City in Cameo: The Many Faces of Los Angeles in Cinema
French sociologist and philosopher Jean Baudrillard once wrote that “the American city seems to have stepped right out of the movies”. By this he meant that the experience of visiting an American city...
View ArticleThe Ska Vengers Pay Tribute to Indian Freedom Fighter Udham Singh
“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,” is the philosophy behind Indian band The Ska Vengers’ new track “Frank Brazil”. The song and video will release on July 31st, 2015, and the...
View ArticleTop 5 Ballet Photographers to Follow on Instagram
This month ballet is back in vogue across the dance world. The Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition launched on July 10, Misty Copeland made dance history by becoming the first...
View ArticleDespite Mixed Critical Reception, “McQueen” Will Transfer to the West End
Demonstrating the power of its brand, “McQueen,” a play about British fashion icon Alexander McQueen, was breaking box-office records at London’s St. James Theatre even before it opened last May....
View ArticleThe Male Dancers of Bharatanatyam
Monsoon dance festival titled “Purushaakaram: The Male In Bharatanatyam” was held at the India International Centre on July 16-17. What made the third edition of the festival interesting were the...
View Article5 Films to See in New York This Week: “Smooth Talk,” “Brand X,” and More
“Smooth Talk,” Brooklyn Academy of Music, July 23This 1985 adaptation of the Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” stars Laura Dern as 15-year-old Connie Wyatt...
View ArticleREVIEW: 7 Letters Delivers Great Cinema for SG50
A tale centered on making a life changing decision — to stay in Singapore or leave; another one about young love and sacrifice; and one about the fast-changing pace of life; these are just three of the...
View ArticleThe World as An 11-year-old Sees It
David MacDougall, an Australian ethnographic documentary filmmaker born in America, has been in close association with India since 1987 and making films on institutions of children and children’s...
View ArticlePaul McCartney and Metallica to Headline Lollapalooza 2015
Paul McCartney and Metallica are set to headline this year’s Lollapalooza Festival, which returns to Chicago’s Grant Park between July 31 and August 2, 2015. The line-up includes other heavyweight as...
View ArticleDonald Trump, an All-American Performance Artist
In Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” the protagonist, Willy Loman, goes to the office of his boss, Howard Wagner, hoping for a promotion. Instead he essentially hears two of the most chilling words...
View ArticleQ&A with The Ska Vengers, A Band That Combines Poetry with Politics
The Ska Vengers sing songs of protest and social change. As a Delhi band that blends ska/ reggae music with dub, jazz, punk and hip hop, this six-member group has a unique identity within the Indian...
View ArticleMohan Veena Recital by Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, the Grammy-winner and creator of Mohan Veena, an instrument of Hindustani classical music, will be the headlining act at a two-day festival of Indian classical music and dance...
View Article“Ant-Man” Is Aware of Its Own Weirdness
I have a feeling not all superhero movies are like this. The few I’ve seen — and I’m admittedly not an expert — haven’t been as captivating or funny as “Ant-Man,” which arrived in theaters last...
View Article5 Theatrical Performances By Naseeruddin Shah You Must Watch
Naseeruddin Shah, one of the finest actors in Indian cinema, turned 64 or 65 this month. He is not sure of his birth date or year, he reveals in his memoir “And Then One Day”. Shah writes about his...
View ArticleBen Kingsley Plays Indian Taxi Driver in Upcoming Film “Learning to Drive”
India has an enduring connection with actor Ben Kingsley. A whole generation of kids in India were forced by their parents to watch Richard Attenborough’s 1982 classic “Gandhi” at least once a year, as...
View ArticleJake Gyllenhaal Beefs Up For Boxing Drama “Southpaw”
“Professional boxing is the only major American sport whose primary, and often murderous, energies are not coyly deflected by such artifacts as balls and pucks,” Joyce Carol Oates once wrote. What she...
View ArticleWithered Teats and Gay Love: Handel’s ‘Saul’ at Glyndebourne
King Saul, leader of the Israelites, is going mad. He crawls through a blasted landscape to a terrifying old witch for help. The witch, sung by a man, offers him one of her withered breasts to suck on,...
View Article8 Award-Winning Documentaries From Australia To Be Screened In India
Documentary films tend to tell stories that have a potential for social dialogue. The medium has the power to bring to the limelight unknown facts and, often, ignored subjects. Over the years,...
View ArticleBenjamin Walker Is “American Psycho”
Benjamin Walker has been trying to break through to stardom and is having a bloody hard time of it. The 33-year-old actor came to the fore in the title role of “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” — the 2011...
View ArticleToo Close to Home: Woody Allen's "Irrational Man"
This is not an easy time to write about a Woody Allen film. It’s been over a year since abuse allegations against the filmmaker by his daughter resurfaced, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that to...
View Article