Episode 120: As part of its 50 year celebrations, TIFF recently presented a retrospective of iconic Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s films. The retrospective included some of her earlier works such as Sam & Me, the Elemental trilogy Fire, Earth and Water, as well as recent works such as Midnight’s Children.

The event gave Baisakhi and Aparita an opportunity to revisit some of Mehta’s earlier works, remember their first impressions of both the filmmaker and her craft, and ruminate on how they now approach Mehta’s films in hindsight.

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Episode 119: Directed by Roshan Sethi, A Nice Indian Boy stars Karan Soni as Naveen Gavaskar, an Indian-American doctor looking for love. When he meets Jay Kurundkar (Jonathan Groff), he’s hesitant to introduce him to his parents Megha (Zarna Garg) and Archit (Harsh Patel). Then there’s also his supposedly perfect sister Arundhati (Sunita Mani).

A Nice Indian Boy tries to tell a complicated story in a traditional romcom format. While Baisakhi found it funny in parts, Aparita appreciated a fresh take on representing South Asian identity.

Also check out Roshan Sethi’s essay in finding purpose through writing, while also working full-time as a doctor.

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Episode 118: Ashim Ahluwalia’s biopic on Mumbai’s famed gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli features Arjun Rampal as the main character. Set in the 80’s, the film depicts the period and its politics with gritty realism. Aparita and Baisakhi talk about the central role played by Canadian cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagne in visualizing Daddy, and where else you may have seen her work.

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Episode 117: Sandhya Suri’s debut film Santosh, which screened at TIFF 2024, is now releasing in theatres around the world to critical acclaim. However, the film is facing significant censor board cuts in India, where it has yet to be released. Aparita and Baisakhi discuss their reactions to the film, and why they think this film is worth watching.

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Episode 116: Aparita and Baisakhi got a chance to chat with the filmmakers behind Superboys of Malegoan at TIFF 2024. The movie is now available via streaming.

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Episode 115: Aparita and Baisakhi chat with noted film critic Aseem Chhabra, about the films they caught at TIFF 2024.

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Episode 114: Aparita and Baisakhi in conversation with Laxmipriya Devi, the director of Manipuri film Boong.

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Episode 113 Aparita and Baisakhi present an overview of the films they saw at TIFF 2024.

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Episode 112: Since Reema Kagti is bringing Superboys of Malegaon to TIFF 2024, Baisakhi and Aparita take a look at Kagti’s debute feature as part of Pehli Pehel.

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Episode 111: It’s that time of the year again. When Baisakhi and Aparita submerge themselves in the filmi world at Toronto International Film Festival. A quick look at films we hope to see in 2024.

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