kind of view him as a Forest Gump of 20th-century spirituality.” One would, however, go one step further, and note that if there was a Forest Gump-like movie made in India, it should be about him.
Mani Ratnam’s Tamil-language epic period drama ‘Ponniyin Selvan:1’ (PS:1), which releases today, has captured the imagination of movie-goers and history buffs alike.
The first of two cinematic parts based on writer and Indian freedom struggle activist Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, the film’s narrative is based on the reign of the Chola Empire.
While PS:1 has influenced many on social media to read up on the majesty of the Chola Empire, it has inspired me to look back on some of my favourite Mani Ratnam’s films.
In recent years, his movies have taken a lot of justified flak from critics and members of the audience as well. But I believe that he falls into the category of a filmmaker who has pushed the boundaries of mainstream cinema, like fellow Tamil filmmaker Pa Ranjith, Anurag Kashyap, and Nagraj Manjule. What’s more, he has been doing this for more than three decades.
While there are stylistic similarities, Mani Ratnam rarely tells the same story twice. Each film, I believe, is a new adventure for him and the audience.
Here are my 10 favourite Mani Ratnam films in descending order.
Iruvar (1997)
Starring Mohanlal and Prakash Raj in the lead, this epic drama captures the story of Tamil Nadu’s modern political history inspired by the lives of MGR, Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha.
Backed by Santhosh Sivan’s outstanding cinematography, what I love about this film is its captivating narrative style. It doesn’t feel like a movie with a run time of 2 hours and 20 minutes. The performances are largely brilliant, and AR Rahman’s original soundtrack is fantastic.
You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
Iruvar: Film poster
Nayakan (1987)
During my first year of college in Chennai, I was raving to a friend about the ‘Godfather’ series directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Understanding my love for ‘gangster films’, he responded with Nayakan, arguing that it’s the greatest Indian gangster film of all time.
Upon watching ‘Nayakan’ in my hostel dorm, I realised he was right. Starring Kamal Hasan, the film is based on the life of Velu Nayakan, who witnesses the brutal murder of his father, kills a corrupt policeman, and escapes to Mumbai where he becomes a mafia don.
Every aspect of this film is top notch, from the filmmaking to the performances on screen, set design and Ilayaraja’s epic score.
You can watch this movie on Amazon Prime.
Nayakan: Film Poster
Kannathil Muthamittal (2002)
Barely in my teens when I first saw this film, it moved me to tears.
Starring Madhavan, Nandita Das, JD Chakravarthy, Prakash Raj, Simran and former child actor PS Keerthana, the film revolves around a young girl’s search for her birth mother in the civil-war afflicted zones of Sri Lanka.
Mani Ratnam visited the boarding school I was studying in with his son to screen this film, explain its context, and answer a few questions (if memory serves right). Suffice to say, there wasn’t a dry eye left in our school auditorium when the film concluded.
Not only was the movie my first introduction to the conflict in Sri Lanka, but also illustrated to me very early in life how meaningful cinema can be made for mainstream audiences.
You can watch this film on both Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Kannathil Muthamittal: Film poster
Alaipayuthey (2000)
What’s there not to like about Alaipayuthey?
From the heartfelt scenes of courtship between Madhavan and Shalini to one of AR Rahman’s greatest original scores, the film beautifully captures the notion of love in an urban Indian setting with the lead couple caught in a conflict between tradition and modernity.
Alaipayuthey introduced the world to Madhavan, whose career went from strength to strength following its successful release. The film also spawned a successful remake in Hindi titled ‘Saathiyan’ starring Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee.
You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
Dil Se (1998)
Besides AR Rahman’s epic compositions, Gulzar’s mesmerising lyrics and Shah Rukh Khan’s memorable dance on top of a moving train, the movie in itself wasn’t very good.
As a native of Ladakh, however, it was the first mainstream Indian film to truly capture the region’s awe-inspiring natural beauty and its people. From the song ‘Satrangi Re’, which was shot near Pangong Lake and at the ancient ruins of Basgo, to scenes at Thiksey Monastery, it was ‘Dil Se’ that gave Indian audiences a real glimpse of Ladakh more than decade before ‘3 Idiots’.
You can watch this film on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Anjali (1990)
Winner of three National Film Awards and India’s official entry to the Oscars in 1991, Anjali tells the poignant story of a child suffering from a terminal illness and mental health concerns and the emotional trauma that her family experiences.
This is another Mani Ratnam tearjerker with the film sensitively exploring the themes of mental health, acceptance and forgiveness. In the words of film critic Bharadwaj Rangan for Film Companion, “The film is a masterclass on how a director can expand the scope of a screenplay and deepen the simplest of stories.” You can watch this film on Zee5 and Amazon Prime Video.
Yuva/Aaytha Ezhuthu (2004)
Right off the bat, what stands out about this political thriller is its multi linear narrative structure.
In both the Tamil and Hindi versions, the film explores the stories of how the lives of three young men from entirely different economic and social circumstances are changed forever by one fateful incident under a bridge (Howrah Bridge in Yuva and Napier Bridge in Aayutha Ezhuthu).
Besides some standout performances, AR Rahman’s original score inspired a generation.
You can watch these films on Netflix and MX Player respectively.
Thalapathi (1991)
An adaptation of the Karna and Duryodhana story in the Mahabharata, with Rajnikanth and Mammootty in the lead, ‘Thalapathi’ is a quintessential masala entertainer which was simultaneously “ahead of its time”.
Backed by Ilaiyaraaja’s original score, this epic gangster film is also the first time Mani Ratnam collaborates with cinematographer-extraordinaire Santosh Sivan. If you’re looking for straight up entertainment, this is the movie for you.
You can watch this film on MX Player and Amazon Prime Video.
Mouna Ragam (1986)
Sometimes it’s important to surround yourself with film nerds. They will point you towards films that you would otherwise never watch.
This romantic drama tells the story of Divya (played by Revathi), a free-spirited woman who is forced into an arranged marriage with Chandrakumar (played by Mohan) by her father while she is still mourning the loss of her ex-lover Manohar.
The film poignantly captures Divya’s attempt at holding on to her past, while trying to reconcile with the circumstances of the present. It won the National Film Award for ‘Best Feature Film- Tamil’, and influenced countless movies thereafter.
You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video and MX Player.
Roja (1992)/Bombay (1995)/Thiruda Thiruda (1993)
Thousands of column inches and vlogs have been dedicated to these films. There is nothing more I can say that would add to the appeal of these films besides the fact that they probably also represent AR Rahman’s best work. It was hard for me to pick one over the other two.
The 68th National Film Award Ceremony for 2020 was held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday. President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards to the winners, with veteran actor Asha Parekh winning the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2020. More than 100 awards in the feature and non-feature film categories were presented.
A film that bagged five major awards in the feature film all-language category was Soorarai Pottru. Directed by Sudha Kongara and produced by Suriya and Jyothika, the film is based on the life of Air Deccan founder Captain GR Gopinath. It bagged Best Feature Film, Best Actor (Suriya), Best Actress (Aparna Balamurali), Best Screenplay, and Best Background Score.
Suriya told reporters after that he was very emotional after the win.
“It’s a huge honour. Truly grateful to the National Film Award jury and the Government of India. Lot of emotions running through my mind. I have a lot of people to thank. To begin with, there is Sudha. This is her baby. The film gave a lot of hope to people in COVID times. Then, of course, I thank my wife, Jyothika. Getting goosebumps. Truly a moment which I’ll never forget,” he said.
Suriya shared the Best Actor Award with Ajay Devgn for Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior.
Meanwhile, folk singer Nanchamma from Attappadi, Kerala, won the best female playback singer for her debut in Ayyappanum Koshiyum. She also sang a song before Asha Parekh after winning the award.
Nanjiyamma, who won the National Award for Best Female Playback Singer, sings before Dadasaheb Phalke Awardee #AshaParekh, Union Ministers @ianuragthakur, @Murugan_MoS and others.
Nanjiyamma a folk singer, hails from a small tribal community in Kerala.
While presenting the Dadasaheb Phalke award to Parekh, President Murmu said that it is an honour for women of that generation who made their mark despite difficulties, and is an award for indomitable woman power.
She also spoke about the importance of cinema in society.
“Being an audio-visual medium, the influence of films is wider than other mediums of art. Cinema is not only an industry but also a medium of artistic expression of our culture and values. It is also a medium for connecting our society and for nation-building,” said Murmu.
Parekh, who turned 80 today, said that the award was very special. She made her debut in films in 1959 at the age of 16.
“It is a huge honour to have received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. It makes me very grateful that the recognition comes to me just one day before my 80th birthday.” said Parekh.
Other wins included Ashutosh Gawarikar’s Toolsidas Junior and the Marathi film Sumi.
Posting the first look of her upcoming series Taali — based on the life of transgender activist Gauri Sawant — Sushmita Sen expressed pride and gratitude for “having the privilege of portraying this beautiful person and of bringing her story to the world”.
The biopic will follow the journey of Sawant, who adopted a child in 2008 and fought for adoption rights of trans persons. It is being helmed by Marathi filmmaker Ravi Jadhav. Sen also wrote in her post, “Here’s to life and to everyone’s right to live it with dignity.”
Taali will narrate Gauri’s “story of struggle, resilience, and indomitable power”. The activist left home at the age of 17 with Rs 60 in her pocket. Because her father didn’t accept her identity, she ran away and came to Mumbai.
“I simply wanted to dress like a woman. I was never comfortable in men’s clothing, I always felt caged in it. Since childhood, when I watched singer Usha Uthup on television, her wrists clanking with an array of bangles, her pallu in her hand, and her characteristic large bindi adorning her forehead, I had dreamt that I would look like that when I grew up,” Gauri told Femina, adding that her dream came true when she met trans persons at Juhu Beach, who made her wear a saree.
With the help of NGO Humsafar Trust, Gauri started earning. She then launched her own NGO ‘Sakhi Char Chowgi’, which provides counselling, and works for the health and employment opportunities for trans persons.
‘Always wanted to be a mother’
Though named Ganesh at birth, the activist later took up his mother’s name instead, while sharing that she “always wanted to be a mother”.
“I was christened Ganesh, after the elephant-headed God. And, when the time came to choose my own name, I chose Gauri, another name for Parvati, Ganesh’s mother. I always wanted to be a mother. In my childhood, when I was asked by a nosy relative at a family function what I wanted to be when I grew up, I distinctly remember saying I wanted to be an aai,” Gauri said.
In 2001, Gauri would realise her dream while working with sex workers to create awarness around STDs. Here, she met Gayatri.
According to reports, when the activist heard rumours about Gayarti being sold for sex work after her biological mother’s death, she stepped in.
“My daughter taught me that you don’t need to have a uterus or give birth to a baby, motherhood is all about caring and loving a child. I was happy when people started recognising me for my motherhood,” said Gauri in a video.
Besides fighting for the rights of trans persons to adopt, she also fought for the community to be recognised as the third gender.
She was the first trans person to be made an election ambassador by the Election Commission of India in 2019.
According to a report in Mid-day, shooting for Taali will begin on 10 October. Around 300 transgender artistes have been hired for the series, added the report.
Radha was shocked when she found out that she was pregnant. And the fact that it had only been a few months since she had moved to Chennai, as well as that she was unmarried, added to her woes.
“After visiting one or two doctors who were well in their 50s, I had a horrible experience. They were just so judgmental and insisted that I get my mother. I didn’t have any support system in the city except for my boyfriend. I then found a doctor on Instagram, who happened to be male. He claimed to be non-judgmental, and to my pleasant surprise, he was. He made me feel comfortable, helped me with my options, and didn’t make me feel as though I had committed a crime like the previous doctors did,” she says.
For many young women like Radha today, the gender of their gynaecologist doesn’t matter. What is important, however, is the treatment and attitude, which they say must be non-judgemental.
Which is why a movie about the troubles faced by a male gynaecologist has created a lot of interest. Doctor G starring Ayushmann Khurana released in theatres on 14 October.
The trailer of the film, released almost three weeks ago, created a buzz especially among the medical fraternity. In the comedy film, Khurrana plays Dr Uday Gupta, who finds himself the only male student at the gynaecology department of a college.
The trailer shows him being beaten by a patient’s husband and his unwillingness to choose gynaecology as a specialisation as his heart is set on orthopaedics. Is this truly the case? Do male gynaecologists not get the respect a female gynaecologist does?
The Better India spoke to Dr Yuvraj Jadeja, medical director at Nimaaya Centre for Women’s Health in Gujarat.
Choosing gynaecology
Dr Yuvraj Jadeja is the Medical director at Nimaaya Centre for Women’s Health.
Unlike the movie, Dr Yuvraj knew he wanted to be a gynaecologist when he was in second year of medical college.
“When I was in medical school and saw my first labour, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I also saw some medical issues in my house, which inspired me to take up the subject. My mother went through a very bad phase of menopause when I was in medical school. This got me reading up a lot about it. Another relative went through infertility. As I delved into the subject, I developed a keen interest in it and started loving it. I felt that this is what I was meant to do,” he explains.
However, not everyone was that supportive. His parents were sceptical about him choosing gynaecology as a major, he says.
“I am actually the first doctor in my family, in fact in my village as well. When I did my MD in 2012, people weren’t that aware, they weren’t supportive. They said, ‘You are a man, why don’t you become a neurosurgeon or cardiologist?’ They also thought that patients would not come to me as I was a man. However, I stood my ground,” he adds.
Dr Yuvraj was also the only male when he pursued his MD in Obstetrics & Gynaecology from Pramukhswami Medical College in Karamsad, Gujarat. He opines there is a little truth in the trailer when it shows the hesitancy of patients.
“In most medical colleges and training institutes, the education levels of patients are not that high. So they have some doubt when it comes to consulting a male gynaecologist. But they don’t have the luxury of choosing a doctor in such training setups,” adds the fertility expert.
He says that generally, people in the west and south are more accepting of male gynaecologists.
“We see many male gynaecologists in Gujarat, Mumbai and in the south. We don’t really see discrimination when it comes to the gender of the doctor in such areas. Places with a better education and awareness have higher acceptance. A female surgeon operates on male patients and there is no issue. Similarly, the reverse is also okay. But what I have noticed with patients who come from rural areas is just that they are shy. Once you make them feel comfortable, it’s fine,” he says.
But he opines that most of the trailer is exaggerated.
It is mandatory in India that a female must be present when a male doctor examines a patient. Also, things like a doctor asking a patient to undress herself never happens. We treat patients with utmost respect, and never say crass things like that. We are never alone in the room with the patient,
When Uma found out that she was pregnant, she immediately started enquiring about good gynaecologists. Her friends guided her to a senior male gynaecologist near her house. And today, as her son is set to turn one, she says it was the best decision of her life.
“Initially, while I wanted to see the male gynaecologist, he wasn’t available. So the first two consultations were with a female doctor in the same hospital. I found such a vast difference in the approach of the two doctors. When I shared my symptoms, like vomiting, the female doctor said it’s natural and would go away in a while. The male doctor took time to hear my problems and was much more empathetic, and gave me solutions. He was also very gentle during scans and examinations. He took care and answered all my doubts,” says Uma.
Dr Yuvraj also says that doctors strive towards the comfort of their patients.
“See, when you are examining the opposite gender, you are more aware. You don’t want them to feel uneasy or uncomfortable. We first chat with the patients, make them feel comfortable. We examine them only after that. We are also more sympathetic towards their problems and take extra steps to communicate with them,” he notes.
Being on social media and having over 40,000 followers on Instagram does help connect with patients too, Dr Yuvraj says. “Some patients come to me after seeing my posts on Instagram. They connect with you that way.”
As far as passing judgements on patients is concerned, he observes, “A gynecologist deals with sexuality, sexual health, premarital sex, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs)…Even when I did my MBBS, which was from 2004-2009, we were never taught to not show judgement. We have learnt that along the way. We’ve learnt that gender is beyond male and female, and today, I run a queer-friendly practice. We as doctors must treat patients well, without judging them.”
He says that when it comes to a woman’s health, the priority must be to go to the right doctor, irrespective of their gender.
As far as medicine and health are concerned, proper treatment and the right doctor are important. And patients can always change their doctor if they aren’t happy. I’ve had so many patients coming to me after visiting other doctors. Similarly, my patients may also go to other doctors if they aren’t satisfied with my treatment. You should choose a doctor based on their professional degree, work, consultation, the way they treat you, and the result
he advises.
Today, gynaecology has several specialisations. This has helped male gynaecologists and young doctors, he says.
“In most cases, it’s only when women come for a vaginal infection or general checkup that they feel uncomfortable with a male doctor. Today, there are so many specialties like infertility, gynaecological cancers, etc. When patients have been struggling with infertility for years, they cross the stage when the gender of the doctor matters,” he adds.
Dr Yuvraj also advises aspiring male gynaecologists to take up the speciality if they truly like the subject. “The gap between genders in terms of our profession is closing. It’s much easier today than, say, 15-20 years back. We have such senior doctors who’ve been practising for 30-40 years. You should not be worried about your gender. The only thing that matters is that you should love the subject, as you are going to work with it for the next 40 years.”
Edited by Divya Sethu, Images Courtesy Dr Yuvraj Jadeja
Through India’s struggle for freedom, there emerge a number of names to whom we owe our independence.
And one such significant name is that of Neera Arya, who is more popularly known as the first women spy in the Indian National Army.
Over seven decades later, the world will now know of the bravery of the woman who chose to lead a life less ordinary and give her all to the nation, thanks to a biopic by Kannada film director Roopa Iyer.
Here’s the heroic life of Neera Arya and how she found a place in history.
A sacrifice
On 5 March 1902 in Khekra Nagar in Baghpat district, Neera Arya was born into an influential family. Her father Seth Chhajjumal, a famous businessman, saw to it that his children Neera and Basant got an education in Kolkata.
From a young age, Neera was extremely interested in the nation’s welfare and, following school, joined the Rani Jhansi Regiment in the Azad Hind Fauj as a soldier.
Neera’s father soon found a suitable match for his daughter in British Army Officer Srikant Jai Ranjan Das who, at the time, was posted as CID Inspector in India.
This soon became a point of conflict between the couple as they shared different ideologies and allegiance to different parties. When Shrikant got to know about Neera’s involvement in Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Army, he began questioning her about it in an attempt to get to know the whereabouts of the leader.
Neera did not give in, but Shrikant persisted.
One fateful day, when Neera had met Bose to discuss important matters, Shrikant followed Neera and opened fire, in the process firing at Bose’s driver.
Neera, who immediately knew what was going to happen next, killed Shrikant by stabbing him, thus saving Bose. For this, she was sentenced to imprisonment in the cellular jail of Andaman and Nicobar by the British Government.
But her patriotism for the nation did not end there.
Refusal to betray
During the time she spent in jail, Neera was bribed that if she divulged information about the leaders of the INC, especially Subhash Chandra Bose, she would be given bail.
However, she refused this and even spat at a prison guard once.
Reports from history go on to state that in jail, Neera had her breasts cut off when she wouldn’t give details about the freedom struggle and the leaders.
Despite the torture, Neera remained loyal to the nation and went on to become the first woman spy of the Azad Hind Fauj, a title and responsibility that were conferred on her by Bose himself.
Neera Arya biopic poster
Excerpts from her writings state, “I had a girl Saraswati Rajamani with me. She was younger than me and was from Burma. She and I were given the responsibility of spying on the British officers. We adopted boys’ costumes. We spied on the homes of British officers and military camps. We used to share the information we got from here with Netaji.”
Thus, Neera helped the INA significantly through her efforts. It is said that in the last few years of her life, she made a living by selling flowers.
After spending this time in a hut in the Falaknuma area of Hyderabad, she breathed her last on 26 July 1998 at Osmania Hospital near Charminar.
Neera Arya: the biopic
Roopa Iyer will make her Bollywood debut as an actor and director through this biopic.
She was quoted saying in an interview, “These stories present different kinds of challenges. The movie will be portrayed from a journalist’s point of view. I have referred to many books to get authentic details about her and major events that unfolded during the 1940s. I have met many people in Khekada, her birthplace. The main reason for picking the subject is to pass it on to future generations who do not know about many great freedom fighters who dedicated their life for the country, apart from well-known ones like Mahatma Gandhi or Subhas Chandra Bose.”
Roopa is known for her storytelling style and has given the film world some much-acclaimed flicks such as Mukhaputa (2010), Chandra (2013), and more such releases.
The film has been scripted by National Award-winning writer Varun Gautham and more about the movie will be known soon.
Jamshedji Framji Madan — the Parsi business person, film magnate and owner of Madan Theatres, who at one point controlled more than 50% of box office collections during India’s silent film era — started his career in the entertainment business as a curtain puller for an amateur drama club.
From curtain puller, he went on a remarkable journey which saw him introducing a whole new medium of entertainment for the Indian public. In his rich career, he built a network of cinema halls, cinema tents and a movie distribution and production business responsible for more than 100 silent films and ‘talkies’ in the nascent years of the Indian film industry. (Above images courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
Starting out as Elphinstone Bioscope Company in 1902, Madan Theatres at one point became the largest filmmaking, distributor and theatre business in India. Besides bringing the early film business to Calcutta, Madan Theatres is said to have also controlled 127 theatres at its peak.
Found this rare share certificate of Madan Theatres limited 1919 by JF Madan pioneer of early silent films and tent cinema and they went on to be the largest exhibitors with 127 cinema halls in the 20s… pic.twitter.com/0uwsrqzcC7
— Shivendra Singh Dungarpur (@shividungarpur) July 7, 2018
Drama — Madan’s first love
JF Madan was born on 27 April 1856 in Navsari, Gujarat, and grew up in relative prosperity in Bombay (Mumbai) before his father endured financial ruin owing to substantial money he lost in a land scheme.
This compelled a young Madan to find work early on and he joined an amateur drama club, Elphinstone Natak Mandali, as a curtain puller and then an actor in 1868. Madan was a natural on stage and travelled the length and breadth of India with the drama club.
In his late twenties, he decided to start his own business as a wine merchant and general provisions supplier and moved to Calcutta (Kolkata).
Success in business meant that he became a leading supplier of liquor and provisions to the British Indian Army. But he used the profits generated from his businesses to produce plays, build dance and theatre halls, playhouses and even bought the famous Corinthian Theatre and Alfred Theatre in Calcutta.
At the turn of the 20th century, movies from the West were being shown to audiences in India. Seeing an opportunity, he established the Elphinstone Bioscope Company (a precursor to Madan Theatres) to exhibit foreign films in the city.
“As early as 1902, he bought cinema equipment from an agent of the Pathe company [in France] and began organising ‘bioscope’ showings in tents pitched at various key locations in Calcutta. As his business began to prosper, Madan realised the need to have permanent locations so that he could expand and consolidate his business for exhibition of films,” wrote Karan Bali for Upperstall.com, an independent platform covering cinema in India.
According to Devasis Chattopadhyay, a columnist and communications specialist writing for Live History India, Madan also began producing and exhibiting a series of silent movies including ‘Great Bengal Partition Movement: Meeting and Procession’ by Jyotish Sarkar in 1905.
In 1907, he built India’s first purpose-built cinema hall, the Elphinstone Picture Palace in Kolkata (recently demolished as Chaplin Theatre) for exhibition of the films he acquired. According to Bali, “He then expanded by building a chain of such picture halls and within a short period, Madan’s empire extended across India, Burma and Ceylon [Sri Lanka],” wrote Bali.
Another major milestone came in 1911 when Madan filmed the IFA Shield football final in Kolkata between the legendary Mohun Bagan Football Club and an all-English football team. This was the first time a sporting event in India was filmed.
About two years later in 1913, however, the penny dropped for Indian cinema as the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke released India’s first indigenously made feature film, Raja Harishchandra. This opened the floodgates of locally-made cinema.
In 1917, Madan also jumped on this bandwagon and produced silent films like Satyavadi Raja Harishchandra, an abridged version of Phalke’s pioneering film. This was also the first full-length feature film to be shot in Calcutta.
To supplement his coffers, he also acquired the exclusive rights to exhibit Pathé Frères films, a major French film equipment and production company, in the Indian subcontinent.
But the period during 1914 and 1918 (World War I) also saw him thrive in his other business as a supplier of provisions to the British Indian Army. In 1918, he was even awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services in the war.
A year later, he launched India’s first first ever corporate filmmaking company. According to Devasis Chattopadhyay, he took his Parsi theatre, mimicry production and silent filmmaking businesses and established the Madan Theatres Limited. It was officially incorporated on 27 September 1919 and was registered with the Registrar of Companies in Calcutta.
“Madan Theatres Ltd began its filmmaking journey with Bilwamangal (1919). The film was directed by Rustomji Dotiwala and starred Dorabji Mewawala in the title role alongside a popular stage actress, Miss Gohur, playing the temptress, Chintamani,” wrote Bali.
“Thought to be lost forever as Madan lost almost all of their films in a major fire, about 20-odd minutes of the film have been miraculously traced out and given to the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) from the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris. The footage shows that Bilwamangal had a rather sophisticated art direction for the time and includes among other scenes, Bilwamangal arguing with his father and a dance by Chintamani,” he added.
Until the Wall Street Crash of 1929, his company Madan Theatres became the largest filmmaking, distributor and theatre business in India. They were the first exhibitors of talkies in India. In 1931, just months after Ardeshir Irani directed and produced India’s first ever talkie Alam Ara, Madan Theatres produced the first Bengali talkie, Jamai Sashthi.
A year later, the company produced Indra Sabha, a film directed by his third son JJ Madan, which till this day holds the world record for most songs in a single film at 71.
“Going by popular trends, most of the Madan films were mythologicals but they did explore the odd fantasy or social subject as well. Initially, their artists came from the stage, the lead actresses were usually Anglo-Indian girls who took Indian pseudonyms,” wrote Bali.
However, he died before witnessing these milestones on 30 June 1923.
What’s worse is that six years after his death, the film production empire he built suffered massively due to the Wall Street Crash. By the mid 1930s, his theatre network and a massive chunk of his film business were gone. In 1937, Madan Theatres produced its last film before shutting down for good.
JF Madan was a pioneer of India’s film industry, but remains forgotten today even by the city of Calcutta (Kolkata), for whom he gave so much.
But, according to the Madan Theatres Research Group, “Today Madan Street in central Kolkata still honours JF Madan’s philanthropy, which included considerable donations to Calcutta’s poorest people and the Parsi community. A few topical films survive and the NFAI have successfully recovered parts of two Madan-produced feature films. With the single-screen era now over, but interest in the origins of Indian film growing by the day, work is underway to better record and preserve this important period in the country’s history.”
Finding Traces of J.F.Madan in the streets of Kolkata the first Movie Moghul of India setting up Madan Theatres Limited with 127 movie theatres in 1920’s …now his office a Hotel in their memory and a street named after him…a few cinema halls built by him survives… pic.twitter.com/qRhktLiiNS
SS Rajamouli’s much-acclaimed RRR track ‘Naatu Naatu’ has been topping the charts and has now found its way to the 95th Academy Awards 2023 shortlist for the Music category.
Here, it will be competing with 14 other songs from the same category. While it remains to be seen if the period action blockbuster’s hit song will indeed find favour in the judges’ eyes, it has already made history by becoming the first Indian song to be shortlisted for the Oscars.
Few are aware of the names behind this superhit song — lyricist Chandrabose and choreographer Prem Rakshith.
While the former has composed the lyrics of over 3,000 songs and has several awards to his credit, the latter has gotten several Telugu celebrities dancing to his tunes in the range of movies he has choreographed, including Baahubali in 2015.
‘Naatu Naatu’ was shortlisted in the Music category for Original Song, Picture credits: Twitter: RRR
The film chronicles the life of two warriors — Alluri Sitaramaraju and Komaram Bheem who oppose the British Raj and stand for the pride of the Gond tribal communities. During one instance in the film, when they are ridiculed for not being able to dance, the two give a fitting response through the song Naatu Naatu.
What unfolds next on screen is a beautiful combination of words, melody and moves strung together by choreographer Prem Rakshith, composer M M Keeravaani, singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, and of course the actors.
The culture of the country is reflected in the lyrics with every line evoking sentiments about the food and the flora and fauna of the nation.
Speaking to Cine Josh, Prem Rakshit revealed he worked for 30 days on 97 dance movements for the song and that the team used ultra zoom in order to get the sync right between the actors. While previously the plan was to shoot the song in the backdrop of 100 dancers, they later decided against it as the actors were phenomenal performers.
There is no question that 2022 was a fantastic year for Indian cinema.
Yes, I’m emphasising the phrase ‘Indian cinema’ because audiences had the opportunity to witness cinematic juggernauts emerging from different corners of the country. From SS Rajamouli’s epic Telugu action drama film ‘RRR’ to Rishab Shetty’s Kannada magnum opus ‘Kantara’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’, Indians with access to streaming services and multiplexes bore witness to stunning variety of stories, people and cultures.
Besides these films, however, there were a plethora of others from around the country that caught my attention. Here, I recommend 11 such OTT films of 2022.
Gargi
Director Gautam Ramachandran’s legal drama ‘Gargi’ starring Sai Pallavi is a deeply layered and jarring exploration of justice, gender, family and society without trying to be one. Sai Pallavi delivers her best performance on screen as the lead character Gargi — a school teacher whose father, a security guard, is accused of assaulting a child alongside four other men. This is one of those films that leaves you in a state of contemplation long after it’s done.
(Language: Tamil; Sony Liv)
Kadaisi Vivasayi
Satyajit Ray set the benchmark for how filmmakers can portray village life in India. Not only did he make us identify with the characters of his film but also invested them with dignity and humanity. This is what director M Manikandan also achieves in ‘Kadaisi Vivasayi’.
It tells the story of an ageing farmer Mayandi, played by the non-professional actor Nallandi, who is the last farmer left in his village. Besides his deep ties to the land, this magnificent film also explores Mayandi’s empathetic relationship with Ramaiah, played by Vijay Sethupathi, who the other villagers believe has gone crazy following the death of his lover.
(Language: Tamil; Sony Liv)
‘Kadaisi Vivasayi’ film poster
Jana Gana Mana
Watching Dijo Jose Antony’s legal thriller, you think you know what’s happening until you don’t. The basic premise of the film revolves around the brutal murder of a strong and socially-conscious college professor, the aggressive student protest that it spawns and the remarkable legal journey this case takes. Although the film does feel a tad preachy, the pace of storytelling and the excellent cast of actors don’t let you feel its 165-minute run time.
(Language: Malayalam; Netflix)
Chhello Show
Even if Pan Nalin’s coming-of-age film wasn’t sold to you as India’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, it’s worth investing 110 minutes of your time. The film tells the story of nine-year-old Samay’s obsession with cinema. From Chalala, a village in Saurashtra, Samay — played by Bhavin Rabari develops an intense relationship with cinema with help from a local projectionist Fazal — played by Bhavesh Shrimali. Such is his love for cinema that he decides to become a filmmaker but remains unaware of the difficulties that await him.
(Translated ‘Last Film Show’; Language: Gujarati; Netflix)
Nna Thaan Case Kodu
For months, a friend of mine constantly recommended this film written and directed by Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval. It wasn’t until very recently that I sat down to watch this hilarious and insightful satire film. It now ranks among the best films I’ve seen all year. Set in Kasargod, its basic premise revolves around an ex-thief Rajeevan — played by the masterful Kunchacko Boban, who is falsely accused of theft by a local MLA and decides to challenge him in a court of law. In this journey to seek justice, however, he must overcome a series of hurdles.
(Translated as ‘Sue Me’; Language: Malayalam; Disney Hotstar)
‘Nna Thaan Case Kodu’ film poster
Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu
Gautam Vasudev Menon’s neo-noir gangster film has some of the familiar features of past films in this genre. The story of Muthu’s (played by Simbu) coming-of-age in Mumbai as a feared gangster, after leaving a troubled life back home in rural Tamil Nadu, is reminiscent of ‘Nayakan’.
Like many gangster films, it also deals with the question of how this life of crime and violence is inescapable except through death and prison. But the answer it leaves behind is very different from gangster films of the past. What also stands out about this film is Simbu’s performance as Muthu, who always looks like a ‘fish out of water’ until he is faced with violence and certain death, and Menon’s elegant work behind the camera, particularly those stylized long takes.
(Translated as ‘Scorched Forest’; Part 1: The Kindling; Language: Tamil; Amazon Prime)
Zombivli
What more can you ask of a film about zombies in Dombivli which lies on the outskirts of Mumbai? It has everything and more. Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, the film revolves around Sudhir — played by Amey Wagh, an engineer who moves into a high-rise apartment with his wife Seema — played by Vaidehi Parashurami, who is six months into her pregnancy.
But life in this apartment isn’t really what Sudhir envisions. They suffer from acute water shortage, and soon enough, their bubble is further burst by a zombie outbreak in the nearby Janata Nagar slum. The film has humour, horror, action sequences and a love story, while also presenting a strong critique of the growing class divide in the city, gentrification and greed.
(Language: Marathi; Zee 5)
Bhoothakaalam
Written and directed by Rahul Sadasivan, Bhoothakaalam ranks among the best Indian horror films that I’ve seen in recent times. What’s particularly great about this film is that it doesn’t rely heavily on visual effects and does the job with a small cast.
The film revolves around the troubled relationship between Asha (played by Revathy) and her son Vinu (played by Shane Nigam). Without offering any spoilers, one can only state that this nerve-racking horror film presents one of the most spine-tingling conclusions to a film in recent memory.
(Translated as ‘Past’; Language: Malayalam; Sony Liv)
777 Charlie
Written and directed by Kiranraj K, this is a film with a lot of heart. The emotionally charged film centres on the relationship between Dharma — played by Rakshit Shetty, a factory worker who spends most of his time fighting, drinking and watching Charlie Chaplin shows on TV, and a stray labrador dog who he later names Charlie. As their bond grows, Dharma and Charlie embark on a journey to the higher climes of North India to fulfil the latter’s long-harboured wish to play in the snow. After all, whenever Charlie sees snow on TV, she gets excited.
(Language: Kannada; Voot Select)
‘777 Charlie’ film poster
Pada
This political thriller directed by Kamal KM pulls no punches. It’s based on a true story of how a group of men, who called themselves ‘Ayyankali Pada’, took the collector and the larger Palakkad collectorate hostage in 1996 over the controversial piece of legislation. This film also gives us a taste of the circumstances surrounding the lives of Adivasis subjugated by the state machinery. Despite its clear socio-political message, it has the feel of a heist thriller. The film possesses real technical quality from the staging and editing to the performances on screen.
(Translated as ‘Army’; Language: Malayalam; Amazon Prime)
Monica, O My Darling
From the very beginning, you’re hooked on the story and there are no parts that drag on longer than they should. Starring Rajkummar Rao and Huma Qureshi, and directed by Vasan Bala, it’s a humdinger of a murder mystery marked by humour and song. It’s one of those films you can play on a free afternoon or evening and lose track of time. What gives the film further oomph is the wonderful background score composed by Achint Thakkar of ‘Scam: 1992’ fame.
A few tourists are aboard a boat in the middle of the ocean, conversing about a famed yet bygone, underwater city. They discuss how this place was once where people arrived in planes, the nerve centre of art and culture, and where the biggest names in the region resided.
A passenger among the crowd recalls that though the city was thriving, people took advantage of what they believed were abundant resources, until one day when dark clouds shadowed the land, and it rained and rained and rained until there was no land left in sight.
Soon enough, it is revealed that this mystic underwater land was, once upon a time, the city of Mumbai, which was eventually submerged owing to a devastating rise in sea levels because of climate change.
This five-minute ad film, released in 2017, was Kadvi Hawa Badlo “issued in the public interest” which in turn inspired the movie Kadvi Hawa, released the same year. It ended with alarming statistics about how 40 per cent of Mumbai could be submerged in a matter of years.
“How often do we come across such mainstream forms of art, where nature takes the centre stage in story-telling?” Acclaimed writer Amitabh Ghosh spelt this concern in his non-fiction book The Great Derangement, published in 2016.
In the book, the writer depicts how climate change-based stories are often categorised in the ‘science fiction’ section, as though the content is fabricated. He further talks about how the capitalist agenda drives this absence of a realistic portrayal of environmental issues, making people insensitive to the urgency.
When we amalgamate the way Indian cinema has attempted to approach the topic of humans’ impact on the environment, we may find the answer to Ghosh’s question. Even as the topic misses mainstream cinema most times, there are a few moviemakers who are acknowledging that there’s a pressing need to address the future of our planet.
The consequences of human atrocity
The Sanjay Mishra-starrer Kadvi Hawa dared to be India’s first feature film on climate change.
Director Nila Madhab Panda wonderfully portrayed how climate change posed a threat to the survival of marginalised communities, how the absence of monsoon became small talk during bedtime, and how a primary school student struggled to understand how his area experiences only two seasons, even though textbooks claim otherwise.
Furthermore, the movie seamlessly equates climate calamity with the daily struggles of distressed farmers and climate refugees.
In 2021, the OTT film Boomika portrayed this threat in the opposite way, by diving into the eco-horror genre. The protagonist here is uber-rich and planning to get even richer by clear-felling a verdant hill-pocket for a “green” property. Mother nature decides to take care of herself by “punishing” the assailants who have done her wrong.
While Kadvi Hawa was set in the desiccating land of Chambal, Boomika was set amid the rainforests of the Western Ghats. The starkest difference between the two movies is in Boomika’s treatment of the audience. Here, the makers don’t leave the message to the viewers’ discernment, almost spoon feeding them the agenda of the movie that human atrocity is killing mother earth.
The same year, Rana Daggubati starrer Kaadan was released, which took the easier route of following the promise of full-on action entertainment; but, chose a plot that relies on elephant conservation, where poor forest dependents take on crony capitalists.
Sherdil (2022), a recent low-budget OTT release, tried to send the message of greed versus need with simple storytelling. Keeping the human-animal conflict at its heart, it delves deeper into the struggle of an individual in a remote forest village amid apathetic administration and places it squarely that the unquenchable thirst for more and more is usurping nature. Sherdil successfully blurs the line between a profit-at-all-cost businessman and an ignorant consumer.
Weaving a narrative rooted in reality
Deforestation, animal conservation, and climate calamity are well understood, but what about the effects of everyday callousness by India’s urban population?
Vikramaditya Motwane noticed this in Bhavesh Joshi Superhero (2018). Before chasing a greater evil, he conveyed that even cutting a single roadside tree or burning garbage is a social menace that we turn a blind eye to.
Arguably, in between all these, it was Amit Masurkar who stole the show with Sherni (2021). The movie animates the debate around human-tiger interaction, forest conservation, and development without forgetting the people who live by the forests.
Sherni animates the debate around development without forgetting the people who live by the forests. (Photo: YouTube, Amazon Prime)
It damned the forced narrative of pristine wilderness that denies rightful owners of their entitlements. In the same string, he garlanded the hypocrisy of denotifying protected areas for mining but restricting locals from collecting resources for their survival under the pretext that their occupation is killing the forest.
The movie depicts how honest, sensible efforts can sometimes be futile when the system is rotten. Based on true events, the movie ends on a dark note.
Moviegoers and critics also praised Masurkar for his 2017 film Newton, where, while puncturing the brouhaha of the largest democracy in the world, he subtly touched upon the utter absence of agency in tribal communities. Tribals are displaced and mines devour forests to satiate the purported model of growth.
The Forest Rights Act, 2016 acknowledges that tribal communities are the best keepers of the forest and instates them at the forefront of the forest conservation agenda. Along similar lines, a few movies attempted to explore the status of India’s tribal communities, whose lives and fates are closely tied to the looming climate disaster.
This was seen most recently in Kantara (2022), where actor-director Rishab Shetty tells the story of how forest-dwelling communities fight back to reclaim their agency.
While weaving the narrative, he relies on folklore to champion their own beliefs, practices, and knowledge — known as the Indigenous or Traditional Knowledge System (IKS-TKS) — which have evolved over time through the experiential learnings of generations living close to nature, independent of modern science.
This knowledge is not developed in labs or theories, but rather through daily life decisions.
Kantara tells the story of how forest-dwelling communities fight back to reclaim their agency. (Image: YouTube, Netflix)
Saying “not killing that animal during its breeding season will bring us fortune” is not superstition, but rather a mechanism to protect or manage vital resources that these communities depend on.
In Kantara, God appears to protect his people from exploitation — a cinematic expression of empowering the marginalised. The beauty of this movie, however, is that it has not only picked up environmental and forest issues so often ignored, but it set the tale in the backdrop of the very same land.
Environmental issues are complex and multi-layered, and in many ways, cinema has helped break the social barrier of concerns that we often feel uncomfortable with, dragging problems — from the periphery where they are often ignored — to the centre stage. Mainstream movie-makers are braving their way forward to dive into this complexity and are attempting to skillfully narrate these important stories to drive the point home.
Stories may not cause a revolution, but they pass the message on. Cinema reminds us that story-telling is an art, and that good stories need to be told. Whether the masses listen, is what comes next.
This famous legal maxim encapsulates the story of Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who spent over two decades seeking justice after they lost their children Unnati (17) and Ujjwal (13) to the devastating fire that engulfed Uphaar Cinema.
More than 25 years ago, the Uphaar fire tragedy in the national capital took the lives of 59 people who died of asphyxiation, while a further 103 people were seriously injured in the ensuing stampede.
That’s one way of looking at this entire episode. But there was another story that needed to be told — the maze of the Indian legal system and its inability to hold persons of wealth and influence to account often breaks ordinary citizens seeking justice. However, this imperfect legal system never broke Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy’s dogged pursuit of justice.
That story was recently captured in a fantastic mini-series on Netflix Trial by Fire starring Abhay Deol and Rajshri Desphande, who play the couple, based on the book written in Neelam’s voice.
Netflix mini-series ‘Trial by Fire’ poster
The fire
On 13 June 1997, during a screening of JP Dutta’s Border, a massive fire broke out in Uphaar Cinema located in the Green Park area of south Delhi.
While the cause of the fire was attributed to shoddy repair work done on a poorly maintained transformer, the deaths were down to the fact that the cinema was woefully underprepared for a fire. With the cinema hall engulfed in smoke, the establishment lost power and there was total chaos. While those in the lower floor could escape, people seated in the balcony were trapped. Making matters worse, fire tenders took more than an hour to reach the location.
Harish Salve, a senior advocate appearing for the CBI, told the Delhi High Court in 2007, “Safety measures, meant for panic situations, were not in place in the ill-fated theatre… the persons, who were getting financial gains from the operation of the cinema, were criminally liable for the lapses.”
There were many lapses on the part of the establishment and its owners Sushil and Gopal Ansal that cost 59 people their lives.
Beyond faulty equipment and its placement, which flouted a whole host of norms, the cinema hall did not have the requisite safety measures in place.
According to an Indian Express explainer, “There were no exit lights, foot lights, or emergency lights in the cinema — when the building lost power, the hall became pitch dark. There was also no public announcement system to alert the movie-goers of the fire. In the darkness of the cinema hall, it took a significant while for viewers to even realise there was a massive fire in the building.”
More egregiously, however, the exits were locked and gangways (passage between rows of seats) blocked because the owners had made unauthorised extensions to raise the number of seats. Also, illegal businesses were operating in areas meant to be empty.
In the aftermath of Uphaar fire tragedy (Image courtesy Facebook/Arnav Kashyap)
Fight for justice
It was only 13 days after the tragedy when Neelam and Shekhar began reading newspapers to understand what had really happened on that fateful day. While still reeling from the loss of her children, Neelam came to the realisation that her children didn’t have to die.
They spoke to others who lost their loved ones, those who had survived the tragedy and learnt the horrific fact that exits for those watching the film on the balcony were locked.
With tears turning to anger, they decided to take legal action against the owners of Uphaar Cinema. They turned to senior advocate KTS Tusli for legal advice, who took up their cause pro bono. A key piece of advice Tulsi offered to the couple was that they should form an association of those who lost their loved ones and fight the case.
The couple would sift through obituary columns in newspapers, writing down the names and numbers of those who had lost their loved ones to the fire.
While some families dismissed their call to seek justice out of grief or threats issued by vested interests, others joined their association. On 30 June, the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) came together.
What followed was years of legal battle against the owners of the cinema, Gopal and Sushil Ansal, who were at the time real estate moguls in the national capital with enormous resources and influence. In their long quest to get justice not just for their children, but the many families of those who lost their loved ones, the couple became researchers, paralegals and activists.
They gave up significant amounts of their own personal business to become crusaders of justice. Alongside the court appointed official, they even took the brave step of visiting the scene of the tragedy despite their personal trauma to collect information that could help their case.
Sadly, in their pursuit of justice, they were met with frequent court adjournments, puzzling legal applications from the defendants, “loss” of original court records, incompetence from the state and even evidence tampering which saw the trial suffering inordinate delays. The couple also suffered physical intimidation, verbal abuse and years of derision during this time.
However, nothing seemed to deter them. Even when the legal system seemed to go easy on the Ansals, the couple never lost their sense of doggedness and determination.
In a 2021 interview with Bar and Bench, Neelam recalls the moment in 2015 when the Supreme Court raised the period of imprisonment for the Ansal brothers from one to two years, but added that if the convicts paid a fine of Rs 30 crore each within three months, they wouldn’t have to serve jail time anymore given their age. Neelam recalled that it was the only time she cried.
“When I came out of court, I burst into tears. That was the only time in my life I couldn’t control myself. I felt traumatised, let down by the system. I lost faith in the very system I had faith in from 1997 till 2015,” she told the legal media publication.
Again in 2017, the Supreme Court directed that brothers pay a fine of Rs 30 crore each, which would go into the construction of a trauma centre at Safdarjung Hospital. This would remain one of the few positive outcomes of the case. Meanwhile, Sushil Ansal, who had spent a total of five months in prison, was let off without further imprisonment because of his age (77) and health complications. His brother Gopal, meanwhile, was ordered to serve a year.
Finally, in November 2021, a Delhi court sentenced both brothers to seven years simple imprisonment in a separate case related to evidence tampering. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 crore on each brother. However, in July 2022, another Delhi trial court ordered their release against the jail term already undergone by them since November 2021.
“We empathise with you (Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy chairperson Neelam Krishnamoorti). Many lives were lost, which can never be compensated. But you must understand that penal policy is not about retribution. We have to consider their (Ansals) age. You have suffered, but they have also suffered,” the judge said.
Before leaving the courtroom, however, Neelam remarked to the judge, “This is complete injustice. We cannot have faith in the judiciary if the accused is rich and powerful… I made a mistake by coming to court. The system is corrupt.” In September 2022, AVUT moved the Delhi High Court against the trial court order. They refuse to give up their legal battle.
And it’s not difficult to understand why. In another interview with The Indian Express, Neelam said ahead of the release of the Netflix show, “We didn’t spend as much time with our children on this Earth as we have seeking justice for their murders. We are serving a living death sentence; it has been 26 years, and it is still on.”
Speaking to the publication, Shekhar added, “That day, [of the Uphaar Cinema fire] when we came back home, I asked Neelam what do you want to do? She said I want to fight, and that is what we have been doing and will keep doing.”
‘Uphaar Fire Tragedy: The mother who still finds strength from children she lost two decades ago’ by Aamir Khan, Published on 29 December 2021 courtesy Bar and Bench
‘Trial by Fire on Netflix: What was the Uphaar Cinema tragedy?’ by Arjun Sengputa; Published on 14 January 2023 courtesy The Indian Express
‘Uphaar Cinema Fire: Court Orders Release of Gopal, Sushil Ansal in Evidence Tampering Case’ by PTI; Published on The Wire
‘Uphaar evidence tampering case: Victim Association moves Delhi HC against Ansals release order’ by ANI; Published on 1 September 2022 courtesy The Print
‘Can justice be done?’ by Apar Gupta; Published on 8 November 2016 by The Indian Express
‘Trial by Fire’ has been receiving a lot of acclaim since it premiered on Netflix on 13 January 2023. It merits noting that the series is based on a true story, dating back to 1997.
Known as the Uphaar Cinema Tragedy, the calamity that occurred on 13 June 1997 set the stage for years of legal battles that would ensue. While the Netflix series is shot from the perspective of Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, parents of two of the children who lost their lives in the fire, numerous lives were lost that day and there are multiple versions of what happened and who really is to blame.
Reports say that the fire was not an accident but a result of mismanagement at the theatre. Earlier that morning, a transformer on the ground floor of the cinema had caught fire but the fire was soon controlled. The transformer suffered damages but since the movie ‘Border’ was to be screened that afternoon, quick repairs were carried out, without taking into account safety aspects.
As everyone would soon discover, the repairs were not enough and a large fire broke out during the movie screening. A total of 59 people are reported to have died of asphyxiation that day, but the story of one man has stood out.
Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder of 61 CAVALRY, his wife Jyot-Roop and four-year-old son Ruskin were also at the movie theatre when the tragedy occurred. Without prioritising his own safety, the captain began helping others get to safety and is said to have succeeded in rescuing 150 people.
However, he along with his family succumbed. Here’s a glimpse into the braveheart’s life.
A SOLDIER IS NEVER OFF DUTY
On 13th June, 1997 Capt Manjinder Singh Bhinder of 61 CAVALRY with his wife Jyot-Roop and four years old son Ruskin, went to see the film “Border” in Uphaar Cinema in Green Park area, New Delhi. While the movie was on, the Hall caught fire. pic.twitter.com/tKxk4GTAnx
— Guardians_of_the_Nation (@love_for_nation) August 26, 2021
Today historians regard the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 as a “decisive step” towards the end of British rule in India, turning moderate Indians against colonial forces and even pushing Rabindranath Tagore to renounce his knighthood. It’s an event that resonates with those of us born even generations later, its harrowing details vividly recalled through history in texts, media, photographs, and a survivor’s bone-chilling account.
But in the immediate aftermath of the massacre, things were not so.
The British had several ways to curtail press freedom in India and, in turn, curb the unending wave of anti-government sentiment and vernacular reportage. In an appalling example of just how, British journalist B G Horniman, a staunch supporter of India’s independence movement, was imprisoned and later deported for reporting the massacre and other atrocities taking place in Punjab at the time.
However, further swept under the rug is the story of a lawyer who helped bring the devastating massacre to light — Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair. At the time, Nair was a well-known public figure serving as the only Indian member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, the highest governing body in British India.
C Sankaran Nair’s decision to resign after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre marked a new chapter in India’s freedom struggle.
When Nair heard of the massacre, he was so horrified that he resigned from his post in protest. His resignation would lead to several immediate reforms, and today, in the circles where his illustrious life and career are known, he is regarded as one “who placed India firmly on the road to constitutional freedom”.
In 2021, filmmaker Karan Johar announced that he would be producing a movie inspired by Nair’s life and the infamous court case he fought against Michael Francis O’Dwyer, then Lt governor of Punjab and considered among the key planners of the attack.
The movie is said to be based on the book The Case That Shook The Empire, written by Raghu Palat, Nair’s great-grandson, and his wife Pushpa Palat. Reports say the film will star R Madhavan and Akshay Kumar in key roles.
But beyond the confines of the historic courtroom drama, Nair’s life was punctuated by several revolutionary transformations in the years that India struggled for her freedom.
A reformist by heart
Nair was born in 1857 in the village of Mankara in the erstwhile Malabar region in an aristocratic family. His schooling began first at home, and eventually, in an English-medium school in his hometown, where he recalled performing well, despite his early learning years being centred mostly around Sanskrit.
Of his time in college at Presidency College, Madras, he reminisced, “All our professors in those days were Englishmen. [They] allowed us full freedom of speech…On one occasion, we had to write an essay on the declaration of independence by America…There were some of us who wrote that England must behave better in India, otherwise Bombay would be another Boston Harbour. Our principal took it in good part. In these days, it would have been a matter probably for the C.I.D.”
Towards the end of the 1870s, Nair pursued his law degree from Madras Law College and began his career in the Madras High Court, soon becoming a member of the Madras Bar.
Over the next decade or so, his career would grow from strength to strength — in 1890, he was appointed to the Madras Legislative Council and would become deeply involved with the Indian nationalist movement. In 1897, he was elected president of the Indian National Congress, and in 1907, became the first Indian to be appointed advocate general of the Madras government. Later the same year, he became a judge at the Madras High Court.
In their profile of Nair, the INC wrote that though a reformist by heart, his official work interrupted much of his life as a free political thinker. Meanwhile, Open Magazine editor Nandini Nair opined that “In the pantheon of freedom fighters, Sankaran Nair is often overlooked because as a constitutionalist he opposed Mahatma Gandhi’s methods.”
Regardless, in his time, Nair used his political standing to oppose “extremism in words and deeds”, the mixing of religion and politics, and “exaggerated nationalism”. He was a proponent for the abolition of infant marriage and caste, and the introduction of primary education for low-income groups. Nair, perhaps inspired by the family that he had grown up in, where inheritance was a female right as opposed to an advantage often exploited by men, was also a fierce supporter of women’s equality.
At a time when he held a position that was coveted — and deemed unattainable — by Indians, he also played an integral role in the Reforms Act of 1919, which “expanded the participation of Indians by introducing diarchy in the provinces, under which elected ministers were responsible for subjects such as education, health and local self-government,” wrote Nandini Nair.
‘The most glorious and golden hour’
Meanwhile, the same year, Punjab — and the rest of India — was reeling under the aftermath of Jallianwala Bagh. Years later, KPS Menon, Nair’s biographer and son-in-law, would call the senior leader’s subsequent resignation from the Executive Council “the most glorious and golden hour of Sankaran Nair’s life. His star was never brighter.”
Such was the curtailing of freedom of the press in Punjab that at first, Nair, even at that height of political power, did not hear about the events in Amritsar. From the reporting of the events to the number of casualties, many facts and figures were distorted by the British so as to not let the severity of the act leak to the public at large.
But when the news did trickle down to the public and reached Nair’s corridors, he was outraged. Of his decision to resign, he wrote, “Almost every day, I was receiving complaints personally and by letters, of the most harrowing description of the massacre…and the martial law administration.”
“If to govern a country, it is necessary that innocent persons should be slaughtered…and that any civilian officer may, at any time, call in the military and the two together may butcher the people as at Jallianwala Bagh, the country is not worth living in,” he said.
At the same time, he noted, he found that “Lord Chelmsford (then Viceroy of India) approved of what was being done in Punjab”. In The Case that Shook the Empire, the authors recalled that Chelmsford thought Dyer’s treatment of Indians in Punjab to be “very [reasonable] and in no sense [tyrannous]” and that “in these circumstances, an error in judgement, transitory in nature, should not bring down upon [Dyer] a penalty which would be out of proportion to the offence…”
“That, to me, was shocking,” Nair recalled.
Today historians regard the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 as a “decisive step” towards the end of British rule in India.
At first, Nair delayed his resignation at the behest of Annie Besant, with whom he shared a cordial relationship. Motilal Nehru and Charles Freer Andrews, a priest and friend of Gandhi’s, were among those who requested him to stay, hoping that he would use his position to advance India’s cause. “But things, at last, became intolerable,” he recalled.
Nair officially resigned in July of that year, and when he returned to Madras, he was received with love and adulation, ovations, feasts, and celebratory bursting of crackers.
Owing to the disputed reports of the massacre, the All India Congress Committee demanded an inquiry into the extent of the role of the British and requested Nair to visit London to lobby for an investigation into the matter. Nair wrote, “I was determined that if I could possibly manage it, there would be no Jallianwala Bagh again in India.”
He insisted that the British government condemn Dyer’s actions and heavily criticised Michael O’Dwyer for his role in the massacre in his book Gandhi and Anarchy, while also opposing Gandhi’s views on non-cooperation.
‘The case that shook the empire’
The book would mark the most well-known chapter of Nair’s life. Unwilling and refusing to render an apology to O’Dwyer for highlighting the official’s role in Jallianwala Bagh, Nair was dragged to court after being sued for defamation.
He was tried at the Court of the King’s Bench in London before an English judge and jury, and his case, reported by The Wire, was followed by the entire world, in effect finally bringing to light the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the atrocities that the British empire had been inflicting on India. The case lasted five weeks, and was, at the time, the longest in the court’s history.
The bias of an all-English panel in court resulted in the results being in favour of O’Dwyer and Dyer, and all jury members but one voted against Nair’s favour. However, on not having a unanimous verdict, the court offered Nair an option for a fresh trial. Nair immediately refused, believing that “twelve different English shopkeepers” would hardly give him a different verdict.
He was then offered two choices — provide an apology or a sum of 7,500 pounds. For Nair, the obvious choice was the latter.
Though the verdict was not in Nair’s favour, the effects of his efforts to bring the tragedy to light saw almost immediate effects. He recalled, “The press censorship was at once abolished. Sir Michael O’Dwyer announced within three or four days of my resignation that the martial law would soon be rid of, and it was actually cancelled within less than 15 days.”
Lawyer C Sankaran Nair was the only Indian member of the viceroy’s executive council.
Nair’s resignation also resulted in the constitution of the Hunter Commission investigating the events at Jallianwala Bagh. It had both Indians as well as the English look into the matter.
Then secretary of state for India, Edwin Montagu, once thought of Nair as “that impossible man”, but his integrity would eventually help the Englishman realise that the lawyer “wielded more influence than any other Indian”.
Perhaps this is why, even as Nair eventually fell out with the Congress owing to his views on Gandhi — an event widely regarded as the reason why his contributions faded somewhere so far into the background — his cause strengthened the nationalist movement and marked the beginning of the end of the British empire in India.
Edited by Pranita Bhat; All pictures courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
