News and Views

At a time when the country is going through an economic crisis and requires big, bold reforms, Budget 2020 serves to be one that is ordinary. Many experts have even called it ‘disappointing’ and ‘disastrous.’ The share market fell sharply in the last five days, incurring losses of four lakh crores. There were expectations that the budget would provide the much needed respite, but that didn’t happe...

Let’s start with a short rant about how trailers of films these days leave nothing to our imagination. That the girl our hero “picked up” from the pub could be his daughter. That there is at least 33.333% chance that it is true . In fact, the trailer also confirms it for us . We even know that Jazz (Saif Ali Khan) is running away from committing to relationships as resolutely as he is trying to de...

Have you seen ABCD and ABCD 2? Faithfully consumed different types of dance reality shows? Then why even bother with Street Dancer? That too 3-D... Sigh. Remo D’Souza‘s latest offering as a director has Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor dancing it out in London.  Both can’t stand each other and belong to warring teams. Sahej is an Indian and Inayat a Pakistani, and their meeting ground is Anna AKA...

Sunetra has been a journalist for many years and is currently the Political Editor for the Hindustan Times and the “confessions” that she writes about are Sunil Gupta’s own from his time in Tihar, where he was a jailer for 35 years. In this podcast Gupta recalls the first day of his job when he bumped into none other than one of India’s most feared serial killer Charles Sobraj. During his time in...

Panga is a film about a woman trying to live her dream. A dream she put in abeyance because life took an unexpected turn. It would be reductive to call Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s latest film just a sports drama. A kabaddi player trying to be back in the team is one thread that holds it together. However, unlike other such movies where everything is a lead up to that big athletic moment of adrenaline ru...

Subhash Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj – or Indian National Army (INA) – is a crucial chapter in India’s freedom struggle. How did an army comprising prisoners of war and formed on foreign soil fight for India’s freedom? On Bose’s 124th birth anniversary on 23 January, we charted how the Azad Hind Fauj came into being, the war campaigns it fought, and the role it played in India’s Independence. Hos...

On the night of 19 January 1990, lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of the Valley in the wake of the rising insurgency. Most of them were forced to leave without any belongings.  The Quint spoke with some Kashmiri migrants who have been living outside the Valley for the last 30 years. They talk about how their lives changed after they were exiled from their homeland. Host: Garvita Khybri  R...

Dr Ali Madeeh Hashmi is a psychiatrist by profession even as poetry runs in his genes. Being Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s grandson, it’s only laazim that Dr Hashmi is also an author of two books and numerous articles, including an authoritative biography of the poet. Amidst the storm around Faiz’s poem ‘Hum Dekhenge’ in India, complete with the constitution of an IIT committee to judge the verse, The Quint's...

Former Union Minister P Chidambaram spoke to The Quint's Editorial Director Sanjay Pugalia in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, 15 January. Mr Chidambaram talks about the economy, the BJP's policies, and how it's "too late" for the Centre to remedy the economy before the end of another financial year. Host: Sanjay Pugalia Guest: P Chidambaram, Former Union Minister Learn more about your ad choi...

“How are we making Indian citizenship so ridiculously cheap?” I know what you’re thinking. Another story on what a politician thinks about citizenship in India. Except, this is not an argument made in 2020. Or even 2019. This is from 1949, when PS Deshmukh, India’s first Agriculture Minister, was debating citizenship in the Constituent Assembly. Who is an Indian citizen, who isn’t and who can be —...

In 1965, Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of India, immortalised the India of his times with the slogan, “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”. There was a scarcity of wheat in the country and Shastri raised this slogan as a call for soldiers and farmers to defend India and also increase the production of food grains. Not long after that his stint was cut short with his sudden untimely death on 11...

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior - yet another film to tell us that the Marathas were great! Obviously we can’t hold it against them, can we? Ajay Devgn’s 100th film sees him essaying the role of the brave Maratha warrior Tanhaji Malusare, one of the closest aides of Shivaji Maharaj. The Kondhana fort was of strategic importance for the then Mughal ruler to fortify his hold on the southern base of Indi...

Chhapaak opens with protests against the barbaric Nirbhaya rape case in 2012. As tear gas and police lathis meet the spirited protestors , there’s an eerie similarity to what is happening in the country today. Among the protestors is a father carrying a passport- size photo of his daughter’s disfigured face, and that is trying to catch the attention of a TV journalist. Women and the crimes against...

For now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put the brakes on his government’s plans for a pan-India National Register of Citizens or NRC. But, it is not a complete rollback. In May 2019, PM Modi took a key step towards a nationwide NRC by amending the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964 – making it applicable throughout India, effectively allowing the government to set up foreigners tribunals in e...

From the Pulwama terror attack to nationwide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 saw a barrage of misinformation/disinformation along with the regular news cycle. The Quint spoke to some of the people who became the target of fake news and how these events impacted their lives. Read the story here. Host: Divya Chandra Editor: Vishnu Gopinath Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

Swara Bhasker, Varun Grover, Anubhav Sinha, Renuka Shahane, and Neeraj Ghaywan join us for a discussion on Bollywood's role in contemporary Indian politics, at a time when massive protests against CAA and NRC continue across the country, as does violent police repression in places such as Uttar Pradesh. Do film industry professionals have a responsibility to speak up at such times of political tur...

It’s that time of the year when listicles descend on us from everywhere . ‘Top 5’ this to ‘10 Best’ that and so, we decided to go ahead and make our own list of films and cinematic moments from the last two decades that have become so much a part of our popular culture that we can’t imagine our lives without them anymore . These might not be the best films of the year, cinematically talking, but t...

Directed by Raj Mehta , Good Newwz is a smartly made film that knows its strengths and plays to them. For one, it’s an extremely good looking film with people with blessed genes inhabiting almost every frame. A special mention for Kareena Kapoor who looks absolutely stunning. From the sets to the clothes, the beauty is everywhere. Also, the pace compliments the proceedings, so even if there are a...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the NRC at a BJP rally contradicts his own Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement in Parliament. So, if Modi and Shah are saying two completely contradictory things, whom do you believe? On this doublespeak of the government on plans for a nationwide NRC exercise, I Have A Question. Tune into the podcast for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...

PM Narendra Modi's speech at Ramlila Maidan kick-started BJP's campaign in Delhi. People were watching the speech for some comment on the violence that took place during the anti-CAA protest just 500 m from Ramlila Maidan. But most of the statements made by PM Modi were misleading. Here are some fact-checks on the statements made by the prime minister in his speech. Learn more about your ad choice...

Fake videos, old pictures and manipulated content has once again flooded the internet in light of the nationwide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. These unverified posts are targeting protesting students and Delhi Police alike. The Quint's WebQoof team has identified and debunked at least nine fake news stories in the past five days. Let's go over them today. One of the most viral...

Pati - Abhinav Tyagi. Patni - Vedika Tripathi, and Woh - Tapasya Singh ! That’s our world for 128 minutes . Abhinav Tyagi (Kartik Aaryan) and Vaidehi Tripathi ( Bhumi Pednekar) have an arranged alliance, where on their first meeting, Vaidehi tells Abhinav aka Chintu that she likes “sex” and because rebellion doesn’t seem to suit her she would rather give restriction a chance . He is instantly floo...

Rani Mukerji reprises her role of Inspector Shivani Roy. In her previous outing, she uncovered a child-trafficking racket. Years later, Inspector Shivani is now posted as SP in Kota. Still as fierce and a no-nonsense cop, this time around she is being challenged by a psychotic serial killer who rapes and then tortures his female victims . The misogyny mouthed by him is nauseous and the attack care...

Let’s just call it Ashutosh Gowariker’s version of history, but even then Panipat: The Great Betrayal is a hard pill to swallow. The action starts from Shaniwarwada in Pune, the capital of the Maratha empire and moves on to Panipat - where the epic battle was fought. At 173 minutes, with an army of writers responsible for the dreary screenplay, Gowariker’s Panipat seemed to have lasted as long as...

The problem with films based on real life events is that one is already aware of how things will pan out. And so, the challenge lies in keeping us invested in the story. In this respect, Hotel Mumbai excels. We plunge headlong into the events that led to the dastardly terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2008, and director Anthony Maras – who has also written the screenplay along with John Collee – keep...