Queen is Dead - A Film, TV and Culture Podcast

Hello Hello Hello,

It's that time of the year when QID does its mid-yearly Bollywood round-up (aka the time when Dhruv and Cris are at their bitchiest).

Rather than following our regular format, we've split our episode into 2 parts: the first one, featuring first-time guest & regular writer for The Indian Express, Anas Arif, is (hopefully) the civil one. We discuss two of the more prominent titles of this year—Anubhav Sinha's controversial Assi and Imtiaz Ali's much-revered Main Vaapas Aaunga—extensively to try and understand their appeal (or lack thereof) for a broader audience.

The second part of the episode, featuring only Cris and Dhruv, is chaos as usual because we revert to our format of picking notable honorable (or in this case, mostly dishonorable) mentions of the year (so far). We go through these categories by category - discussing performances, direction, writing, music & editing that missed (or, in the rare case, hit) the mark.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ASSI & MAIN VAAPAS AAUNGA

MINOR SPOILERS FOR COCKTAIL 2 & O'ROMEO

TIMECODES

PART 1 (w/ ANAS) - [00:00 - 01:39:01]

Introduction - [00:00 - 03:42]

Assi - [03:42 - 51:19]

Main Vaapas Aaunga - [51:19 - 01:39:01]

PART 2 (w/o ANAS) - [01:39:01 - 02:37:13]

Introduction - [01:39:01 - 01:41:26]

Honorable/Dishonorable Mentions

Performance - [01:41:26 - 01:47:46]

Direction - [01:47:46 - 01:54:28]

Writing - [01:54:28 - 02:00:51]

Scene - [02:00:51 - 02:07:13]

Cinematography - [02:07:13 - 02:14:52]

Editing - [02:14:52 - 02:22:16]

Music - [02:22:16 - 02:28:39]

Film - [02:28:39 - 02:37:13]

OUTRO - [02:37:13 - 02:39:07]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

YOU CAN (AND SHOULD!) FOLLOW ANAS ON HIS SOCIALS.

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

ANAS' CRITICAL PIECE ON ASSI & MAIN VAAPAS AAUNGA

1. "MVA chronicles a country in danger of forgetting itself."

2. "The devastatingly affective tragedy of MVA's climax."

3. "Assi vs. Mardaani 3: The grammar of rage in the era of hypermasculine cinema.

Follow us on Instagram at:

Dhruv: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/terminalcinema/⁠

Cris: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/prdscris/⁠

Follow us on Letterboxd at:

Dhruv - ⁠https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/⁠

Cris: ⁠https://letterboxd.com/crislim/⁠

Hello Hello Hello!

QID's manel (crew?) made up of Dhruv, Amartya, Varun, Cris, Arjun, and Hemant embark on an odyssey through Christopher Nolan's filmography, docking on the shores of his latest release: "The Odyssey". The adaptation question is tackled, with notes on translations, interpretations, and their relationship with the very act of storytelling.

A diverse set of opinions from disappointment to cautious optimism to reverence are shared, mapping the ups and downs of Nolan's auteurist blockbuster filmmaking. His relationship with writing women, the eroticism (or lack thereof) in his work, and his (over?)use of music are also delved into. This spoiler-filled discussion features plenty of "hot takes", references to Dhoom 3, and generally mandated chaos.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Dhruv!

SPOILERS FOR "THE ODYSSEY".

TIME CODES

Intro - [00:00 - 08:45]

The Nolan Tier List - [08:45 - 54:03]

Contextualising Homer's Odyssey - [54:03 - 01:10:39]

"The Odyssey" - [01:10:39 - 02:10:31]

Outro - [02:10:39 - 02:23:18]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

Follow our Instagram page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow us on Letterboxd at -

CRIS: https://letterboxd.com/crislim/.

VARUN: https://letterboxd.com/varunoakbhakay/.

AMARTYA: https://letterboxd.com/amartya/.

ARJUN: https://letterboxd.com/arjun_skumar1/.

HEMANT: ⁠⁠https://letterboxd.com/ganti117/⁠.

DHRUV: ⁠⁠⁠https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/⁠⁠.

Hello Hello Hello!

Overcoming the righteous elitism that plagues the day-to-day operations of Queen is Dead, Amartya, Cris, and Varun convene to discuss the evolution/regression of one of Bombay’s most significant production houses: Yash Raj Films.

More precisely, the decline in YRF’s output is examined through their two major franchises – the Dhoom series and the Spy Universe.

A broad discussion segues into observations about music and themes and filmmaking and dissing QID’s in-house YRF-esque dramatic hero Dhruv Krishna Goyal before arriving at Production #7 of the Spy Universe – Alpha, helmed by Shiv Rawail and starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, with support from Anil Kapoor and the re-ascendant Vijay Singh aka Bobby Deol.

Spoilers for two franchises that no one cares about (as per Dhruv).

TIME CODES

Intro - [00:00 - 05:31]

Bottom of the Barrel ("War 2") - [05:31 - 16:30]

The Appeal of the Spyverse (up until "Pathaan") - [16:30 - 24:04]

The Appeal of the "Dhoom" Franchise (Minus "Dhoom 3") - [24:04 - 45:30]

What Happened to the Music?! - [45:30 - 53:46]

The Demise of the Spyverse (post-"Pathaan") - [53:46 - 01:37:00]

The Lethal Ladies (and the Three Bored Audience Members) of "Alpha" - [01:37:00 - 02:29:28]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

Follow our Instagram page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow us on Letterboxd at -

CRIS: https://letterboxd.com/crislim/.

VARUN: https://letterboxd.com/varunoakbhakay/.

AMARTYA: https://letterboxd.com/amartya/.

In our final episode of this year's Pride series, Cris, Dhruv & Ashwin talk about English-language queer films as outsider "trash" art (John Waters' "Pink Flamingos"), genre-subversive art (The Wachowski Sisters' "Bound") & poetic melodramas (Terence Davies' "Benediction").

Much like the previous two eps, this final episode is another attempt to explore the varied aesthetics of queer expression, with form being intrinsically tied to content in shaping what a filmmaker wants to say about queerness in (and through) their film.

Listen to the full episode to hear us discuss John Waters & Divine's infamous "politics of filth" in "Pink Flamingoes," the Wachowskis' play on noir's femme fatale in "Bound," and Terence Davies' personalization (and poeticism) of the otherwise rote historical biopic in "Benediction."

Spoilers, if they count.

TIME CODES

Intro - [00:00 - 03:04]

"Pink Flamingos" (1972) - [03:04 - 36:28]

"Bound" (1996) - [36:28 - 1:02:07]

"Benediction" (2021) - [01:02:07 - 01:46:53]

Outro - [01:46:53 - 01:53:57]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

Follow our Instagram page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow us on Letterboxd at -

CRIS: https://letterboxd.com/crislim/.

ASHWIN: https://letterboxd.com/ashwindev/.

DHRUV: https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/.

In this second episode (of three) of this year's Pride special series, Cris, Dhruv, Ashwin, and returning guest Prakhar engage with European Queer Cinema through Chantal Akerman's 'The Meetings of Anna', Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 'Querelle', and Alain Guiraudie's 'Stranger by the Lake' and how they navigate asceticism and excess in the landscape of queer misery.

Listen to the full episode for a lot of innuendo (we're blaming Fassbinder for this), academic references (we're blaming Cris for this), and inevitable Bollywood comparisons (we're surprisingly blaming Prakhar for this).

Spoilers, if they count.

TIME CODES

Intro - [00:00 - 03:04]

"The Meetings of Anna" (1978) - [03:04 - 37:45]

"Querelle" (1982) - [37:45 - 1:18:09]

"Stranger by the Lake" (2013) - [01:18:09 - 01:59:13]

Outro - [01:59:13 - 02:05:39]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

Follow our Instagram page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Leo Bersani's "Is the Rectum a Grave?" (1987): https://web.english.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Bersani_Rectum.pdf

You can (and should!) follow Prakhar at - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/she_isatthemovies⁠.

You can follow us on Letterboxd at -

CRIS: https://letterboxd.com/crislim/.

ASHWIN: https://letterboxd.com/ashwindev/.

DHRUV: https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/.

Amartya, Varun, Cris, and Arjun conclude the Spielberg Sci-Fi series with the release of "Disclosure Day". This final (spoiler-filled) episode looks at how the film exists in conversation with his filmography, whether expectations were met, and how honest the message at its heart is. Divergent opinions are shared, along with equal parts of admiration and frustration.

One of them (sorry, Arjun) is left to fend for themselves, necessary comparisons are made to Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis", and a genuine discussion on the existence of the 'third kind' is had.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR "DISCLOSURE DAY".

TIME CODES

Intro (& Alien Talk) - [00:00 - 13:34]

Initial Thoughts - [13:34 - 29:23]

"Disclosure Day" - [29:23 - 01:26:34]

Outro - [01:26:34 - 01:28:29]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

Follow our Instagram page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow us on Letterboxd at -

CRIS: https://letterboxd.com/crislim/.

VARUN: https://letterboxd.com/varunoakbhakay/.

AMARTYA: https://letterboxd.com/amartya/.

ARJUN: https://letterboxd.com/arjun_skumar1/.

Amartya, Varun, and Cris (re)convene in a divergent manel to tackle Steven Spielberg's association with science fiction. This second in a series of three episodes looks at "Minority Report", "War of the Worlds", and "Ready Player One", and how Spielberg (paired here with cinematographer Janusz Kamiński) uses them to tackle real-world politics. References to Bollywood are a must, so Tom Cruise gets compared to John Abraham at some point, do not ask why.

The final part will cover "Disclosure Day" and how it exists in conversation (or not) with these texts. Bonus discussion on our recent (terrible and not so much) excursions to the theatre had to be shared, so do enjoy that as well.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL 3 MOVIES

TIME CODES

Intro (& Recent Theatrical Experiences) - [00:00 - 11:37]

"Minority Report" - [11:37 - 41:18]

"War of the Worlds" - [41:18 - 01:05:04]

"Ready Player One" - [01:05:04 - 01:35:55]

Outro - [01:35:55 - 01:37:05]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

Follow our Instagram page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow us on Letterboxd at -

CRIS: https://letterboxd.com/crislim/.

VARUN: https://letterboxd.com/varunoakbhakay/.

AMARTYA: https://letterboxd.com/amartya/.

In our second ever Pride special series, Cris is joined by fellow Queer Cinema enthusiasts Dhruv and Ashwin to discuss how different filmmakers from different backgrounds and in different eras render queerness on screen. They explore what makes a film "queer" in the first place and how formally, narratively, and stylistically diverse they can be.

This first episode (of three) engages with Asian Queer Cinema through Wong Kar Wai's 'Happy Together', Tsai Ming-liang's 'The River', and Apichatpong Weerasethakul's 'Tropical Malady', and how they contemplate (queer) alienation, misery, and repression.

Listen to the full episode for some heart-attack-inducing Bollywood comparisons (as usual), unexpected shade towards one of these films, and heartfelt affection and admiration for the other two.

Spoilers, if they count.

TIME CODES

(Pride Special) Intro - [00:00 - 08:08]

"Happy Together" (1997) - [08:08 - 38:07]

"The River" (1997) - [38:07 - 1:04:31]

"Tropical Malady" (2004) - [01:04:31 - 01:33:13]

Outro (& Upcoming Episodes) - [1:33:13 - 1:41:46]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

Follow our Instagram page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow us on Letterboxd at -

CRIS: https://letterboxd.com/crislim/.

ASHWIN: https://letterboxd.com/ashwindev/.

DHRUV: https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/.

Resident Star Wars Nerd Amartya introduces Resident Star Wars Noob Cris to the wonders(?) of the series as they discuss its latest addition: 'The Mandalorian and Grogu'. Insert obligatory lecture on the franchise and how much (if any) of it is relevant here.

Much of this (technically spoiler-filled, though there's not much to spoil) conversation revolves around Grogu and how the three-apples-tall alien was synthesised by the creators in a lab to be the cutest thing known to mankind. Attempts are made to talk about the film in general, to questionable degrees of success.

Listen to the full episode for (short) tangents about whether Star Wars is like 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' or 'Fast & Furious' and how quickly 'Grogu Plushies' was googled after watching the film.

SPOILERS FOR 'THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU'.

TIME CODES

Intro - [00:00 - 05:20]

What the Hell is Star Wars? - [05:20 - 17:54]

Grogu (and The Mandalorian) - [17:54 - 37:11]

What Works? - [37:11 - 47:14]

(Nonsense) Discourse Break - [47:14 - 51:03]

What Doesn't Work? - [51:03 - 1:04:38]

Final Thoughts and Outro - [1:04:38 - 1:14:19]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

Follow our Instagram page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow us on Letterboxd at -

CRIS: https://letterboxd.com/crislim/.

AMARTYA: https://letterboxd.com/amartya/.

Ashwin, Amartya, Dhruv, Varun, and Cris convene in a divergent manel to tackle Steven Spielberg's association with science fiction. This first in a series of three episodes looks at "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", and "A.I. Artificial Intelligence". Minor digressions to address the cinematic spectacles known as "Jaani Dushman — Ek Anokhi Kahani" and "Koi Mil Gaya" aside, this is one of the saner offerings from the QID studio, all thanks to host and chief Spielberg champion Varun.

The second episode will revolve around "Minority Report", "War of the Worlds", and "Ready Player One", and the series will close with "Disclosure Day", the latest film by the Father of the Blockbuster, back in the director's chair after a hiatus of four years, the longest time he has taken between films in fifty-two years of feature filmmaking.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL 3 MOVIES & MINOR ONES FOR "THE FABELMANS"

TIME CODES

Intros to Spielberg's Sci-Fi Cinema - [00:00 - 17:13]

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" - [17:13 - 01:25:41]

"E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" - [01:25:41 - 02:13:37]

"A.I. Artificial Intelligence" - [02:13:37 - 02:46:04]

Outro (Spielberg's Auteurism) - [02:46:04 - 02:58:30]

Do hit 'Follow' on Spotify if you haven't already to help the podcast reach more people!

Follow our Instagram page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

You can follow us on Letterboxd at -

CRIS: https://letterboxd.com/crislim/.

ASHWIN: https://letterboxd.com/ashwindev/.

VARUN: https://letterboxd.com/varunoakbhakay/.

AMARTYA: https://letterboxd.com/amartya/.

DHRUV: https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/.