Filmi Ladies

Happy Mother's Day or as we call it - Maa Divas! CineMAA has many interesting maas and in this episode we discuss them. There's the martyr maa, wholesome maa, unhinged maa, idealistic maa, sauteli maa, vengeful maa, even the sexual maa. We discuss what motherhood means through two very different movies - Masoom (1983) and English Vinglish (2012) Tell us your favorite cinema maas and also y...

This week we're looking at movies tinged with green. The color may connote envy, luck, and eco-consciousness...but we both went literal and chose films with beautiful greenery. Sudani from Nigeria (2018) is a sweet slice of outsider life in Kerala, and Khoj (1989) has strange goings-on in the hills of Nepal. Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0...

We time travel to 19th century Britain for our next installment of Filmi Ladies book club. We discuss Dil Diya Dard Liya, a 1966 adaptation of Wuthering Heights; Sangdil, a 1952 adaptation of Jane Eyre; and two versions of Great Expectations, a 1998 Hollywood version as well as Fitoor from 2016. All are fairly emo and very, very filmi. What are your favorite British novels and their adaptations? T...

We love Tabu! And so does everyone else apparently. What's not to love? She's strong, fearless, complex, talented and plays complicated characters with an astounding ease. Truth be told, we may be a little scared of her? Pitu desperately wants to have tea with her but is also nervous about it. We discuss her movies Kadhal Desam (1996), Astitva (2000), and Haider (2014), with a momentary fo...

Blue is so many things: it's clear blue skies and the ocean, the excitement of tropical holidays, but also the snobbery of the blue-blooded and the preppy set. It's also the beloved morpankhi color of peacocks and the monsoon rains, as well as the sadness of feeling a little down or downright depressed. We explore the depths of the color blue (pun intended) with Blue (2009) and the angst and melan...

Special guest Vikas Raheja from the Let's Talk, Melbourne podcast joins us to discuss NRI films. All your favorites come up, with special attention beyond the SRK-Chopra-Johar of this genre: Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Bollywood Hollywood (2002), and Flavors (2003). Listen to Vikas's podcast. https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/vikas-raheja/ Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://ope...

Brown is so beautiful: natural and warm and sturdy, it reminds us of coffee and tea, trees and stones, antique furniture, fine leathers, furry friends, and, in the case of our chosen projects, the symbol of legal authority (khaki) and ageless history (old papers and ruins). Pitu watched Vikramaditya Motwane's new series Black Warrant (2025) and Beth watched the Bengali archaeology adventure Guptod...

Wherever could we find purple prose in Hindi cinema??? The Dirty Picture (2011), that's for sure. 💜 💜 💜 We also discuss the lavender marriage in the lovely queer rights film Badhaai Do (2022). Purple has a fascinating history that Pitu shares in the beginning of this episode. We're lucky to have such easy access to this strong, confident color today! Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https:/...

We time travel between 1950s Hollywood and 1990s Bollywood to discuss two movies that are same same but different - Sabrina (1954) and its Hindi adaptation Yeh Dillagi (1994). Ole Ole indeed! Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/filmi-ladies/id1642425062 @filmiladies on Instagram Pitu is @p...

We are not aMUSEd. Ugh, these movies. It's Beth's fault that we watched them, and we're both glad to have finally seen these films and we can have informed opinions...but unfortunately those opinions are quite negative. The real takeaway is that men authoring stories about how women inspire them is quite unnecessary and just takes up more air in the room that could have gone to women authoring the...

Yes yes, we've already done an episode on Shashi Kapoor, but his filmography is so vast and varied that there's always room for another! We both chose a film for his young, middle and older years, so there are 6 films under discussion today: Dharmputra (1961, his debut as an adult), Pyaar Kiye Jaa (1966), Chori Mera Kaam (1975), Trishna (1978), Pyaar Ki Jeet (1987), and In Custody/Muhafiz...

Natural, raw, vivacious, spirited or annoying, grating and shrill? Opinions abound on our next superstar, Kajol! We discuss her work in some of the most iconic blockbusters co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, as well as some of the smaller films and unusual roles she's done. Films discussed: Hamesha, Minsara Kanavu/Sapnay, and of course Gupt. What are your Kajol opinions? Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on...

These films had us ALL STIRRED UP! The great Indian Kitchen, starring the wonderful Nimisha Sajayan and Suraj Venjaramoodu and directed by Jeo Baby, is a quiet, clear, almost documentary-like look at the erosion of a woman's life and self in her in-laws' house. The Hindi remake Mrs., starring Sanya Malhotra and Nishant Dahiya and directed by Arati Kadav, is a slightly different but still v...

Before you dismiss gray, think about all it can represent: ambiguity, aging sadness, life-giving rain, sublime and enduring stone, mysterious or cooling shadows, or even the beautiful and essential mid-tones of anything sketched in black and white. We went with two very different films from the 2010s: Masaan (2015) and Raees (2017). Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/sho...

Happy Valentine's Day! What could be a messier and filmier way to celebrate Valentine's than discussing that most dramatic of story lines - the love triangle? Guest Manish Mathur joins us on this episode where we discuss Manmarziyaan (2018), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), and Shakespearewallah (1965). You know you want an episode that covers Merchant Ivory, Bhansali, and Kashyap in the same discus...

This amazing all-rounder required looking at different kinds of films: of course Rangeela (1995) and Ek Hasina Thi (2004), but also Khoobsurat (1999), Dillagi (1999), and Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001). 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/filmi-ladies/id1642425062 @filmiladies on...

We travel to colonial Bengal and encounter the idle rich, a bejeweled beauty, a perennially bemused bumpkin, and a sparkly, sprightly lady - and of course a crumbling haveli with bad juju. In this episode we discuss Saheb Bibi Golam (Bengali, 1956) and Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam (Hindi, 1962). Read Prof. Philip Lutgendorft's essay on SBG (Hindi version): https://indiancinema.sites.uiowa.edu/sahib-bibi-...

This is the first episode in a new series about films we associate with particular colors. Black may be the most complicated color, evoking traits from elegance and edge to sadness, anger, mourning, and destructiveness. For a color that can be so striking, it often screams "don't look too closely." Neither of us could resist choosing a black and white film, but that's where the s...

Happy New Year, friends! We hope 2025 is kind to all of us! In the spirit of the new year, we discuss movies that discuss new beginnings. Beth chose Queen (2014) and Pitu chose Bend It Like Beckham (2002). So many lovely things to say about these films that celebrate believing in yourself and taking chances. ✨️ Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0...

Bringing the energy we want for 2025, it's everyone's favorite bolt of sunshine: Juhi Chawla! In talking about a range of her films - Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), Yes Boss (1997), and 3 Deewarein (2003) - we also discuss her unique traits, why she's so good with Shah Rukh Khan, whether comedy really is not as well regarded as drama, and what acting even IS. Did you...

Let it snow!! Snow conjures up visions of giddy delight, snowball fights, hijinks, romance, hushed wonder but also eerie, claustrophobic scenes invoking dread. We discuss two movies where being snowed in is a thing. Junglee (1961) and Gaddaar (1973). (Beth couldn't find Junglee with subtitles online, but Gaddaar is on the Internet Archive! https://archive.org/details/gaddaar-1973-hindi.-dv-drip.-4...

Spoilers abound in this discussion of two recent-ish films. If you saw either of these, share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/filmi-ladies/id1642425062 @filmiladies on Instagram Pitu is @pitusultan on Instagram Beth is @bethlovesbollywood on Bluesky Email...

In her 40+ year career, Madhuri has out-acted her co-stars and peers, out-danced everyone, done films, streaming and reality shows and looked fabulous while doing it. We discuss Pukar (2000) (where she plays perhaps her only negative role?), Khel (1992), Deewana Mujhsa Nahi (1990), Khalnayak (1993) and Sailaab (1990). Tell us your favorite Mads movies! Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://...

* This episode contains many spoilers for both films under discussion! * Both Anjali and Poo are grown up and being badass detectives in Do Patti (2024) and The Buckingham Murders (2023). While we enjoyed both movies, there were quite a few things that made us go HUH??? Kriti Sanon also turns in a Seeta aur Geeta twin role but it's all quite bleak. What are your favorite lady detective films? Subs...

What do you watch when you need a hug from the screen? For us, it's American comedies When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Legally Blonde (2001). What, like it's hard? Subscribe to Filmi Ladies on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ib9C1X5ObvN18u9WR0TK9 or Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/filmi-ladies/id1642425062 @filmiladies on Instagram and Twitter Pitu is @pitusultan on Inst...