Shree Krishna Vada Pav restaurant branches in Hounslow and in Harrow, London are every chaat and Mumbai street-food lover’s ultimate “go-to” eating joint. But it is more of a fast-food joint than a restaurant, so don't expect a quiet, dine-in ambiance. Read more
Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox opens with a crisscross of overhead wires that keep Mumbai's lifeline––its local trains––running. Tracks intersect, seemingly randomly, taking people to their familiar destinations. Read more
"Marriage is a wonderful institution. But who wants to live in an institution?" Groucho Marx famously declared. The characters in Maneesh Sharma's Shuddh Desi Romance might agree with this pronouncement. Read more
Anurag Kashyap’s Hindi film starring Irrfan Khan – Dabba or The Lunchbox released in India, UK and US on September 20. The film made its entry into the Best Film award category in BFI London Film Festival 2013’s official competition. Read more
If Madhur Bhandarkar scavenges on the Page 3 circuit, Prakash Jha picks his themes from the day’s headlines. Sadly, he’s content projecting the bold print (or its screaming-ranting equivalents on prime time news), never showing the slightest inclination for introspection or analysis. Read more
The constraints under which Indian filmmakers have to operate can be crippling. Especially when it comes to political subjects, given the state’s indifference towards providing an environment conducive for free expression and the increasingly violent pitch of dissent and prejudice. Read more
In writer Rajat Aroraa and director Milan Luthria’s worldview women are commodities men use for distraction or merely as possessions. Even in the women-oriented The Dirty Picture, Silk proudly proclaims that she’s ‘entertainment’, employing bold gestures to please ravenous men. Read more
For a film that keeps reiterating, "Don't underestimate the common man," Chennai Express does precisely that -- displaying unqualified disdain for the audience's capacity to discriminate between intelligent, self-referencing and lazy writing. Read more
If you have been disappointed so far by the bhel puris, pani puris and other chaat dishes available in London, you are in for a very pleasant surprise. Finally, there is a familiar name that brings Mumbai chaat to London in its truly authentic taste – Kailash Parbat Wembley, London. Read more
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra can’t really be blamed for his grandiloquent approach to Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. This is exactly how epics are designed in India and lauded around the world—from Mother India to Lagaan (both Oscar-nominated), heroism, melodrama and a three-hour running time have gone hand-in-hand. Read more
