On the eighteenth anniversary of the release of Om Shanti Om, I am joined by returning guest (to the point of exhaustion) Dhruv Krishna Goyal and philosopher-turned-Farah Khan scholar Cris to talk about the four films made by Khan: Main Hoon Na [2004], Om Shanti Om [2007], Tees Maar Khan [2010], and Happy New Year [2014]. We mull over the joyful cinephilia of her cinema, the details etched within the many thousands of frames, and also address some of the more troubling aspects of her work.

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The Guests:

1. Dhruv Krishna Goyal holds a Master’s in Cinema Studies from the fabled New York University (aka NYU), spends his time writing about cinema at ⁠⁠⁠In Review Online⁠⁠⁠ and on his blog “⁠⁠⁠Terminal Cinema⁠⁠⁠”, and co-edits the podcast “⁠⁠⁠Queen is Dead⁠⁠⁠”. Follow him on ⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠.

2. Cris is currently working on an academic project about the cinema of Farah Khan, and has previously produced work on Shah Rukh Khan. You can follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd to read more about his interactions with cinema, and through him, explore the deranged depths of Bollywood as well.

The Host:

Varun Oak-Bhakay has a Master’s in English Literature and the written word – consumption and production of it – is still rather close to him, but he’s had a fascination with cinema since the mid-2010s, which has led to a blog (“⁠⁠⁠Cinephile Stock⁠⁠⁠”), a newsletter that he hopes to revive (“⁠⁠⁠Dispatches from a Dark Room⁠⁠⁠”), and now this podcast. You can follow his interactions with cinema on ⁠⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ as well.

Chapters:

Introduction and Opening Monologues – 00:00:00

Main Hoon Na – 01:02:14

Om Shanti Om – 01:49:02

Tees Maar Khan – 02:40:01

Happy New Year – 03:15:36

Final Thoughts – 04:25:05

Almost every film today is part of some universe or the other. You can no longer watch a film and just be done with it: the viewer must now prepare to watch a film like the homework they were assigned in school, gobbling up the back-catalogue to better inform themselves about a film. Even stories that appear to have ended have sequels and prequels and what not.

As Paddington in Peru commences its international rollout, I thought the time was apt to release this episode, which has been in the cans since last June. A combination of bad luck, a wedding, transcontinental relocation, and a return to university meant this was delayed beyond reasonable time. One of my guests was rather gracious and gave me the benefit of the doubt; the other will likely complain about this just before we record an episode to discuss the millionth Disney live-action remake.

This episode is an all-Young Critics' Lab panel, with the senior alum position being assumed by Dhruv Krishna Goyal of the Class of 2020 while Prakhar Patidar and I of the Class of 2023 bring newer, less grouchy views.

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The Guests:

1. Prakhar Patidar holds a Master's degree in English Literature and has donned numerous hats whilst walking the line between criticism and academia: she has been a festival programmer, a director's assistant, and a researcher, among other things. Her work has featured in Poems India and the Cut, and Print! newsletter on Substack. You can follow her on ⁠Instagram⁠.

2. Dhruv Krishna Goyal holds a Master’s in Cinema Studies from the fabled New York University (aka NYU), spends his time writing about cinema at ⁠⁠In Review Online⁠⁠ and on his blog “⁠⁠Terminal Cinema⁠⁠”, and co-edits the podcast “⁠⁠Queen is Dead⁠⁠”. Follow him on ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.

The Host:

Varun Oak-Bhakay has a Master’s in English Literature and the written word – consumption and production of it – is still rather close to him, but he’s had a fascination with cinema since the mid-2010s, which has led to a blog (“⁠⁠Cinephile Stock⁠⁠”), a newsletter that he hopes to revive (“⁠⁠Dispatches from a Dark Room⁠⁠”), and now this podcast. You can follow his interactions with cinema on ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ as well.

Works Cited:

1. “Queen is Dead” Livestream: ⁠Hit Man
2. Audio excerpts from The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Paddington, The Jungle Book, Barbie, and The Archies are used under the “Fair Use Provisions” of the Indian Copyright Act.

Just why are so many biopics made by the Hindi film industry? Are they bereft of new and original stories to tell? Or do they think riding the wave since Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a wise course of action? Or is there a genuine desire to tell these "true" stories?

With the release of Amar Singh Chamkila, Imtiaz Ali's biopic of the iconic Punjabi musician, a week away, it felt like a good time to put out this episode that was canned quite a while ago.

I am joined in this conversation about nine biopics of varied kinds by Ashwani Kumar and Dhruv Krishna Goyal, both significantly more cine-literate than I am.

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The Guests:

1. Ashwani Kumar works in the development sector as a consultant and writes about cinema for "High on Films". In his spare time, he rakes artists over the coals for their opportunist political stances publicly and ruthlessly. You can follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

2. Dhruv Krishna Goyal holds a Master’s in Cinema Studies from the fabled New York University (aka NYU), spends his time writing about cinema at ⁠In Review Online⁠ and on his blog “⁠Terminal Cinema⁠”, and co-edits the podcast “⁠Queen is Dead⁠”. Follow him on ⁠Letterboxd⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠.

Varun Oak-Bhakay has a Master’s in English Literature and the written word – consumption and production of it – is still rather close to him, but he’s had a fascination with cinema since the mid-2010s, which has led to a blog (“⁠Cinephile Stock⁠”), a newsletter that he hopes to revive (“⁠Dispatches from a Dark Room⁠”), and now this podcast. You can follow his interactions with cinema on ⁠Letterboxd⁠ and on ⁠Instagram⁠ as well.

Works Cited:

I remember telling myself before recording this episode that come what may, there was no chance in hell the conversation could get longer than a JP Dutta war film. I now stand corrected.

On the occasion of Army Day, I am in conversation with fellow film buff and fellow former Armed Forces aspirant Sanjeet Singh, and we're talking about ten Hindi films that depict war, our views on each, and some interesting thoughts about why these films are often made the way they are.

Without any further ado, I invite you to dive into this nearly five-hour long conversation.

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The Guest:

Sanjeet Singh is a cinematographer and a film geek who is yet to publicly acknowledge the former aspect of his life, modest as he tends to be. When he isn't shooting films, he's watching them. Oh, and he once wanted to don the uniform. You can follow him on ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.

The Host:

Varun Oak-Bhakay has a Master’s in English Literature and the written word – consumption and production of it – is still rather close to him, but he’s had a fascination with cinema since the mid-2010s, which has led to a blog (“⁠⁠Cinephile Stock⁠⁠”), a newsletter that he hopes to revive (“⁠⁠Dispatches from a Dark Room⁠⁠”), and now this podcast. He long held ambitions of joining the Armed Forces, but they were quite happy without him. You can follow his interactions with cinema on ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ as well.

Chapters:

Introductions – 00:00:10

Haqeeqat – 00:02:39

Hindustan Ki Kasam – 00:35:53

Border – 00:51:08

LOC: Kargil – 01:31:14

Paltan – 02:00:03

Uri: The Surgical Strike – 02:20:06

Kya Dilli Kya Lahore – 02:42:40

1971 – 03:01:55

Pippa – 03:18:47

Lakshya – 03:48:34

Concluding Thoughts – 04:25:40

Works Cited:

Since a new Sriram Raghavan feature (Merry Christmas) has hit screens, and another one is already in production, it felt like a good time to look back at the filmmaker’s previous work: Ek Hasina Thi, Johnny Gaddaar, Agent Vinod, Badlapur, and Andhadhun.

With me are cinema writers/podcasters Amartya Acharya and Aryan Vyas, both of whom enjoy Raghavan's cinema as much I do!

Here’s hoping you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed talking about Raghavan.

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The Guests:

1.    Amartya Acharya thinks he watches far too many films, and that does appear to be the impression others have of him as well, though he likely does not give a flying feather about the latter. He has been writing about films for less than one-tenth of his lifetime but has already made a dent with the likes of High on Films and a whole host of other publications putting his work out. Follow him on ⁠Letterboxd⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠.

2.    Aryan Vyas is a physiotherapist in the making and a cinephile all ready to write and talk films most times of day. He shuttles between a busy OPD and interactions with moving pictures, producing reams of material about what he catches up on. He has written for a variety of publications: High on Films, Film Companion, and Asian Movie Pulse among them. Follow him on ⁠Letterboxd⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠.

The Host:

Varun Oak-Bhakay has a Master’s in English Literature and the written word – consumption and production of it – is still rather close to him, but he’s had a fascination with cinema since the mid-2010s, which has led to a blog (“⁠Cinephile Stock⁠”), a newsletter that he hopes to revive (“⁠Dispatches from a Dark Room⁠”), and now this podcast. You can follow his interactions with cinema on ⁠Letterboxd⁠ and on ⁠Instagram⁠ as well.

Chapters:

Introductions – 00:00:10

Ek Hasina Thi – 00:09:48

Johnny Gaddaar – 00:31:30

Agent Vinod – 00:47:49

Badlapur – 01:11:27

Andhadhun – 01:34:44

Wrapping Up – 01:56:58

Works Cited:

Shah Rukh Khan finally returned to theatres after an absence of four years, and perhaps to make up for lost time, audiences got not one or two but three films headlined by him in 2023: Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki.

And so, for the inaugural episode of this podcast, I thought it’d be a good idea to talk about Shah Rukh, the year he had, and just how much of it is an actual return to form.

Joining me are Srilekha Mitra and Dhruv Krishna Goyal, avid cinephiles and cinema writers both.

Hope you enjoy the slightly ramble-y episode, and come back for more!

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The Guests:

1.    Srilekha Mitra describes herself as ‘an overthinking cinephilewho occasionally seeks refuge in poetry’, and as someone ‘whose world revolves around three Fs: films, football, and food’. She has written for publications like Film Companion, Youth Ki Awaaz, Feminism in India, The Red Sparrow, High on Films, Poems in India, and Women’s Web. Follow her on Letterboxd and Instagram.

2.    Dhruv Krishna Goyal holds a Master’s in Cinema Studiesfrom [redacted], spends his time writing about cinema at In Review Online and on his blog “Terminal Cinema”, and co-edits the podcast “Queen is Dead”. Follow him on Letterboxd and Instagram.

The Host:

Varun Oak-Bhakay has a Master’s in English Literature and the written word – consumption and production of it – is still rather close to him, but he’s had a fascination with cinema since the mid-2010s, which has led to a blog (“Cinephile Stock”), a newsletter that he hopes to revive (“Dispatches from a Dark Room”), and now this podcast. You can follow his interactions with cinema on Letterboxd and on Instagram as well.

Works Cited:

1. Baradwaj Rangan on Zero
2. Baradwaj Rangan on Jawan
3. Uday Bhatia on Jawan
4. “Queen is Dead” Episode 92: Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani – KJo’s Return to Form? But When Was He Ever Gone?
5. “Queen is Dead” Live Stream: The Archies – The Most Awkward Film of the Year
6. Audio excerpts from Pathaan, Jawan, Dunki, An Action Hero, Fan, Dear Zindagi, Koffee with Karan (Season 8, Episode 7: Vicky Kaushal and Kiara Advani), Raees, Baadshah, Jab Harry Met Sejal, and Zero are used under the “Fair Use Provisions” of the Indian Copyright Act.

Introducing Picture Shuru!

I'm Varun, and among the many things that have my interest in life, films and other forms of moving pictures form one component. I have written on the subject for a while, and thought the time was ripe to use my literal voice to do more of the same.

The first episode –The Return of the King – drops on the 6th of January 2024 at 1000h Indian Standard Time.

You are welcome to hit that Subscribe button, and you can follow my rambles on cinema on my blog, newsletter, and on Instagram.