Episode 90: A look at Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Toofan and Pa. Ranjith’s Sarpatta Parambarai.

Which film knocked us out more? Toofan starring Farhan Akhtar saw the Bollywood celebrity trying to play a Mumbai gangster turned boxing star. On the other corner of the ring, Sarpatta Parambarai presented us an intriguing look at the boxing scene in 1970’s North Chennai, through the lens of several fascinating characters including Kabilan, played by Aarya.

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq

Episode 89: A look at Haseen Dillruba. Directed by Vinil Mathew, written by Kanika Dhillon, it stars Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey in the lead roles of Rani and Rishu. Set in a fictitious small North Indian town Jwalapur, the movie attempts to play with tropes found in Hindi pulp fiction. Does it work? Listen to find out.

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq

Episode 88: A look at Amit Masurkar’s new film Sherni, starring Vidya Balan.

There was a lot of anticipation around Masurkar’s new film Sherni, especially after the success of Newton (2017) – which was a satirical look at the election process in a small village in India.

The trailer also suggested the return of Vidya Balan in a serious, dramatic role – supported by talented actors such as Brijendra Kala, Vijay Raaz and Sharat Saxena. Was Sherni a roar or a whimper? Listen to find out.

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq

Episode 87: A look at The Disciple, by Chaitanya Tamhane.

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq

Episode 86: We discuss the upcoming Hindi film 83 with Rahul Desai, whose opinions on Indian cinema and cricket are insightful and a delight to read.

This film about India’s historic win of the Cricket World Cup in 1983 will be the biggest film of 2021, says Desai. A lot of expectations are riding on Kabir Khan’s ability to craft a compelling narrative, and the actors' ability to bring the dressing room drama to the pitch.

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq

Episode 85: A look at Mismatched - a Netflix series based on the YA novel When Dimple Met Rishi. Starring Rohit Saraf, Prajakta Kohli, Muskkan Jaferi and Vihaan Samat, and co-directed by Akarsh Khurana and Nipun Dharmadhikari, this show takes a look at young love.

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq

Episode 84: A look at AK vs AK - starring Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap, and directed by Vikramaditya Motwane.

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq

Episode 83: A look at the films of Abhay Deol – Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Dev.D and Shanghai.

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq

Episode 82: A conversation with Vandana Vishwas and Vishwas Thoke – a Toronto-based musical duo – on the famous SD Burman and Gopaldas Neeraj song Rangeela Re.

Rangeela Re is the first composition by Hindi poet Gopaldas Neeraj. He was commissioned as a lyricist by Dev Anand, who wrote, produced and directed Prem Pujari (1970).

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq

Episode 81: And we’re back! It’s been a few months since Aparita and Baisakhi spoke to each other about Bollywood films. Physical distancing during the time of a global pandemic and other distractions kept us away from our usual Hindi film gupshup. But we’re back, with a slightly different version of the podcast.

In this episode, we catch up on films and shows we watched during the time of COVID-19.

Music: Bollywood Blades by Professor Kliq