“The qualities associated with it (the Mother archetype) are maternal solicitude and sympathy; the magic authority of the female; the wisdom and spiritual exaltation that transcend reason; any helpful instinct or impulse; all that is benign, all that cherishes and…

There are historical dramas that politely invite you into the past. Then there’s Mussolini: Son of the Century, which kicks the door off its hinges, grabs you by the collar and insists you look directly at the machinery of authoritarian…

Films have never been mere fodder for entertainment to me. They are instruments of dissent and vessels of history, as every artistic medium should be. Joyland (2022), directed by Saim Sadiq, is a testament to the aforementioned statement. Set in…

Vulnerability studies explicate how individuals or certain groups are othered by pre-existing power structures, relational imbalance or personal struggles. It involves identifying and analysing the frailties of individuals, systemic forces. It also depicts how vulnerability can lead someone to consequences…

Adapted from the short story “Abataranika” (“Introduction”) by Narendranath Mitra (1916-79), Mahanagar (The Big City) (1963) is considered to be one Satyajit Ray’s (1929-92) most masterly directed films. Set in 1950s Calcutta, the film zooms in on the quotidian drama…