Frontline Conversations

In this insightful edition of Frontline Conversations, veteran journalist Saba Naqvi engages in a candid discussion with political scientist Ashish Ranjan about the recent electoral developments in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. The conversation delves into the intricacies of caste dynamics, social engineering, and the changing political landscape in these regions. Key topics covered include: The cl...

The Justice Hema Committee report released in August shed light on the widespread and persistent nature of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry. The report’s revelations have sparked a host of reactions, dividing both the industry and the society at large. The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), a group of women from the industry initially formed in response to a female actor being abduc...

In a scathing indictment of the Indian film industry, Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra has once again thrust into the spotlight the pervasive issues of misogyny, exploitation, and abuse of power that have long plagued Bollywood and regional cinema alike. Speaking exclusively to Frontline, Mitra, known for her roles in hits like Hothat Brishti and Aschorjo Pradip, pulls no punches as she recounts her...

From Maratha reservations to Mumbai's development and from farmer welfare to alliance dynamics, Sunil Tatkare, prominent NCP leader and Lok Sabha MP from Raigad, decodes Maharashtra's shifting political landscape in a candid conversation with Frontline's Amey Tirodkar. In this revealing interview, Sunil Tatkare offers unprecedented insights into the State's political transformation since the parli...

Direct. Unfiltered. Controversial. Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar breaks his silence on the Dharavi redevelopment deal, answers tough questions about Adani, and reveals the BJP-led Mahayuti's game plan for Mumbai's 36 seats. In this hard-hitting Frontline interview, Shelar tackles everything from vote banks to Metro lines, from Uddhav Thackeray to urban renewal. Shelar speaks on the burning is...

In this exclusive interview with Frontline's Amey Tirodkar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray shares his candid views on Maharashtra's political landscape ahead of the crucial Assembly elections. The first from the Thackeray family to contest elections, he discusses his party's agenda, the MVA alliance, and his vision for Maharashtra's development. Aaditya Thackeray addresses crucial topics...

In the context of the Hema Committee report that rocked Malayalam cinema and beyond, actor and director Revathi talks about the changing film industry in this interview with Frontline. She discusses the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), a group she helped start in 2017 after a serious incident in the Malayalam film industry. The WCC aims to fix long-standing problems in the industry. Revathi has w...

As Jammu and Kashmir prepares for its first Assembly elections in a decade, CPI(M) leader and People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) spokesperson Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami discusses the political landscape following the abrogation of Article 370. In an exclusive interview with Frontline, Tarigami addresses the challenges facing the region, including the downgrading of statehood, concerns o...

In this wide-ranging and insightful interview, renowned political analyst and activist Yogendra Yadav offers a penetrating look at the current state of Indian politics and society. Speaking to Frontline, Yadav draws on his unique perspective as both a commentator and participant in the political process to analyse some of the most pressing issues facing India today. In the 2024 general election, h...

A former Union Minister of Minority Affairs, K. Rahman Khan’s political career spans more than five decades, starting in Karnataka before moving to the national arena. He became a member of the Rajya Sabha in the 1990s, serving four consecutive terms. During this time, he headed two joint parliamentary committees, leading to the amendment of the Waqf Act of 1995. He also served as the Deputy Chair...

Bangladesh is presently in a state of nationwide upheaval after a students' protest demanding reform in the country’s reservation system for government jobs turned violent and forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina out of power. India’s ties with Bangladesh are essential and the continuance of violence and unrest can adversely affect the bordering States and other parts of the country. Hasina was one...

In a wide-ranging and candid conversation with senior journalist Saba Naqvi, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Member of Parliament from Srinagar, offers a stark assessment of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir nearly five years after the abrogation of Article 370. Speaking as one of the few elected representatives from the region in the Parliament, Mehdi describes a climate of disempowerment, economic dis...

Snakebites claim more lives in India than all other animal-related deaths combined, yet this crisis remains largely invisible. Frontline's Deputy Editor Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed sits down with Sumanth Bindumadhav, a leading herpetologist and Director of Wildlife at Humane Society International, India, to uncoil the complexities of this overlooked epidemic. Bindumadhav reveals startling figures: 10 lakh...

New criminal laws [Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA)] took effect in India on July 1, 2024, raising concerns that they could push the country towards becoming a police state. But what are these laws really about? In Frontline Conversations, senior journalist Saba Naqvi interviews Rebecca John, one of India's top crim...

Sasikanth Senthil has been a key figure in the Congress' resurgent performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, where they won 99 seats—up from 52 in 2019. Though he prefers to keep a low profile, Senthil (45) won his Lok Sabha election from Tiruvallur, a reserved (Scheduled Caste) constituency in Tamil Nadu, by a margin of over five and a half lakh votes, the highest in the State. Senthil has also...

Saikat Majumdar is one of the most talked about writers in India today. The author of critically acclaimed novels such as 'Silver Fish', 'The Firebird', 'The Scent of God', and 'The Middle Finger' as well as important non-fiction works like 'College: Pathways of Possibility' and 'Prose of the World', Majumdar has emerged as one of the most fearless and original voices in Indian literature in recen...

Naturalist Yuvan Aves and Pankaj Sekhsaria, an associate professor at the Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas, IIT Bombay, environmentalist, and author discuss 'The Great Nicobar Betrayal', a book published by Frontline Magazine, The Hindu Group and put together by Mr. Sekhsaria. It is a compilation of articles by different authors published in Frontline and other news publications....

The French political scientist and indologist speaks to Aditya Mani Jha about his recent book titled, 'Gujarat Under Modi: Laboratory of Today's India' which focuses on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, his policies, recruitment practices, and more.

Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the religious head of Kashmiri Muslims, talks to Amit Baruah in this episode of Frontline Conversations at his home in Nigeen, Srinagar. After years of house arrest, he shares his views on Kashmir's current situation and its future. The Mirwaiz discusses the recent elections in Kashmir, calling them a "consolidated ballot" against the changes made...

Speaking after securing his fifth term as an MLA, M.Y. Tarigami paints a complex picture of a populace eager for democratic expression yet constrained by years of political turmoil and centralised control. He describes the elections as a watershed moment, where citizens across all demographics seized a rare opportunity to voice their concerns through the ballot, breaking a long spell of enforced s...