News and Views

By The QuintNews

News and Views episodes

July 14, 2021 UP's Population Control Bill: Coercion As Policy Will Not Work
On 9 July, the Uttar Pradesh government released a draft of the proposed Population (control, sterilisation & welfare) Bill 2021 with an aim to make a two-child policy mandatory for those who wish to avail government benefits.

Two days later on the occasion of World Population Day, the government also released the state’s population policy saying that the governments aim to bring the birth rate down to 2.1 by 2026 and also reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.

While it is a fact that since Uttar Pradesh along with Bihar makes up for about 23 percent of the whole country’s population making it quite important for population control strategies to be put in place, can the Uttar Pradesh government’s proposed measures achieve its intended goal?

Shailaja Chandra the Former Secretary in the Ministry of Health weighs in on the hotly discussed subject. She also talks about her experience on ground from when she served as the first Executive Director of Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh or National Population Stabilisation Fund. Tune in!

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29 min
June 08, 2021 Gulzar Tells Us How To Savour A Poem A Day
In his book, 'A Poem A Day', Sampooran Singh Kalra aka Gulzar, has selected and translated 365 poems sourced from 279 poets in 34 languages of India ever since the nation attained its independence.

In this podcast, celebrity film journalist, Khalid Mohamed speaks with the man with golden words, Gulzar who reads three poems from the book - his labor of love, which took nine years of “disciplined homework”.

Tune in.

Host: Khalid Mohamed
Producer: Fabeha Syed
Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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8 min
December 24, 2020 AK vs AK Review: Genuinely Hatke Without a Dull Moment
It’s AK aka Anurag Kashyap Vs AK aka Anil Kapoor in this new Vikramaditya Motwane film that’s streaming on Netflix.

Written by Avinash Sampath , it has cameos by Sonam Kapoor , Harshwardhan Kapoor, Boney Kapoor . Now everyone here is playing themselves. So Anil Kapoor is very much the star who like we see in the trailer expresses a desire to work with the maverick filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Kashyap isn’t too enthused and makes his displeasure quite apparent.

Both soon fall headlong into a collision and verbal repartees fly and even physical blows are exchanged. Anurag goes ahead and talks about his crazy idea which he projects as “the most dangerous hostage thriller in the world of cinema”. Kidnapping Sonam Kapoor where only Anil gets to rescues her. Is this for real? Well that’s for all of you to find.

VO: RJ Stutee

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5 min
December 14, 2020 Film Review| Bhumi Pednekar’s ‘Durgamati’ Is Dull & Disappointing - Rj Stutee
Turns out it’s not the horror films that are scary but the ones pretending too hard to belong to the genre that one should truly be afraid of. Durgamati ranks right up there with Akshay Kumar’s Laxmii in this regard. Was the coronavirus and this sad year not bad enough that we now are being made to sit through terrible remakes of South Indian films?
Durgamati, a remake of the Tamil and Telugu bilingual Bhaagamathie has this uncanny ability to make you realize that you have made a mistake in the first 10 minutes itself. Not that anything drastically bad happens, but witnessing characters who do not talk to each other and instead shout at one another as if for the viewers to hear them and react always makes us look at any film uneasily. The dubbing only gets stranger as Durgamati progresses.

Tune in for the review.

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6 min
November 16, 2020 Review: Chhalaang Has Merit, But Gets Reduced to a One-Time Watch
Monty, a PT teacher at a school in Haryana, couldn't care less about his job. Readily giving up his allotted period so other teachers can complete their syllabus, Monty (played by Rajkummar Rao) seems quite content with the little life has to offer. His closest friend is his former teacher and present colleague Shuklaji (Saurabh Shukla).

And while Monty’s mother threatens to dig in her heels and get him married to the next girl they meet, he nurtures big dreams about romance and getting to know his partner before committing to marriage. But there are contradictions here too. Monty is also a proud member of the Sanskriti Dal, where these self appointed Sanskriti ke Rakshaks harass couples, old and young, on Valentine’s Day. Tune in to podcast for the full review!

VO: RJ Stutee
Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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5 min
October 23, 2020 Dhaak, Shankh, Ulu – Hear The Sounds That Bring Durga Puja Alive
Shanknaad, dhaak, ghonta, Chandipaath, Ulluldhvani, and pujor gaan. These are the sounds that bring Durga Puja alive, but this year pujo is going to be very different. The raging pandemic has forced us to stay away from any pandal-hopping and avoid any gatherings. However, you don't have to feel bummed out. If you have been working from home all this while, how about celebrating the pujo from home now?
In this special podcast, some of the Bengali Quintees are telling us about the different pujo sounds and what do they mean.

Tune in.

Host, Writer, and Sound Designer: Fabeha Syed
Featuring: Riniki Sanyal, Shohini Bose, Sushovan Sircar, Asmita Nandy, and Shorbori Purkayastha.
Editor: Riniki Sanyal & Shelly Walia
Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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17 min
September 19, 2020 Review: ‘Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare’ Shines in Parts
Who are you when no one’s watching ? Is it our actions that define us or the urges that we hide from snooping noses and judgemental glares? Also, what is it that we choose to do when no one is watching? Is that our little window to live our fantasy or do we hustle to keep up the pretence even then? That’s what Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare prompts us to think about.

Tune in to the podcast for the full review!

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5 min
September 14, 2020 Hindi Diwas: Since When Did Languages Become Religious Markers?
In a century-old debate of Hindi-Urdu, the oft-asked question is, 'why do we need languages to perpetuate religious identities?'

In this special episode on Hindi Diwas, we are trying to understand the famous divide between both the 'Hindustani' languages. We also try to understand if to be able to learn any language, one needs to belong to a particular religious or political identity.

Or, even the most obvious question - who gave us 'Hindi'?

Joining us on this special podcast is Jamia Millia Islamia's Prof. Abdul Bismillah, who is a novelist.

Tune in.

Host, Writer, and Sound Designer: Fabeha Syed
Guest: Prof. Abdul Bismillah, Novelist
Editor: Santosh Kumar
Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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17 min
August 29, 2020 'Masaba Masaba' Doesn't Give Any Special Insight Into The Mother-Daughter's Lives
Neena and Masaba Gupta are two dynamic women we love to love. Neena, a single mom who lives life on her terms, candidly talks about her choices and what she would or wouldn’t like to do differently, makes a stunning comeback to films and lights up the frame each time . Her daughter, Masaba, owns a successful fashion label of her own, is independent, talented with her head firmly on her shoulders. It’s easy to fall in love with them, and so one understands why Netflix thought it worthy to bring these two women together.

VO: RJ Stutee

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5 min
August 21, 2020 Review: ‘Mee Raqsam’ is Sincere, Not Falling Prey to Preachiness
Dance like no one’s watching, they say. And that is what Maryam wants to do too. Her feet sway automatically to the rhythm of the beats coming from the neighbourhood Bharatanatyam school. Dancing also makes her feel closer to her mom, who instilled in her a love for the art in the first place. But the watchful eyes of the custodians of religion and culture never let go of an opportunity to trip her.

Tune in to the podcast for the full review.

VO: RJ Stutee

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4 min

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